Year: 1879




(Which of US is going to do it, I'm
sure | don't know" Mrs. Cartwright,
exclaimed with shudder, holding
her dainty skirts still closer around
her, as if anticipating contamination
from the very atmosphere of 90 plebe.
ian locality as the kitchen.


81 haven't the first idea of how to
set about such a horrid jobln sobbed
Belle. 81 do think it was perfectly
shameful for father to ole and leave
rvs all in this miserable condition ~


"And my hands and clothes would
be perfectly ruined if l should at
tempt it 7" protested Lillian. 81 think
ii was more than shameful for the
servants to desert us like this as soon
as misfortune came upon us And
we have got to take extra care of our
dresses aud things now, for goodness
only knows when we will get any
more"


"Well, since there must be a vie.
tim, will undertake the part" SAID
Amy, stepping forward and rolling
up the sleeves of her pretty morning
dress, with determined air. Il
have read that Queen Victoria had
all her daughters instructed in every
necessary domestic art, and il seems
ridiculous that independent American
women should be SO helpless when
fortune frowns aud servant girls desert
them. / for one feel heartily ashamed
of my ignorance, and am tempted to
look upon our present reverses as o
well merited dispensation. have no
more knowledge Of the art than any
of the rest of you, but guess 1 am
endowed with sufficient Yankee in
genuity to fathom its mystery"


You always did have such ultra
notions about things" observed Mrs.
Cartwright with sigh. But if you
think YOU can do it, | am scre it will
be an immense relief to us all. If we
have to 60 on in this way we shall all
be in our graves before long"


Yes. the Cartwright family we're
in piriable plight indeed. Three
weeks before Mr.. Cartwright, then
apparently in the full flush OF health
and business prosperity, had dropped
dead in the street from o stroke of
apoplexy, leaving the overwhelming
revelation to come to his family that
his business affairs we're so hopelessly
involved that bankruptcy was inevi-
table, and that the only support left
to bis wife and family was what lit
tie profit could be derived from the
sale of the house, which was already
mortgaged for nearly two-thirds it's
value.


III news flies fast; and as the PAN
ic reached the servants they with one
accord packed up their things and
deserted the sinking ship for other
and more secure places, leaving the
aristocratic lady and her delicately.
reared daughters to grapple with the
mysteries of housework as best they
could.


A most wretchei two weeks had
followed.


Mr.. Csrtwright's creditors had
seized upon everything, and the fam
lily were obliged to remain where
they were until the house could be
sold, with only the small amount of
money that they happened to have in
their purses upon which to subsist
meanwhile.


At last Mrs. Cartwright received q
letter from friend of her late hus-
band, saying that be would call on q
certain day to inspect the house, with
a view to purchasing it if it pleased
him, and as he was known to be man
of very fastidious tastes it was con.
sidered of paramount Importance that
the mensioa should be in the most
precise order and prepared to sustain
the most rigid and critical scrutiny
from cellar to garret.


The family bad managed 10 get
along with the upstairs work with
tolerable success, large share oil
which was due to Amy, the younges,
daughter, bright, blooming girl oI
eighteen, who possessed good share
of practical talent and native wit, and
had, moreover, the happy faculty ol
keeping up her spirits and adapting
herself to these unlooked-for contin.
gencies. sa


But now they were confronted
with task from which they shrank
back appalled,. - -


From the repeated boiling over OF
the contents of various pots and pans
during the management of the de-
psrtment de cuisine, the once bright
and shining range presented the sp.
lpearance Of incipient measles. and
was in condition to bring disrepute
upon the entire plsce to any one ol
fastidious tastes. 10 b


If they shonld lose this chance Of
selling the house it would go to fore,
closure, and might not bring the
amount of the mortgage. y


The range must be hackened, and
some one Of them must perform The
task, for they bad no money to fpsre
for hired help. aud credit was Q luxu.
ry of the past


Their appearance Was both ludi.
icrous and pitiable, ss they stood
around the dreaded object in perplex'
led conclave.