St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-06-13
EVOLUTION OF 4 BUTLER.
Troublesome aud Expensive Process
of Converting Ficgd-Hand in-
to House Servant.

~ u SSIS ""t
The evolution Of IA corn field darby
into a butler is attended by an expen-
diture of patience on the part OF his
master and madam sufficient to en-
dow a school teacher for life. 1t Is ac-
companied, also, by suffering on the
part of man and beast, and by de-
.struction of property sad to contem-
plate, says the New York Herald.
The history of Sam Robertson will
illustrate such a growth.
Sam spent the early part OF his life
blowing, sewing and hoeing, pulling
fodder and shocking corn. His first in
stallation as servant was as general
utility boy, TO assist the coachman and
the gardener wherever each needed
help. During the first few weeks OF
his career he left one of the horses in
securely tied, SO that he broke loose,
made dash for liberty and smashed
the bucl board. He raced on horse
back from the village, with his friend
Tommy, who set up counter preten-
sions of riding the ''goin'est horse in
the settlement" and left behind him a
sort of hare and hounds trail of Is
pounds of hominy. Unlike certain
tinanciers, he forgot to water the
stock. He also forgot to feed the
chickens and to wash the carriages.
What he never overlooked was leav-
ing the stable door unlocked, so that
he could ride the horses at night.
After he let a bonfire get away from
him and nearly burn up the house ii
was decided to change his work. lie
was taken indoors to help the cook.
He regarded this transfer in the light
Of a promotion, and for week his
pride induced him to chop a dazzling
supply Of kindlings. At the end of the
week he discovered that lighting the
fire with kerosene Was less wearing on
the muscles than chopping wood. That
he lost few cookie burrs' and an
eyebrow while doing it did not deter
him from this Illuminating pursuit.
The master began TO think the fire.
quency of explosions in the kitchen a
bit dangerous, but, having lived in New
York, he was slow to alarm. 1t was
the carnage that Sam wrought among
the lamp chimneys that caused his sec
ond change Of employment. His mis-
tress asserted that she could not al
ford entirely to support glass fac
tory, so she stationed him in the
pantry.
At first this seemed the worst move
of all. The amount of china he broke
while trying to learn the names OF the
different dishes, platters and plates
from Uncle Joe, the butler, was APP
palling. He fell up the kitchen stairs,
throwing the laden tray in his hands
on to the landing at the top. He fell
down the kitchen stairs, accompanied
by Niagara of milk. He overturned
plate Of soup upon the dining-room
rug one evening when Uncle Joe per-
mitted him to go in to help serve din
ner.
Yet, to be body servant or butler
is the height of colored servants am
bition, and so through all these vicis-
STUDIES there was evident in Sam the
desire to do things in the way the white
man wants them done, and the growth
of his power of imitation. He never
did cease to peer through the crack OF
the pantry door in studious scrutiny
of Uncle Joe, but ne did learn not to
take the stairs at leap, not to trip on
the rug and not to rap "guestes' on
the head with the vegetable dishes.
And when one evening he appeared
at the drawing-room door arrayed in
spotless splendor, gave his tray a
diffident wave and said: Dinner
served, ma'am. Uncle Joe he got de
misery. and he say for me to serve de
dinner" and when he did serve that
dinner really well, if one overlooked
moments of suspended animation due
to embarrassment then the master
plumed himself on his sagacity in find
ing the right environment for the one
time hobbledehoy. and the mistress
declared "Sam" tc be another case of
evolution; though when she looked at
her china she thought that the ''sur-
vival of the fittest" ought to be changed
to the survival of the toughest"