The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1900-05-18
THE FAMILIAR COOK.
Mistress Was Told How Much Her
Ways Reminded the Cook of
Her Family.


II am through with superior domes-
tic servants, and | am now looking for
cook of the common or garden kind, !"
said Mrs. Blank, as she was waiting in
an employment agency. my last cook
was of the superior kind. Her name
was Arabella Chrysanthemum Daisy
Steubenrath, and at the agency where
engaged her | learned that she was
rather above domestic work, being
qualified to stand behind ribbon coun-
ter, but the latter kind of work was
too combining. | called her Mary for
short, and as she was neat and oblig-
ing, though very ordinary as a cook, l
thought that she might do my work
after a fashion. When came down
stairs for dinner the first night and
went out to see how Mary was getting
I on, she said:
"sOh, Mrs. Blank, that waist of
yours is just like one my sister-in-law
bought last week, and think it is aw-
full stylish
This familiarity was not pleasing,
but / overlooked it and started to tell
her how / wanted the dinner pre-
pared for service, when Mary inter
rupted with:
Now, that sounds natural. My
mother always did like her meats
| cooked rare. My sister likes hers
burned all to a crisp, but Ottos wife
takes after my mother
1.-TWO days later / wore new gown
which / thought was about right and
which had cost enough to make it
seem a bit extravagant. Mary looked
me over carefully. and then she
cried:
81 am glad saw that dress of yours.
/ got one something like it last sum-
mer, and / only wore it twice. Now,
I'm just going to take it to the dress
makers and have the skirt made like
yours and the worst of it was that she
did succeed in producing an imitation
of my skirt. couldn't do thing that
| didn't remind that girl of some MEM
Der of her family. If Otto's wife didn't
have clothes just like mine, she fixed
her hair in the same way, and Mary's
sister had SO many of my little ways
that Mary said she felt quite at home.
You don't appreciate how that sort of
/ comment wears on your nerves until
you have experienced it. On the first
night after Mary's arrival, when we
gave little dinner party, / wore dim
ner dress cut low, and that was Mary's
cue.
| "'My sister Stella always says
|
and / don't know why don't try it
some time. They amt as expensive as
high neck, anyway, and think they
look so stylish. Now, Otto says'-but
fed without learning Otto's ideas on
the subject. Mary answered the bell
one day and brought me the cards of
two women whom knew very slightly
and whom didn't want to know any
better. Mary must have waited to see
me greet them, for before they had
gone down the steps, after their call,
Mary came in and said:
Mrs. Blank, you remind me so
much of myself. l don't make friends
easily, either. Now, there are lots of
| girls at the dances that make friends
with every girl. am like yourself, sort
of distant like and cold until I know a
person real WE'LL
"Mary's chief delight was dances. and
she apparently knew every policeman
and fireman in town who could waltz
or two-step.
II shouldn't be surprised she said
to me, If you could dance as well as I
do. We are about of size, and I
know from your playing that you have
good ear for music
Whenever began to give her direc-
tons about homework / suggested
some of her many relatives, and, try
Us / would, I couldn't keep her pinned
down to her work. / got to hate every
one of her family, and finally couldn't
stand this superior young person any
longer, so discharged her yesterday,
and | now want to engage an orphan
il can, with no relatives; some girl
who has had no advantages outside of
the kitchen, and am going to warn
her that the first reference she makes
to my suggesting anybody she ever
knew before will be equivalent to dis
i charre for her IN W Crns