St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1895-02-01

In time | felt the presence of that
girl hardly less than my wife did. |
remember shaking n evening when
she detected me reading my incom-
plete volume ofLandor. Ihad begun
to take in an edition of Selected
Works" of the poets. butt gave them
up. How could / read selected
works, when she had the complete
works in the kitchen?
My wife and have naturally sim
pie tastes, and we used to play bag
atelle in the evening. When the new
servant saw us at it she could not
help smiling, and then we were
ashamed. We continued to play, be-
cause neither of us liked to let on to
the other, but often my wife blushed,
and so did |.
"The fire is low" | said one night
while we were playing. You had
better ring for Goals"
But what would Isabella think"
said my wife, "if she saw us playing
bagatelle AGAIN."
IL don't care what Isabella
thinks" | cried in a passion. rs
she master in this house, or am II"
Shut the bagatelle board" she
replied land I'll ring"
was not to make myself as small
as this, however, so | rang hercely,
and when Isabella answered it |
glared like one who meditated eating
her. She did not smile this time, but
|, too, felt that her respect for her
master was going.
isabelle tells me-" my wife said
next day, that the ancients used to
play a game not unlike bagatelle."
Then we havea warrant Tor play
ing it"
But she says they only played at
it when they were children"
After that we played bagatelle no
more. 1t was never mentioned by
either of US. The board was hidden
away beneath the spare bedroom
bed. Soon | noticed that my wife
had begun to make her own dresses.
From one point of view this was not
a matter to complain Of, but my
wife looked so woe.begone that l
asked why she had become her own
dressmaker.
Isabella" she replied.
well, what has Isabella been
doing now"
"She has not been doing anything.
But she makes her own dresses and
sews so beautifully that am utterly
ashamed of myself. can't look her
in the face"
stamped my feet, for | had now
begun to hate thatjewel OF a servant.
One Sunday | noticed that my wife
carried a note book and a pencil to
church with her.
Are you to take note OF the SER
NOM" asked.
She said that was her intention.
What | asked, put this into
your head?"
Can't you guess?' she asked.
Not that wretched Isabella?" |
cried.
Eyes, of course it was; but don't
call her names. She is a model SER
want
Il suppose she takes notes of the
sermons?"
"She does more than that; she
takes the complete sermon down in
shorthand"
About a week ago a series OF lect-
ures on English literature and other
subjects was begun in our town.
Those who get so many marks in
the examinations my wife told me,
"can then go to St. Andrews, and be-
come L. L. A., l think it is"
had no desire that my wife should
be an L. l.. A., but she wanted to at
tend, and | did not mind.
us this not the first night OF the
lectures?" asked her n evening.
She said it was.
Then is it not time you were get
ting ready"
"Oh, I'm not going"
mot going? Why"
isabella
This is too much! What has Isa-
bella to say against lectures?"
she says nothing against them.
She is going"
"Wh-a-at!'
81 couldn't prevent her, She hard
ly ever asks out"
"Well, it would have been absurd
if you and she had gone together"
perhaps, but that is not what
made me give the idea up. Ifeel that
Isabella will certainly take most
marks in the examination, and that
shamed me-
Hum! think that the best thing
we can do with Isabella is to bid her
leave"
My wife's eyes cleaned with de-
light.
"But she is such a perfect girl"
she said. We could have nc excus
for sending her away.
Excellent excuses; | want to read
novels again, and to play bagatelle,
and, in short, to feel that am as
good as my servant"
I'VE will never get such a servant
again"
81 hope not. She is too good for