Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-06-03
OTR CELESTIAL COOK

OTJR CELESTIAL COOK
eve have certainly solved the prob
lem Of bachelor existence said Robin
son over coffee and cigars. THE deep
| rooted tradition that women alone are
qualified to keep house is ridiculous, for
l defy you to find more comfortable
establishment Of its size than this one
of Brown, Jones and myself.
"True, true" said Thompson, who
lives in boarding house and hence is
rather pessimistic, but you must re-
member that you have had only three
months of it, and'-
"See here. Thompson" I cried,
"there is no use in your trying to scare
u.s. Everybody told us that for three
bachelors to- even dream Of keeping
house was the sheerest madness. l have
tried your boasted boarding houses, /
have risked life nightly facing storms III
search of dinners, and now for one can
say that fer solid comfort T. II take cur
modest apartment and the productions
of our own kitchen. Why
'sBut you have not cone face to face
with the servant problem" interrupted
our cynical guest.
'sThe servant probleml" exclaimed
Brown. "Why need we ever face it
while Wing Song lives. Where could
you get better coffee than this?''
"Ah, there is the guardian angel Of
our household, said Robinson. cit was
red letter day i'll our lives when we
ran across cur almond eyed major domo.
He runs the house as he chooses, and he
runs it well. Of coursc he las his faults,
but on the whole he is the best natured,
| the most faithful creature ia
''But Jones says he reads your let
tersr'
''Now, Thompson, you are converting
mole hills into mountains. What if he
does? He can't unders tand them, . said
Brown.
ssBut the very thought Of it would
drive me wild"
ewing Song can read my letters to
his hearts content" l ventured warm
ly, "and enjoy the little he gets out of
them as long as he continues setting be-
fore me his excellent cooking and keeps
the apartment i'll its present sp;ck and
span condition.
'.But Brown says that he has broken
several handsome pieces Ct china that
he prided himself SO on having selected,
at good prices too.'
ga small matter, small matter,
said Brown. "We can afford to pay the
damage done by such servant. just
last night he came''-
Robinson i'll warning, stSsh!'
| There was soft patter Of sandaled
feet, and yellow face. above which
arose dome Of tightly rolled cue,
appeared at the door.
| That door had been closed, a fact not
in itself strange, but yet it always
seemed in measure to bear Oh an Incl
dent that occurred Gu the following
| day, when. after breakfast, Robinson
and were sitting over our morning pa
| pers.
| 'sMista Lobinson.
We looked up from cur reading and
saw standing before us cur servants"
as we called him, his face fixed i'll an
impenetrable calm that we knew por-
tended matter Of import.
"Well, Wing Song?" inquired Robin
son, who by virtue of his seniority we
had constituted manager of our house.
hold.
The servants" for q moment fingered
in silence the hem Of his long white
coat. Then he spoke: ''Me velly solly,
Mista Johnson, but 1 have tloo much
wolk. go i'll laundly an makee tlelve
dolla week. Ycu givee me tlen. I ikee
stlay velly mulch-stlay you givee me
tlelve dolla.
There was q solemn pause. I could
see my friends wrath rising, for he
slowly laid aside his paper and scruti-
nized cur Celestial from cue to SAN
dals.
s'Confound it, Wing Sorgv' he cried
when you came, you said you would
do the laundry; but to give you less
work we cut that off, and now you want
more wages. -
| ''You makee tloo mulch laundly.
Velly solly no suit. You no likee me,
glo.
1t seems to me-" Iventured in a pa
cific tore, "that you ought tc get along
very well on SO. That's big wages,
Wing Song, considering it costs you
nothing to live -
II makee tlelve in 1aundly. You no
likee, I glo. Velly solly."
| Deep detection settled over him. His
eyes seemed to droop more at the cor
ners, the loose folds of his coat to as
sume curves like those of weeping will
low. I really felt that the idea of leav-
ing our employ was distasteful to the
poor fellow and would have at once in
tervened i'll his behalf had he not turned
and with his hands clasped behind his
back left the room.
7 Robinson" cried, ''you are brute
to let that poor Chinaman 20 back to a
laundry for mere matter Of So week. -
My friend sprang from his chair and
called, ewing Song!"
Our servants" responded at once.
"We do not want you to leave" said
Robinson kindly, "we will give you
what you ask. -
'Thlanks, THANKS, Mist Lobinson.
likee alice do your wolk.''
And the smile that burst over his vel
4 low face was worth its cost.
So Wing Song staid On, and as thu
months flew by we became more ani
more attached to him. It was uncon
scionsly, to be sure. for not until the
] crash came did we realize that he hai
become q part Of our domestic existence
Crash seems strong word to use il
connection with the dismissal Of serv
| mt fhnf q crash II uraa IA 11a