LADIES' COLUMN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5656, 29 August 1896, Page 3

LADIES' COLUMN.

TALES OF THE KITCHEN. Contributed bt MARTHA SPRJGGINS, Registry Office and Lodging-house-keeper. " Sweet arc the Juices of Adversity."— Shakepero. I think as that will bo a most happropo 'eadiner to the account of ray expearances at the time of my recoverin' from the attack of toyfoyd fever wich all but brought me to the tooine, an' near honded my kareer in dust ami hashes. They was all very kind to me wen I was a leavin' the orspital, and some ladies . sent me for a fortnut to the seasido to a konverlosant cottage, where I was fed up an' got quite strong an' fit for work agin. Many a hour I sat on the sands a li3tenin' to the noise oy the waters, an' a thinkin' to myself, " What are the wild wives savin' ? " I fancy I 'card them tell out loud as they struck the shore, " Martha — Martha — never drink — no more." An' I never did, an' never will, pleaso God. 1 prayed to the Lord to " Lend me a hart kunipleet with thankfulness," and to keep my feat from sliding back into tho miro of hjnebriashun. Wile I wero still at the seaside, a lady kuin drivin' down in 'or kerridge to see me an' to hoffer me 'er cook's place at £io a year. To rise in six months to .£SO. My konshunee wouldn't let me engage till I tola 'er all "The groggy burden of my gilty soul ;" 'ow I 'ad falleD a victim to likker in my last place, an' 'on deep was my reraoss an' repentance. "Wen I were done talkin', she smiled just beautiful upon me and sez she, " I've 'card all about it, Martha, at the 'orspital, but I will trust you to keep strait with me. Wen can you kum ?" I wero that touched by 'er kindness that I shed teers : an' then she took mo by the 'and so gentle like, an' sez she, " Take courage, Martha, you 'aye a useful life before you yet. All on us make mistakes an' do rong things sometimes, but we can atone by the way we purform our dooty and do the work that comes our way m the world." She were the sweetest of women, were that Mrs Aomesly, an' the 'appiest days of all my .tu'Q was spent in 'er kitchen. They was a good big- family — six youngchildren and the master. They kep' besides mo a gov'ness, a nurse, a 'ousemaid and a parlourmaid. There was a tremenjuous lot of cooking, and washing up, an' cleaning. The laundry work were awful 'eavy, but it were a de-light to do heverythink in that 'ousehold, fox 1 in it there were nothink but suu- ' shine and konsiddnrashun all round. The | mistress porshuned out all our different dooties to each ov us on paper — our " timetable," she called it — an' the hole 'ouse went on like clockwork mashinnery, so reglar an' kumpleet. None on us could forget a single think, for there it were all wrote down on a large card an' a-hangiug up were we could see it. The gentle temper and loving natuv' of the mistress seemed to affec' all on us. We never 'ad no rows in the kitchen, an' each on us were allus willin' to J elp the other in 'er work if she were pressed, or wantin' to get out for 'er afternoon or hevening. The children were just hangels, so sweet and nice in there manners to us all. Never a rude or a cross word 'card among them. They spoke hevery bit as pretty an' perlite to us girls in the kitchen as they spoke to their mother's visitors in the droring-room. They was that obejient, too ! One look from their father or mother was enough. It were just wonderful. I never taw the like nowheres, before nor since The rulin' law in that 'ome were " konsiddurashun " ; the very think that my friend Bridget Maloney 'as found so scarce in 'er places. But mind you it weren't all on the side of the mistress, this'konsiddurashun — Oh, no ! Us servant' girls prided ourselves, fon bom' thoughtful for each other,?and for the gov'ness (wich some on 'em found 'ard) as well as for Mrs Annesley 'erself , an' 'er 'usband and children. It's my idea that that's the kind of oil as is wanted to make most of the 'ousehold mashinnery go round smooth, in this country or any other, for that mattur. Well, 'twere there I met with Spriggins. 'E were our greengrocer, an' cum round three days a week with his kart. Never a stale kabbage nor brown lookin' koliflour, nor mouldy honion, did I see among his goods — an' 'c were as fresh looking 'imself as 'is vegetables, an' as sound. Wen he asked me to walk out with 'im of a Sunday, and took me to see his old mother, I felt as proud as a duchess. 'E spoke isself to the mistress, an' tole 'er he wanted to " keep company with Martha." So she asted him to come to tea with me wen it were my Sunday in, an' she' give us every chance to 'aye a nice quiet talk together. It were a 'appy time. For four years I lived in that 'ome, and wen Spriggins's poor old mother died I lef ' to go an' keep is 'ouse for him, an' to make 'im as good a wife as I knew 'ow. I were married from Mrs Annesly's, an' lef among a shower of blessings, good wishes, old shoes and rice, to begin life as my own mistress, in my own 'ome. Ses I to Spriggins, as we drove away in a two 'orse vayucle, \ " Stony liinpits cannot 'old lore out." 'E stared a 5 me till I sed, " Spriggins thafs Shakspere." Then he laughs, an' gives n?e a 'ug an' a kiss in the cab.