The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-11-09
REWARD OF
Cooks Relatives from the Country
Come to Visit Her.

The mistress of the mansion went
down into her kitchen n evening be-
fore dinner and found there with her
cook a colored woman who did not
take the trouble to raise from her
chair.
The mistress spoke pleasantly to the
stranger, gave her cook an order and
went out again, and did not think any
more of the incident until the next
morning, when, passing the kitchen
again, she beheld the visitor sitting in
front of the range, busily embroider-
ing a white waist.
The mistress of the house is a wise
woman who keeps her ~ervan for
long periods, and so h didn't say
anything to the cool when she en-
countered her later, but it did seem
to her hat the cook might have said
something in explanation.
Later in the day a member of the
household encountered the strange
woman going up to the servants sleep
ing quarters, and at dinner time some
one heard her telling the cool that
she had had a very good nap.
Al breakfast the next morning the
stranger was in the kitchen, again at
luncheon and again at Inner. When
she had been conspicuous in the house
for three days, had entertained her
gentlemen friends there in the even
ings and had apparently had a. tea for
her lady friends one afternoon, judg-
ing from the number that came, the
noise thai was made and the tea that
was drunk. the cook still having made
no explanation, the mistress of the
household thought that she would not
be deemed unusually severe If she
made some inquiries on her own ac-
count.
WHO is this woman I see about the
house, Maria % she ventured one even
ing when she and the cook were hav-
ing a heart-to-heart talk about the
next days meals.
shes nah cousin" replied. Maria.
lightly; "mah fust cousin on nah
mothah's side. Nah mothah and huh
mothah were sistahs. Yessum."
well. would you mind telling me
exactly how long we may expect TO
have her as a guest ?" asked the lady
Of the house with fine sarcasm
shes hoping to git a service place
within the mex two or three days" re-
piled the cook, soberly. "Yuh see. she
lives in de country. an h don lax it
dere, nohow. so 1 jus wrote huh to
come erlong up heah and stay wild
meh until she got somethin' tub do.
Pc thing. down dere where dere amt
nothin to enjoy. She come erlong an
she a she amt never goin' back to
dat backwoods again ef she amt never
git a place
The mistress Of the house with diff
1culty retained control Of her feelings.
There will be no trouble about her
finding a home she said, for there
are any number Of people who need
servants right now. All she has to
/ do is to look in The News to find doz-
ems Of ladies frantically advertisinR for
maids. I will send Town the paper,
/ and please arrang that h shalpbring
her visit to a close tomorrow.'
The cook looked grave. "T don't
know dat she can fin a place that suits
by tomorrow. She's ben tub a heap,
but dey wasn't 'zactly what she want
ed. She PETERS steam heat. and she
won go as anything but house girl
no cookin' for huh. she says. Still. II
tell huh what yuh says, and I'll let yuh
know what she says. She say ef she
could fin a lady as nice as yuh she'd
go to onct. But she do hate to leave
a nice home lax dis for des any oil
"And this" muttered the mistress