THAT GENERALLY USEFUL GIRL.

Saturday Advertiser, Issue 29, 29 January 1876, Page 5

THAT GENERALLY USEFUL GIRL.

BY JINGO. One evening last month while luxuriating on dry toast and watercress, Mrs J. says, “Now, Jingo, as we have had an increase in the family, you must get a generally useful girl to help me.” “ All right, my dear,” says I; “ I’ll advertise in the Star." I did, and we had a whole school of usef ills applying. The first girl that came along found me weeding in our front garden. “ Ten by twenty,” says she, “ you’re Mr Jingo.” “ I am,” says I. “ I thought so, you look as if you wanted a useful help; will I suit ?” “ What are your qualifications ? ” I asked. “ My what ? ” she echoed, opening her mild blue optics to the fullest extent. “ What are you used to do P” I said. She said she used to do pretty much as she liked when at home, but wanted a change, could wash, scrub, mind babies, sew on buttons, darn stockings, get up early in the morning, and sit up late at night, wages no object. The last quality settled the matter. Said I, “You’ll do; you are engaged.” “ No, sir, I am not engaged, my young man is waiting till he has got ahorse and express of his own, then he will ask me.” I smiled at the gushing simplicity of the fair help, and said, “ You can come to-morrow morning.” She did come. The young man having deposited her box in the hall, saluted Betsy l Jane affectionately on each cheek, and exited. That day things went smoothly enough,

but the next morning trouble began. Hot having risen with tl|§ hired girl, to make up for lost time, used kerosene pretty freely on the kindling wood, and a flare-up was the result. Mrs J., scenting, the trouble, caught her fetter half (myself) by the hair of the hoadrfand, after a vigorous shake, says, “ Get ’up, Jingo, the house is on fire !” I was at Jlie scene of the conflagration in no time ; and seizing a bran new counterpauc,yl! held it in front of the fireplace to shutoff . the draught, and my energetic exertion was soon rewarded by seeing a Sole that you might pass a churn through burnt right in the centre. Things were now getting rather warm, so I grabbed a tin billie that was on the table, and pitched its contents (which I afterwards found out was milk) up the chimney. Then rushing into the pantry, upset several pans of preserved plums in my hurry to find the salt. Meanwhile the friendly neighbours were not idle; one red bearded man wrenched the knocker off the door and flung it into the middle of the road for safety, another carried the children’s perambulator down the jetty, where it is supposed to have met a watery grave, further heroic efforts to save life and property were only stopped by the information that the fire had burned itself out. Mrs. J. had been aroused by these stirring scenes, and made a decided impression. When tranquility once more reigned, and the neighbours had retired to their neglected breakfasts, I discovered that the generally useful girl had saved her box and departed for fresh fields and pastures new.