LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2594, 31 July 1882, Page 4

LITERATURE.

A COOK’S STORY ABOUT A LADY POISONBB. I had been eighteen months with a highly respectable family in Scatbro’. They had come from India for tbeir health, and had to go back again, beoiuae the master held a high plane there—l think they called it in tbe Civil Service. They didn’t want to take their English servant with them, and if they had I shouldn’t have oared to go out among ’eath*ns and ’eat a 1 tho way to Calouttar, where I’m told they keep the fans going in every house, as if they were winnowing wheat. Anyhow, we had all got our warnings, and were on tbe look-out for situations, end the mlsens being en uncommon nice lady, and very friendly to me, busied herself to get me one before she went away. But situations were remarkably scarce in Soarbro’ at the time, on account that it was winter, which is always dull ia watering plaoss; and after trying for three or four to no purpose, I got quite down-hsarted, when one day, after a visitor had called, the missus said to ms ; ‘ Martha, I have heard of something which might suit yon in York, if you don’t think It too far and strange for you. There is a lady, Mrs Waters—l don’t know her myself, but my friend who called to-day Is ac qualnted with her—and she wants a cook There are three servants kept besides. The house la very genteel, though it Is situated in North street, one of the oldest parts tf the town. The wages is good, and the work can’t be too much, for Mrs Waters is a widow, with no family but a daughter, who is a’ways at school, and a female friend—l think a relation—who lives with her as a boarder. If you take my advioe, Martha, yon will apply to Mrs Waters, and I’ll give you a letter of recommendation. She Is fond of taking servants on trial, and lest yon should find the house dull, or the distance from year friends too great, I advise you to agree for a month only in the first instance ’ I thought tho advioe a good one, took it accordingly, and agreed to go on trial for a mnn'h. to begin from the following Wednesday. I was making my preparttlocs for tho new place before I moved from the old one, when Hoiter Hioks, a steady, respectable woman, who did everything she could get to do about genteel hous-s, from monthly nursing to Peiping at parties, came to do plain needle-work for the children, and assist In the packing up. Hester was a good many years older than myself, and was thought to know a good deal of tho world, bein’ abont all sorts o’ ladies ever since her husband, pior man, mariisd another wife at Derby, and got transported for it; and as she had shown herself quite a friend of mine, I told her when and where I was going, and a-.ked if she had any knowledge of tho place or the lady. ‘ There’s two of them,’ said Heater —‘ Mrs Samuel and Mrs Simon Waters. Tho ladies wore no relations, that over I heard of ; but they married two brothers, who were in partnership, and did & remarkable business as manufacturing chemists in Norwich. X bolisve Mr Samuel Waters was the eldfst, hut they kept the two names for distinction's sake, Mrs Samuel has one daughter ; they say she thinks the sun sets and rises In her. Mrs Simon never had any children ; and by all accounts, the ladies and their husbands didn’t agree too well. There was nothing just public of the disturbance kind ; but the marriages were not happy ones ; howsoever, Mrs Samuel and Mrs Simon agreed between themselves wonderfully, considering that they were afstera-in-law; there never were such friends; nobody never heard a disputing word or a sharp remark made on either side ; the one always knowed the other’s affaire, and kept them as dote as her own. They were both widows these many years ; and in some respects have been surprisingly lucky, though their luck didn’t just come In a way every one would like.’ * What way did it come, Mrs Hicks ?’ said X, being rather curious, and we were alono in the kitchen.

