Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1913-09-16

he carries his Temple about with his
waisicoat-well, he told me Peters
fields cook was the greatest artist in
the world. He had to pay her a fab
ulous salary to keep her. Murchi-
son said he would do anything, short
Of going hungry, to get her into his
service. Petersfeld, he swore, used
to guard her as if she was a price
less jewel"
"Tt's a fact" agreed Mrs. Vera
lour, with a nod, che did. He had
special locks put on all the doors, so
that people couldn't break in and
steal her. On the evening off he
used to take her out himself. They
made a quaint couple. She was one
Of the plainest creatures you could
ever imagine, while old Petersfeld
would walk along holding her arm,
positively squirting through trying.
TO look two ways at once to see that
nobody was coming near her."
81 never saw them," l said sadly.
''They must have attracted lot of
attention."
"They did. They were such a
frightfully unattractive couple. The
reason l know all about this" she
went on to explain, "is because old
Mr.. Petersfeld used to come around
and tell me all his troubles. For
some reason, people always do con-
fde in me. / wonder whyP"
Perhaps it's because you never
listen to what anybody else is say
ing" suggested. "Such people
made ideal confdants."
"Then one day" she said, dramat-
ically, "the blow fell. Old Peters
field went home one afternoon and
found his cook in the drawing room,
and this Mr.. Murchison on his knees
in front of her."
"What?"
cts fact. And what do you
think he was saying?"
"In that attitude, his prayers ?"
''No; he was asking her to be his
wife"
"Wife! Old Murchison asked her
10 be his wife?"
eyes. He'd already asked her to
be his cook, and she'd refused. You
see, to prevent her leaving him, Mr..
Petersfeld had already promised to
give her whatever anybody else ever
offered"
"What did the old man do?"
"Mr. Petersfeld? 0, l believe
there was a frightful row. They
nearly fought. He called Mr.. Muir
Gibson a ghoul'' She paused and
waited for my start of horror. Then
she resumed:
"When he came round to see me
the next day he was quite broken up.
1t appeared his cook had decided to
accept Mr.. Murchison's offer. Mr..
Petersfeld offered to double her
wages-salary, l suppose you'd call
what she got. But it was no good.
She said being a cook wasn't a set
tied job, like being married. Any
day her master might get dyspepsia,
and she'd be out of a job; but if she
was married it would be a perma-
nency."
"Well, / suppose practically that
is so, with a woman of her unattrac-
tiveness. Go on"
"There was only one thing to adj
wise him to do" pointed out Mrs.
Veralour; 'that was, either to get
another cook or marry her himself"
| nodded, and smoked in silence
for a moment.
EYES," | said at last; 81 don't
see what other advice you could have
given him."
For a while Mrs. Veralour stared
thoughtfully into the fire.
"That was about month ago." she
resumed. 'He was here only yester-
lay afternoon, begging me to ask
him to dinner. He said it was either
hat or a restaurant. He couldn't
Eat the food he got at his own home.
He swore that his new cook didn't
Know the difference between potato
md a turnip. He wanted to know il
people could die of indigestion, and
low long it took. 1t was really pa
.hetic. He was nearly in tears"
"Rut hang IL" / said. Of he took