n an hour my tray was empty, and my fish sold at fair
prices.

"You do not know, madam," continued the woman, "how much good a few
kindly spoken words, that cost nothing, or a little generous regard
for us, does our often discouraged hearts. But these we too rarely
meet. Much oftener we are talked to harshly about our exorbitant
prices--called a cheating set--or some such name that does not sound
very pleasant to our ears. That there are many among us who have no
honesty, nor, indeed, any care about what is right, is too true. But
all are not so. To judge us all, then, by the worst of our class, is
not right. It would not be well for the world if all were thus
judged."

CHAPTER XIII.

SOMETHING MORE ABOUT COOKS.

FOR sometime I had a treasure of a cook; a fine Bucks county girl,
whose strongest recommendation in my eyes, when I engaged her, was
that she had never been out of sight of land. But she left my house
for a "better place," as she said. I might have bribed her to
remain, by an offer of higher wages; but, experience had
demonstrated to my satisfaction, that this kind of bribery never
turns out well. Your servant, in most instances, soon becomes your
mistress--or, at least, makes bold efforts to assume that position.

So, I let my Bucks county girl go to her "better place." As to how
or why it was to be a better place, I did not make enquiry. That was
her business. She was a free agent, and I did not attempt to
influence her. In fact, being of rather an independent turn of mind
myself, I sympathize with others in their independence, and rarely
seek to interfere with a declared course of action.

My new cook, unfortunately, had been out of sight of land, and that
for weeks together. She was fresh from the Emerald Island. When she
presented herself I saw in her but small promise. Having learned on
enquiry that her name was Alice Mahoney, I said:

"How long have you been in this country, Alice?"

There was a moment or two of hesitation. Then she answered:

"Sax months, mum."

I learned afterwards that she had arrived only three days before.

"Can you cook?" I enquired.

"Och, yis! Ony thing, from a rib of bafe down till a parate."

"You're sure of that, Alice?"

"Och! sure, mum."

"Can you give me a reference?"

"I've got a char_ac_ter from Mrs. Jordan, where I lived in New York.
I've only been here a few days. Biddy Jones knows me."

And she produced a written testification of ability