* Well, It was entirely by deaths, said she, first, Mr |Samnel dropped off jart after he had insurei his life for two thousand pounds which came to her of course. Then Mrs Simoa-’s poor man went after he had failed in business, and met with an accident which, the doctors sa ; d, would have made him a cripple for life. Next, Mrs Samuel’s old aunt, who owned the house In North street and all the good old fnrnltu e that's in it, took a sadden sickness one Christmas time that the two widows were spending with her, and died before she could make a will, which, poor, lady, she had talked of for a dozen years or more, in favor of a maid who had served her goodness knows how long, and hadn’t no paradise of it. I’ll be bound; and Mrs Samuel, bring next of kin, came In for everything. Then she took Mrs Simon to live with her for the old friendship sake, I suppose. It’s a fine large house, as you’ll fee, Martha, with room enongh for them both ; and it must have baen a graat matt=r for Mrs Simon to get free quarters, as, through the failure of business and her bus band's accident, she had little enongh to com i and go upon. But there was a windfall for her at last that Mrs Samuel never got the like of. Her poor husband had an unc’.o in India—a wonderful o’d min ha was, I’m told, and he never married, bat stayed in that hot country, making money and saving it from hla Touth up. Once he oamo home lo| Knglandj on! business ; bis nephews were new married at the time ; and when bo visited them Mrs Samnel either gavo him some offence or ha took it, so, when the old genlleman died n Indiajtwo years ago haleftthe great fortune he had gathered—above fifty thousand pounds they say—to M<s Simon, in the first place, and after her to Mrs SrmueTs dangh'er, but not a penny to Mrs Samuel herself. It’s on that money they keep the bonae in such grand style, for Mrs Simon lives on there and pays a great board, though it’fc said she’s growing more stingy every day since she got the riofaei and Mrs Samuel had a great deal oi humoring to do, la short, it’s my opinion, Martha, that you’ll have more than one mistress ; but anything can be put np with for a month or so ’

I was much of Hester’s mind, and went to York two days after, with no great expectations of a long stay. Yet, when the coach set me and my boxes down at M s Waters’ door in North street, I was quite cheered up at the sight of the house, it looked bo comfortable and home-like, though a little old-fsah’oned. Everything was la the best repair. Bright fires were shining through every window out npon the winter evening i and the situation was uncommon cheerful, beieg just over against the ferry, with people ot all kinds coming and going. The iaeide was just as pleasant as the outside look; one cou’dn’t have desired a better kitchen, and the range was perfectly delightful. There were three servants there besides myself—a housemaid, a parlor-maid, and a boy in buttons. As soon as I came they told me to go upstairs, for the ladles

wanted to see me ; so np I went, and into the drawing-room. It was very hindromaly furnished, but in an old fashioned way ; and there were two ladles sitting on easy chairs, one on each side of the fire. They were both dressed in blaok, and had French caps on, being quite middle-aged, Thera was no likeness between them, such as one at os in relations ; but they were both the same kind of women, tall and rather thin, but not tlfnder, with a great look of bones about them ; dull dark hair, turning fast to g'ay, and pale sallow complexions. They spoke to me in a quiet, lady like manner ; yet at that first sight I didn’t like the'.r eyes, they looked so hard and keen. Bnfc theie was fitting lu the corner of the room farthest from them, and turning over a picture book, such a sweet, gocd-looking girl, not come to lonian's time, but likely to have beaux enough when she did ; and I was fairly wonder struck when on© of the ladies (bytho bye, tho had the longest nose) called that sweet girl her daughter Sophia. The long-nosod lady was Mrs Samuel Waters, and the other—l must tell you the wore a diamond ring, and asked by a long way the most questions —was Mrs Simon Waters. But before I left the room it was clear to me that, as Heater Hicks prophesied, 1 had more than one mistreat. Howsoever, they appeared to be satisfied with my looks and my answers j told me a good deal about the orderliness and reapectibili'-y of their house, the numbar that had applied for the situation, and how particular they were as to character and conduct, that their servants

