The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1912-11-08
WHEN BRIDGET LEFT

1
tiently from her article on "Why My
Servants Stay With Me-" for the Oc-
tober Homebreaker Magazine, to
face "the daily question"
what have you in the refrigera-
tor, Bridgetr" she asked absent
mmdedly. Her thoughts were on
higher things at present than the
ordering of meats and vegetables.
/ "Nothin'," Bridget answered la
conically.
"What! Nothing left of that big
roast! And where is all the fruit
MI. Fairfax sent home yesterday ?"
"Shure, I'm afther LAWN this aft
ernoon. l don't like bein' insinoo-
ated to be thafe." And Bridget in
dignantly clattered down the narrow
back stairs, banging the meaningless
nursery gate after her. Some for
mer tenant of the Fairfax abode had
left that little gate in its present
place, but Anne Fairfax thought, as
she unattached it, that she was glad,
all things considered her success
full literary career, etc.-that, though
married three whole years, she had
nothing but wire fence running
round the house"
"Three maids in one month"; she
sighed as she followed the irate and
slovenly Bridget into the culinary
department of the Fairfax domicile.
"No wonder l cannot get ahead
with my articles for the Home
breaker"
| The window shades were rolled up
crookedly, and in the hot sunshine
thus admitted myriad flies buzzed
merrily about the kitchen. The COR
der man" stood holding the screen
door wide open, letting in more flies,
which crawled here, there and every
where. One jet of the gas stove was
blazing high-for the pleasure and
profit of the gas company, no doubt,
for there was no sign of pot or pan
in its vicinity, though a veritable
mountain of them adorned the re-
mains of breakfast, as it had been
removed from the dining room two
hours earlier; this was fanked on
One side by an open bottle of milk,
and on the others by-a ruddy clus-
ter of hair puffs and several hair
pins!
"Bridgetp gasped Anne Fairfax,
with one Mortified glance about her
kitchen, and rising in her wrath to
almost queenly dignity. "You made
q mistake when you said you were
leaving this afternoon. You are
leaving now-this very momentp'
The order man stepped quietly in
md closed the screen door gently.
He recognized the '1ady of the
house" quality in Mrs. Fairfax's ac-
tents. Bridget, cackling scornfully
and fairly smoking with impudence,
gathered up the fatal red hirsute
ldornments and shuffled up the back
stairs to "pack," while Anne Fair
fax ordered soap, ammonia, mops,
brooms, scrub brushes, fly papers,
ETC., from the astonished "order
man" till that worthy gathered up
courage to ask, "Goin' to start
housecleanin', Mrs. Fairfax"
NO." snorted Anne Fairfax, "I'm
going to clean this kitchen! Just
look at It'll" she walled, forgetting
her dignity. "That filthy creature
has only been here one week, and
look at it And I thought she was
keeping things cleanp'
| AS soon as the kitchen was
darkened and less full of the buzzing
winged torrents, Anne Fairfax
tucked up her blue dimity skirt. un-
der a voluminous gingham apron,
rolled her dainty sleeves above her
rather frail-looking elbows and
loughtily attacked the sink and its
greasy contents. After an hours
toll she decided to 60 down cellar
md look at the refrigerator. "Ugh~
It is as 1 feared, and the cellar is so
,tuffy and musty."
| Anne Fairfax climbed up on a
chair to open window, but rust and
neglect had done their work, and
bang and poke as she might the
window refused to open till more
than usually vicious push brought
success. 1t also brought a leg off the
} rickety chair, and Anne Fairfax was
deposited with more force than dig
nifty in the coal bin.
i After few moments of wonder
ing that no bones were broken, our
literary lady dragged herself up the
cellar stairs and seated herself for
one moments rest.
!, "The cellar windows open, any,
way. Now for the refrigerator"
| But not yet. Anne Fairfax had been