The record-union., 1895-03-26
BERNADINE.
A True story.

that the new cham Oermald at the motel
was not only a very beautiful but very
imposing young woman, with beauty
which was not of the ordinary type, but
in the masses of her gold bronze hair
which poets and painters are pleased to
term Tltianesque, and which she wore
high on top of her head like bronze
aureola. Her complexion was perfect,
with just delicate suspicion of seashell
pink in each of her oval cheeks; her eyes
were large, brown and limpid, and in
their depths lurked, what the more senti-
mental of the women were pleased to
call, profound melancholy, hidden
sorrow. When she smiled, which she
did but rarely, a most perfect row of
pearly teeth were brought to view.
Added to this facial charm was a figure
which even a Greek Hebe might well
have envied, a stately carriage and a ma
jestic manner which seemed almost in
congruous in a chambermaid, seemingly
more fitted to one born to purple and fine
linen all ones life rather to one who
must earn one's own livelihood in me-
nial position.
When Bernadine made her debut at the
mediate impression upon the bOarderS.
The women called her soulful and statu-
esque, while the men declared she was a
'deucedly stunning creature, by Jove."
For the nOuce the men and women were
unanimous in sounding Bernadine's
praises, and not dissenting voice was
raised. Even in her calico working
gown Bernadine looked like a Princess
i'll disguise, aud when she came down the
hall with her dustpan and broom in one
hand, bundle of towels over her shapely
arm, and, perhaps, tin bucket in the
other hand, the men insLinctively made
way for her and raised their hats in re-
spectful salutation.
The idea of taking a liberty with the
girl never seemed to enter their heads.
She had a certain indetinable air about
her which precluQed any advances from
the opposite sex. Like all pretty women,
the fact was soon discovered that Berna-
dine had penchant for pretty things, and
ia consequence many were the little at
tentions bestowed upon her by the femi-
nine population, in the shape of gloves
and ribbons aud flowers, bits of bright
hued silk, which, when coming from un-
der Bernardine's defI fingers, seemed to
have nlarvelously transformed them
selves into all sorts Of fantastic and pleas
Ing shapes TO allure and hold the eye OF
the beholder.
Often, too, the ladies would give her
| little fragrant suiiIs from their perfume
bottles or would dab her face and clothes
with a little Of iIs distilled sweetness.
Powders and all facial cosmetics Berna-
dine scorned, and when her views upon
this somewhat too common feminine
weakness was discovered they were re-
spected.
One admirable thing about Bernadine
was that she would never take anything
not righttuLy belonging to her, and in
this respect she was a model servant, as
women who have had experience with
them will attest.
SO time went on, and Bernadine -four
ished in popular favor, and grew more
beautiful day by day. That there was a
mystery surrounding the handsome
cham bermaid could not be consistently
! overlooked nor denied, but with all the
soft cooling, wheedling and cOaXing of the
/ women, and all the ardent hattering OF
! the men, not one word concerning her
/ past could be extracted from her. Upon
that point she was singularly silent, not
TO say retIcent. Whatever her past had
| been it was a buried secret and one she
| proposed to keep.
am aware that some pessimistic indi-
| ylduaI and these are OF the opposite sex
Will say that my heroine was an eXcep-
tlOnal woman, but she was nothing Of
the sort. The women who hold and
keep secrets are far in advance OF those
women VINO dIVuIge them, therefore, |
contend, there was nothing supernatural,
abnormal nor extraordinary in the men
tallty OF my heroine.
When Bernadine had been at the house
about SIX months something happened
when was nothing more nor less tnan
general uprising Of the feminine popu-
lace against her. This is not an unusual
occurrence, l am aWare-the only won
der was that IL did not occur months
| before. That a dozen women could
peaceably, nay, even happily, exist un-
der the same roof which sheltered sister
whom they could not help but confess,
| no matter how adverse they were to
make the admission, was far handsomer
! than they could ever hope to be, even
| though the object was only a cham ber-
maid, was little short Of marvellous,
! However, the reaction set in, and the
| tide OF popular favor turned. No longer
/ was Bernadine overwhelmed with cour-
/ tesies and tavors; the perfume bottles and
| the jewel caskets before which Bernadiue
! had been wont to pose in esthetic admi-
| ration were locked up and carefully put
| away, while the bows and ribbons and
| dainty furDeiows were bestowed else
! where. Not only that, out when Berna-
dine passed through the hall these days
! on her way to her work it was q singular
! and noticeable fact that not one of her
/ erstwhile feminine admirers had a word
| nor a look To bestow in her direction.
Ii Bernadine noticed this change or felt
| it. no one knew, for she went about her
duties as usual, even sometimes hum
ming little suatches of song, though this
was not often, as Bernadine was very
much alone these days; III fact, since the
deSerIOn OF the ladies she had absolutely
no one to whom she could speak, as she
! did not associate with any of the other
servants in the house, and the gentlemen
l,.,,. dow =
their business, SO Bernadine was quite
alone.
OF course there was reason for this
! sudden change. When pressed for it by
| tie men, who can sometimes be particu-
| larly lnquisitiye, no matter what is
said to the contrary, the ladies would
| look at each other and smile very mean
ing smile, and said they were at last
| awakening TO a sense of what was due
| themselves, and that while Bernadine
was no doubt very beautiful, still-and
! here an expressive shrug finished the
! sentence.
Jealousy. my dear boy. simple and
! pure jealousy" said the mon to each
other. and were therefore more kind than
ever to the witching cham bermaid, which
of course famed the spark of dislike
| against poor Bernadine into a perfect
| flame.
There was one masculine boarder at the
house whom the ladies were all particu-
larly anxious to please, not because he
! was young and handsome. though that
is certainly an inducement for any we'll
! balanced unmarried woman to look her
prettleSt and smile her sweetest but he
had title and pedigree back of him
which extended over generations and
| generations of ancestors, and the top
most branches of his ancestral tree almost
/ touched the sky. So blue was his blood
indeed, that it was doubtful whether