were never kept up iate, were allowed to go to church regularly cn Sundays, but got no holidays, except once a quarter; that the cook’s place was the esslest and best in the house, and I might be years with them in ca-e 1 suited ; and when they were d ne I went down-stairs, I must say t was not a had place, nor a hard one They saw little company, having but few acquaintancestwo or three ladles dropping in to tea or supper now and then, and a small party at times was the whole of it. Mrs Samuel looked after the housekeeping. Keen_ and careful enough she was, but managed it all like a lidy. Mrs Simon did tho faultfinding. Mother and dauther had a wonderful life of listening to her about every ribbon and handkerchief they got, and every fly that was hired to take and fetch them ; but Mrs Samuel put up with it, Bhe sa'd, because they were old friends, and Mrs Simon was the noblest soul that breathed. But.wo servants knew, of course. It was°on account <f the great b ard, which enabled her to keep the genteel establishment she did. Mias Sophia was soon to go back to the boarding .school in Boa’bro’, lb was her vacation time when I came; and she had not to be more thsn three weeks at home afterwards; but young laiy as she was, I know I should mi s her, and so would everybody abont the house. Her fair, pleasant face, her kindly, cheerful ways, were a pleasure to see in the precise, sober, dry life wo had, with everything going like clockwork under Mrs Samuel’s management, and Mrs Simon’s fault-finding keeping chime to it. The obime was stopped for a litle by an accident that happened to the good lady one morning, when my trial month was drawing to on end, and I was making up my mind, upon the whole, to stay, supposing I was asked. Mrs Simon was coming down stairs in a great hurry, because she was ten minutes too late for breakfast, which by her special orders had to bo on tho table at half-past seven summer and winter, when she missed her foot, and fell down a whole flight of stairs into the hall below. It would have killed aaybedy else; but Mrs Simon had a hard hold of life, like most poonle who have money and friends waiting fer itT She got up before Mrs Samuel could come to her help—and she was the nearest—went groaning into the breakfast parlor, and ordered the boy in buttons to run for the doctor. •Mind,’ said she, ‘it’s Dr. Hinderwell I want; he’s dreadfully expensive, but none of of them has such skill ; and either my heart or some of my bones is broken, I am sure. Oh, didn’t Mrs Samuel make a mighty lamentation about her dear darling friend. Being young at the time, I would have believed some of it, if she hadn’t held on so long ; but when Dr. Hinderwell came she had to give up, for he said Mrs Simon had got two ribs broken, and must go to bsd and be kept quiet; but we should all ba thankful, as, oonsiding the fall, her escape with life was next to a miracle. ‘This Is a nice business for me,’ said the parlor-maid, when wo got downstairs by ourselves again ; ‘lf I had known she was going to fall I would have given warning last mouth. You see, Martha, she keeps no maid of her own, through downright stlngi ness; and when anything keeps her in her room I get the job of waiting on her, and a precious ]ob it is, between her temper and her saving ; and they’ll expect me to give up my holiday that ia to be next Monday, and my cousin Thomas John come home from sea. I’ll give up their dirty place first —that is. If you won’t stand my friend, and I knew you were good-na'ured from the first minute 1 saw your faoe, Martha, Mrs Simon don’t like the housemaid, because ehe falls asleep ia the very middle of her lectures ; but I know she likes you, and if yon Would take the waiting on Monday in my plane I am sore Mrs Samuel would agree to it, ant let them all eat a cold dinner for once. You know, Martha, I would do as much for you another time.’ ‘I have no objections, Suß*n,’ said I ; ‘ people in the same house ought to help each other, especially whea holidays is ia question. I’ll stand Mrs Simon for one Monday, if anybody nrnds the cooking, or, for that matter. I’ll stay in, and cook double tho Sunday before.’ Susan thanked me for my kindness. She was a grnteel girl, I must say, but a little sharp in the tongue, and she didn’t wait long t o tell Mrs Samuel end get her consent. I thought there was some great dinner to be cooked when tho good lady sent for me to ootno up to the drawing room the same afternoon ; but it only to tell me what great confidence she placed la me, and what an honor it wa- to be allowed to wait on Mrs Simon, ‘Martha,’ said, ‘if It was not that I am so occupied in getting ready Sophia’s things, because the dear child must go back to school on Tuesday next, nobody but myself should wait cn my beloved friend. Mrs Simon has been more than a sister to me for many years ; she has the kindest, noblest, most affectionate heart just a little odd at times and apt to take whimsical notions; yon will see that for yourse'f, Martha ; I know you have seen enough. Bat what does it signify ? VVe have all our fruits; and under the circumstances, my precious friend must be particularly studied. If there be any little thing that might disturb her, you will just take care not to mention it, Martha j Susan always did so, by my directions ; and if you do the same, your oare and attention shall not go unrewarded.’ (To he continued.