Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1897-11-15
EXCESS OF ZEAL.


ret to the cellar.
1t was small, compact little place, just
large enough for two people, and as Bridg
ct had remarked to her FRIEND the next
door general, ''''Where there's only two
in the family and the washing is given out
it is easy to manage and the furniture
and carpets all being new, and the mistress
not one of them worriting kind, but sim
| pie and easy to please, she and master are
| more like pair of children with eyes only
| for their two selves, l just docs my work
! when and how l like. -
MI this was very true, but Bridget was
il really smart, Woodworking servant and
kept the small house in state of perfec-
| ton so far as cleanliness went.
On this occasion she had surpassed her.
self. The carpets had been taken up,
shaken and laid down again, paintings
washed and the stainings rubbed with tur-
pentine and beeswax until the floor shonc
The small kitchen had been freshly
cleaned and looked pretty and coy in the
freight.
There remained nothing for the ener-
getic little maid to do but to take her well
earned cup of tea and await the arrival of
her master and mistress.
When in an evil hour her eyes fell on
her mistress bicycle, it spoiled the look of
the hall in Bridget's opinion. The little
stand shone with rubbing, and everything
in the hall except the bicycle had had
taste of Bridget's buster or broom.
''Why l shouldn't clean it and know
better how to clean it than the mistress
beats Inc. What do you say, Thomas?"
Thomas replied merely by arching his
back, erecting his bushy tail and purring
loudly. II have seen, she went on, "the
mistress turning the thing upside down
and cleaning it with oil. l never noticed
rightly where she put the oil, but think
it was on the black part. Anyhow, Thorn
rs, parrafine oil never hurt nothing, and
the mistress ought to be real Obliged to
me, so she ought, for cleaning it for her,
not that engaged to do such a thing of
the sort-a mans work call it-and I'd
like the hall all to MATCH so to speak"
So saying she carefully carried the bicy-
Gle over the shining oilcloth, as truly
enough the wheels were rather muddy,
and erected it upside down Oh it's stand in
the small yard. PLENTY of parrafine, I" re-
marked Bridget to the cat, taking tin
dish and pouring IA liberal supply of oil
into it.
Thomas rubbed himself against her
apron approvingly. She then dipped the
cloth into the oil and proceeded vigorously
to rub off the dust.
Il have seen the mistress use parraflne
for she often asked me for II crock of it,
So | am doing no harm, that's one good
thing. But am not rightly sure if she
puts it on this indian rubber wheel
What's good for the goose is good for the
gander, Ell, Thomas?" And she took fresh
helping of the oil and proceeded to rub 1T
in well
'Now" Bridget sighed with satisfac
ton IF that doesn't look clean-but
drat the thing l can't get the wheel to
dry I'll just put it near the kitchen fire,
now that there's no dust on it, 1t won't
spoil the floor, and it will be dry before
they come in. I"
She placed it again on its stand, but not
too close
I'm no fool, - she observed. II don't
want to burn the thing-but what S that"
She started nervously. sit never can be
the gate never minded the hour, and
now | won't have time to get the bicycle
back = there they are, sure enough"
Bridget closed the door of the kitchen and
came to meet her mistress.
''Well, Bridget, " said fresh, young
voice, II see you have been having IA
spring cleaning-thc house looks lovely
so clean and bright, and such delicious
smell of turpentine. like the smell SO
much, don't you, Harry"
81 don't know about that dear, " said
Harry, cit smells more like paraf1in. But
vl,u+o D,,..l
sob, yes, sir, fried sole-soup, mean
first-and curry and parrafine.
''And what" said Harry-''you seem
to have paratfin on the brain-what is
that awful smell?"
"lt's-it's the bicycle" stammered
Bridget. Sits all right, (" she concluded
idiotically backing toward the kitchen.
"What bicycle-the girls gone crazy"
Don't, Harry" said his wife quietly |
"You brighten Bridget. Let her explain. |
Where is my bicycle, Bridget? Have you
lifted it into the kitchen while you were
cleaning? 1t does not matter" she added |,
kindly, " if you were careful about it.
"Yes, mum, 1 knew you would be
pleased, and cleaned it too -
II wish, my dear" said Harry, 'you
would forbid any one touching your ma
chine. will help you to clean it. You
never know he stopped Mortified as his
wife opened the kitchen door and exposed
the nearly cooked machine.
For all the world like roasting jack"
thought Bridget. II said to Thomas, l
said that was what was good for the -
She said to Thomas-who have you
had in hercs" said Harry in a voice of
thunder, as he lifted the badly used ma
chine away from the fire and discovered
the sad condition Of the tires. "You have
ruined it. wonder Thomas, whoever he
is, had not more sense Can't you speak,
woman Who helped you in this hopeless
piece of idiocy?"
Thomas. = remarked his wife, sis the
cat, and there is no use saying any more"
"You know, !" she turned to the weeping
girl, II desired you not to touch my ma
chine, not even to dust it, and it is little
hard"-her voice shook slightly as she
spoke-''to find it utterly ruined all
through ignorance and disobedience But
will try and induce your master to for
give YOU" she added In low tone, "as
the accident happened through an excess
of zeal. Marian West in Lady Cyclist