TWO WEEKS LATER
I wint to the Alluyunce to-day for the first time alone. Minnie sed she
was after being worn out wid kaping me frum accipting the woorthliss
places offered by the pathrons of the Alluyunce. “Ye shud have enuff
spunk yersilf by now” ses she. “Don’t be saft. Raymimber ladies is your
natrel inimies and beests of prey on poor hilpless sarvant girls.”
Miss Flimflam spyed me as soon as I intered, and tuk me by the arm just
as I was going to the room upstares.
“I’m glad” ses she corjully, “youve cum alone. Your frind was a
inkubust” ses she. “Now cum rite along wid me. Theres a swate little
lady wants a girl just like you” ses she, “and shes willing to pay you
well and treet you” ses she, shmiling, “like a lady.”
Wid that she leeds me acrost the room to wan of the sofies, and pushes
out wid her foot wan of thim camp stules for the girls to sit upon.
“Good marning mam” ses I, lifting up me eyes modestly, and then I give
sooch a joomp the dummed stool dubbles up under me and down I cum wid a
boomp on the flure. For there sitting looking at me, very much surprysed
and horty is Miss Claire hersilf. She smiled a bit whin I picked mesilf
up, and ses I:
“Why, miss, the site of your pretty face just about flabbergasted me.
How are you?” ses I.
“Quite well, thank you” ses she, very stiffly.
“And your mother?”
“—er mother is pretty well” ses she.
“Your father.”
“Papa is—er—about the same” ses she.
“Mr. Johnny?”
“Still dy-et-ing, Delia.”
“And Mr. James——”
“James——well, Delia, nun of us are very well. James _ses_ he has
intygischun.”
“And what is that?” I inquires cooryissly
“—er—a sort of pane in the—er—stummick” ses she.
“Is it billy ake yure meening?”
She blushes, and ses:
“I suppose so.”
“Who do be doing the cooking?” I arsks.
“Well—er—_I_ tried. Delia don’t you dare to larf” ses she indignantly.
“Larf!” ses I, “Why Lor bless your hart darlint, I’d more likely be
weeping for the unhappy family.”
She leened tords me, Wid her horchure quite gone, and looking as meek
and swate as a kitten in thrubble.
“Delia” ses she, “Ive had elivin girls in since _you_ left” ses she.
“You poor lamb!”
She puts on that weedling voyce she has whin bothering me to let her
make mussy foodge in me frying pans:
“Delia” ses she, “w-wudnt you like to cum back?”
I shuk me hed. Then she set back, her horchure cuming back agin.
“O well” ses she, “theres hundreds of uther girls.”
“Yes” ses I “the same as the elivin yourve had.”
“Delia” ses she wid pashion “for pity sake do come back. I did thry to
do my best but its like attempting to pleese a family of porkypines
since you left and O! those awful craychures that came after you left.
Why wan of thim” ses she indignantly “was want to tak the soyled table
linen—aven the lace doylies—for dish cloths.”
“My God! miss” ses I “you don’t meen them buties you made yersilf?”
“Yes indade,” ses she turning her face away.
“Miss Claire” ses I.
“Yes Delia” ses she quickly, turning round in a bounce.
“Nothing” ses I, angry wid mesilf for me meekness.
“_Delia_” ses she despritly, “we’ve tuk a place in the cuntry. We _must_
have a girl. Its dredful to think of being widout one. O Delia, _do
please_ cum wid us.”
“No-o—Miss—” ses I a bit tremendulussly.
“I’ll—I’ll—give you that old—er—its not relly old—black taffita jacket
of mine” ses she.
I skuk me hed.
“—and the skurt wid the box plates” ses she “and you can have that
tucked shemysett—you no, the one you do up so luvly.”
“No Miss Claire” ses I firmly, getting up. “I’m for uther wark than
gineral housewark.” She got up also, and her voyce sounds a bit shakey.
“Very well Delia” ses she. “Its hard on me——so much trubble——” Thin her
blue eyes run over, and she walked away, wiping thim wid her
handkychiff. I seen her go out the dure. I filt a sinking at me hart.
Minnie Carnavan was forgotten, and like the gump she ses I am I made a
grand dash fur the dure, wid all the Miss Flimflams of the Alluyunce,
and the ladies thimsilves gaping after me in horrow. I seen Miss Claire
half a block away, and I run after her puffing:
“Miss Claire! Darlint! Miss Claire!” I called after her. She turned
about and guve me wan look. Then she made a like grand dash as mesilf.
Her parrysol flew out of her hand, also her rist bag.
[Illustration:
“‘Very well, Delia,’ ses she. ‘It’s hard on me ...
so much trouble!’”
]
“O Delia—you _duck_” ses she, and kissed me wid a smack, hugging and
squazing me manewile.
There cum three yung doods marching down the Avenoo, and as Miss Claire
taks me in her arms the bauld yung chaps stud still and looked at us and
shmiled. Thin one bint down and keerfully picked up the parrysol and
wiped it wid the sleeve of his foine gray coat. As me and Miss Claire
extrycate ourselves he offers it to her wid a bow. She toorned red as a
peeney and her bloo eyes guv one luk up at the dood, then drapped
demoorly:
“Thanks” ses she, “Thanks agin” ses she, as he likewise returns her
rist-bag. He lifted up his hat, waited a bit for more thanks, and thin
marched aff, shmiling like his face wud bust. _She_ smiles too, and ses
I, boorsting:
“A roomance, Miss Claire! Be all the saints in hivin and airth, ye’ve
luked into the eyes of your hoosband.”
“Nonsense” ses she, laffing, “you’re the same old silly sintimental
Delia. Cum home deer.”
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