The New Girl

" Niiw, ('liarlt-v, you'll I e Mire to rt-raeiu ber?" "Tu riMiicinlicr- wtiat?" said Mr. Mer(iluli, wiih u bopelew esprMsion of nDiiy on liis (Hiiintcnanri'. Kitty Meredith Jropped both liamls despairioy ut ber aidef. "('haili's 1" t'xclnimed, "you don'l ini'aii that y.m'w foiVOUea ulrcady ?" "My deur," said Mr. Meredith, fumb ling in t 11 depthi ui hia ovtrooat pookeu tbr a miasinfr filne, "I may Dot have torgotten liui I don'l secm exactlv to reniembor !" "The oytttrs ! " 1 the wile. "Oh. ym," sai.l Mr. Maredith, "theoysterg." "And tht' two (iniii'i-s of doublé tephyr scarlet wool !" "Kxactly." "And the hack to be in iraitiog at two o'i'liM-k for - 1 1 1 oousin IVoin ükica.¦¦...¦¦ Mr. MiTiilitK -lii.p, ,1 bis hod mi the tibie. " She is ooiaiog tuday. I leolare lo K'iodness !" he ejaculated. Ana a uozen Havana oranges lor desii. and two potuula of white grupo, and Mime uf thoso delicióos littlo Naples bisi-uit, and waccaroous, l'rom S.iltaselli's - olí, and lel them lend ote up a irl Iraní St. Chtr'i I" "A- _ xrhúh .'" "A girl, you goose) Por general houacwork. Phivbe went home thil morning wiíh a face-aehe, and 1 oan't be lefl aloe with coiupany comiug and all. Mitid she's a cood cook and understands waiting ut talle!" % And Mr. Meredith nuhed offtocatch the nine thirty expresa vpith a kalcidospopicconfusión ol' grapes, zeuhjr wool, depotbacks, oyfters, and servant-maida careerng through his hrain, wbieh bodod 11 fur Mrs. Meredlth'i demeatk plana. While lliat lady, clasping both hands over her forehead, n a sort of tralie despair, rushed down into the kitchon, irhere a very good lookinj: young man of un. two or three-andtwenty was on his kneus in front of the range, trying to coax a most unwilling fire to burn. The ;ood-]ookiu; young man glanoed up, with a comical sparkle in his eyes, and a niudge of toot trav ersing the bridge of his nose. "Well?" safdhe. "Tom," cried Mrs. Meredith. hysterioally, "can you make lobster salad?" "Like abook !" taid Torn. "And coffee?" "I Utarned in Paris!" "Good," said Mrs. Meredith. "And I can make buttermilk biscuit - and, between .us, we'U get up a decont lunch for the yonng lady from (,'hiuago ! As for dinner - " "Well ?' ' again remarked the youtiff man with the Moot-be.-mudged nosc. "Providence must próvido!" .sighed t lic matron. "There's an old chinlz colored rooster in the barnyard," said Tom, hopelully. "If 1 eould once i-ateh liim, '( have a anioken M.-w!" "Tom," aid iMrs. Meredilh, " did you ever make a obicken Btewl" ;;No." "Then you don't know what you're talking alxut," raid the lady, with aome usperity. "Yes, I do, too," maiotatned the amateur Soyer. "Onion-. potatoes, eelery, pearl barley, with a pinch of salt, and-" "Nonsense!" internosed Mrs. Meredilh. "Do piek that lobster out of its shell, and leave off romancing ! You're a deal bet ter at poetry and newspaper ucetohea than you are in the kitchen ; though tobo sure," with a twinge of eonscience, "goodness knows what I should do without you just in thil 'articular emergeney, you dear old d:irlint'. Ihe lobsler was unly lialf pieked out of its shell, the butterniillc biscuit was still unmixed, and Mrs. Meredit.h, with a pockethandkerchief tied around lier pretty brown hair, was dusting the little drawing-room, wben tticre caine a ring at the door beH. She put the turbaned head out of the window after a maat ttneerantootom fahion. "Who'sthcrc '!'' -lie dimanded, in a high contralto. "Does Mrs. Meruditli live here?" retorted a woiuaii's voice. And at the Mime instant the young niatron caught sight of a neat black leather bag, a black alpaca drcs", and a shawl of ihe plainest llighland plaid. "It's tbc new girl, thank l'rovidcrict!" said Mrs. Meredith ; and she flew down tairs thanking honest Charley, in lier heart, for bil unezpcctrd promptitudo. "Cotne in," she saM, opuning thedoor wido. " I am glad yon are so puurt ua], niy good girl. Frotu theSt. Char's IntelIigenC. Ba reau, I íappose? No, don't take oft' your tbingsup here- theservanl's room is below stairë; you uiay as woll oome direotl; down into the kitcben. " Bhebd tba wy down, followed by ihe new girl, wbose OMDteBanoe Imrc ral her a bewildered expression. "Whatisynur nauie? ibeasked patrónizingly. "My name? Oh, it's Martlia," answcr( il theMtrangi-r in some confusión. ".Martha" criticilly repcated Mrs. Meredith. "What an ugl.v USM ' I think T shall cal! you l'atty. I lave you good referenees ?'' 