The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1899-11-15

1
nateral housekeeper, Fidelia jest slaves
round all the time, cleanin' and pickin'
up, and looks tagged out and tired and
worn all the time, and the hired girl
pert and rosy; and Alexander paid her a
compliment on her good looks, and
wished right before me that Fidelia
could look more like Maud, and Maud
bridled up and looked tickled, and
Fidelia's head dropped like droopin'
doves. And I don't know when l
have been madder, both as friend and
as woman.
And spoke right up, and sez, "Meb-
by if Maud had been in the kitchen
over hot stove, and Drilled the steak
and ereamed the potatoes aud made
the coffee, and if Fidelia had been out
on the piazza part of the time, mebby
she would have looked more fresh. -
had seen Maud there half of the time
she wuz a-settin' the table, a-leanin'
over the railin', actin lazy and uppish.
But" sez Alexander, coolly, "F'idelia
prefers to do the cookin'."
Yes" sez FideIia, faintly-for she
wuz wore out-"yes, I prefer"
"Well," sez I, ''if you do, it is the
least We can do, who enjoys your de-
licious supper, TO be thankful to you,
and sorry that you have wore yourself
out for cur enjoyment" Fidelia's
cheeks flushed and her eyes frightened
at the unusual thing Of word of praise
bein' gin to her; and the hired girl
looked mad and black; and Alexander
looked on with perfect wonder at the
turn things had took, and spoke quite
soft to Fidelia, and she frightened up
still more.
Sez he, Nobody can cook steak
equal to Fidelia."
And my Josiah looked real temper
some, and as If he wuz a-goin' in TO
combat for my rights as a stak'ist. But
l spoke right up and sez:
THAT is so, Alexander. Fidelia is one
of the most splendid cooks in the coun-
ty, and you must be proud Of her, and
do all you can to make her rest and
recreate between meals, jest out graft
tude to the one that furnishes such de-
licious food"
He looked kinder cheap; and Fidelia
looked troubled, for she mistrusted that
there wuz a shadder Of blame bein' cast
onto Alexander; but changed the sub
ject, like good mistress Of ticktacks.
"I s'poze, Elinor, you have read the
last great book Of -" aud / named
book very upliftin', and beloved by
young wimmen.
"No," she said; she hadn't much
time for readin', she wuz so busy max
in Christmas gifts.
Sez Fidelia, proudly, "Elinor has
hemstiched twenty-five fine linen
handkerchiefs for her aunts and cousins
on both sides, and made homemade
lace TO trim them with out Of one
hundred and twenty thread"
And sez, II didn't know that there
wuz any thread 90 fine"
Yes" sez Fidelia; sit looks like
cObweb; and out of that same thread
she has made twenty yards of that lace
to trim under-clothes for her two sis
ter-in-Iaws."
''Isn't it bad for her eyes, Fidelia?"
sez l lookin' at the worn, red eyelids of
ElinOr.
"Yes," sez Fidelia, sit wuz very hard
on her; but she wanted to do it, for she
thought they would prize 'em higher;
and then,n sez Fidelia, ''she has made
two dozen dollies for Louis's mother
out of that same thread"
"How long did it take you to do it,"
sez l dryly.
''Oh," sez she, 81 had them for work
all summer; begun 'em the lst of June,
so could be sure to get them done for
Christmas. ! think that l could have
done them in two months il had
worked all the time"
And sez TO myself, all these long
song, fragrant with flowers and beau
ty, she had sot over her one hundred
and twenty thread patiently weavin'
cobwebs, hopin' mebby to ketch Hap
piness in it; but 'tennyrate doin' this
slow work, stitch by stitch, and lettin'
all the beauty and glory of summer
and life go by. For 1 begun to see
palmer than ever why Louis Ar
mold wuz defaulter in the bank of
love.
"Oh," sez Fidelis, "I want you to see
the slippers she has embroidered for
LOuis-I never see the beat Of it; they
are so fine you can't tell where the
stitches are put; each one took her three
weeks of stiddy work; they are
design of pink roses on sky-blue
ground"
Sez 1, "She could have bought pair
fJr five dollars that would have done
jest as well, and / would have loved to
have seen some of the pink roses on her
cheeks, and some oft bright sky-blue
In her eyes. They used to look like
bits Of the sky peeping out Of rosy
clouds" Them wuz her cheeks in
metafor.l "But they look faded now,
Fldelia," sez I-"dretful faded and
wore out"
"Yes," sez, she, "she has injured her
eyesight this summer-injured it
sight She has sot up till midnight,
night after night, workin', for fear she
wouldn't git 'em done In time. Aud
then," sez she, Dustin out into a con-
q iential tone, "she has cried q good
deal. Oh, Samantha" SEE she, ''you
don't know how much that girl Is
sufferin'. There she is, jest the same as
engaged, and she jest as faithful as the
north star to the pole, and he growin'
cool all the time and indifferent"
"Well," sez l. "the stiddy faithfulness
of the star can't be changed, Fidelia,
nor the eoldness of the north pole, for
1t is the mater Of that pole to be frigid,
aud we can't do anything to warm it
up. But" sez /, "as for this matter Of
Elinor and Louis Arnold, / believe my
soul that l could make a change in
their doin's If had my way"
"Oh, dear Samantha Could you,
could your" sez Fidelia, wipin' up