'I - l)elieve so." "1 thltik," aid Mrt. Müit'ditli, survey ing her fronj top to toe, "you are a little over dressed for your situarion, Fatty ; bul of course you have some pMoer olothe in yoiir truük when it comes?" The Htranger lil'ted a pair of grave blue ¦ the (uil fonn, fjirdeil around witli a towcl, who was ricorooely imatlmg with the claws of'a stopeadotta lobster o, the table beyond. "Do you keep a mu cook, nt'ain," said ebe ? Mrs. Meredith duw hecaelf op. "Certainly not." Ifcid ho. "This is niy brothor, Mr. Selwyn, who s kiodly assiMing BH to uiake a salad." "lint be is nol doing ii right," s:iiJ du new girl. "He'll never gel the meat oot nf tho abellin that way. Lsl tneahowyou, Mr Selwyn." And witli doft finiirs -die loosened the luaciouH white libre from the Fcarlet shell in a manner that made Mr. Selwyn ery "liravo I" "And now, I'alty," said Mrs. Meredith. "1 will sbow you where tlie things are, and leave you to get uh ap as niee a lunch as "ii can IWr half past two o'clock ; we are expecting niy husband's oousin from Chicago, and I want pvcrything in perfeel 01 der." " Hl finish the salad," said Tom, who liad secretly been observing the pretty luce and trim figure of the new domestic, "now that l've coiuraenccd it. But you needn't look M porturbed, l'atty, if that's your name. I'll be careful pot t get in your way. And youcan ak niy sit.tertbere if l'm not a handy sort of a fellow around the kitchen." Kitty shook her head surreptitiouly kt 'rom Dehind the fcroen ; Toni resoluioly affected uot to perceive the warniag geturi'. Hallan hour al'lerward ba cunt op to tlie liininu room Ura Meredith ww lui-iily arraoging her bert lilac and-gold t'liina. "Kitty," said be, "sb'a i jewell A gein oi llic lirt water! lepend npon il, she's not si way a worked in thejütcbeni i qnoted Shakespeare apropox of sooie tbiiiK or otbar, 1 don't remeinber what, and Bhe recognized the graud oíd words at onoe - her t-ycs brightened, aud you should have hvii the coloreóme oto bercheeksl" "Qaoted Shakespeare I" eried out Mrs. Mereditb. " To a ennnuon kitchen irl I" "I don't beliere in nph life below ütaira," aaid Mi-, Meredith dudainfully. The lunch Game up at half-past two, in perfect order, but do oousId trom Chicago arrired do depot back rolledup totbedoor. "Huw piovoking 1" said Kitty. "MJM Meredith uiust have missed some Mêentiai Bonneotiog train, ('liarley will be so vexeil But, howevor, I don'l m mueh niind oom pany coming in at any time, DOW that I have ot sueh an excellent girl !" The diuncr of daintily-rovted iiails and a rabbit fricassee, with a dessert pfotutarda andjelly, wasduly served at praeiteh at whir-h hour Mr. Mereditb himself bounced in, hot and flushrd with ihe baste he had made. "Where issbe .'" eried be. "Wberu is who?" eried Kitty. "My consin from Chicago !" "On!" said Kitty. "Sho hasnotooóe:" 'Nol .'Min.'?" ".Nol" Mr. Meredith ilicw n long sigh of míogled regret and relief. "The, aftor ab" raid he "U's nol so uiiliioky." "Wbat ii ii. i mi unlucky V" ptMulently demanded his wit'c "My dcar Charles, you are expressiog yourself altogcth.r in riddles." "Tlia I lorL'nt all about theoysten, and the zejiliyr woul, and the gerranl '-'irl?" 'Forg .'" "Ves rorgot. [sn'i ihat piáis EngliaU enough ?" "Hut yon didn't forget," romonatrated Mrs. Mereffith. "You sent her. SIh-'s liore now in th; kilehen." Mr. Meredith started. "í ve sent do one," s:ii'l he. "Never thoughtofthegirl l'rom tliat inooient lo tli-, I l-ívc yon my word of honor I" "Then," .slnwly cjii-ulalcd Kitty, "who ¦uil sc-iul lier?" "Riñe the bei! f sald Mr. Mereditli. "Let's uve her op I Whu kaows bol íhe'l one oi' tliose regular coníideuce woinen, with an eje to the forkl and spoons !" And as he epoke he jerked the bell-cord with some enertry. [na minuté or two the new girl carne up, Miiilin? and courtesyiüg. Mr. Meredith uttered an ezolamatioo of amazeuient. "Why, it'.s M;irtha Mereditli!" shouted he. "It'i ni y cousin from Chicago !" And he 0Upd her in his arnis, with a shower ot' kisses that inade lionost Tom's hair stand on end. ("I wiíh sha was my cuusin f'rom Chica go," uttered be, in a .stige-whisper asiilr., Kitty turned as scarlet as a pepper pod. "Oh, good Rraéious!" she cried claspinp lier ütt'e handi nervoosty, "and í took her Cor the cook !" "And I ain a oook - when necesiiy reqoirei it, Cousin Kitty!" said pretty Martli.i Meredith, inaking her peaee witli a ki-s. "Don't be vexed with me for humorOS i de joke - indeed, indeed, 1 couldn't help it. And I will show you howto mako those inerÍDKues, glaeees, and thc Neapolitan creams to-morrow !" And they all S't happily down toMther tu the roi.st ((iiail and frteaaseed rabbil and Kitty and Margaret went together to the intellijtence bureau on the inorrow and established a Hilesian damael ia the kitchcn, who was not at all incongruous to her surroundings ! Aud Torn leaned over his suter'l houlder, and whispered waggisfcly : - " lidn't I tell yon the was a gein of the first water?"