Sherry Chapmanby Sherry Chapman
First published in Spring, 2009, Volume 6, Issue 1, The Hatchet: Journal of Lizzie Borden Studies.
Well, another new year has come. I hope 1892 is better than ’91. It can’t be any werse. I seemed to get the tail end of most everything last year. The robbery in the summertime of a bunch of Mrs. Borrden’s things was a sad thing. And to think that Miss Lizzie done it! I thought she did from the very beginnin’, but knew enuff to keep my mouth shut. It wouldna done my job enny good. I think nobody but me woulda suspected her, except she went and gave out the horsecar tickets, that was part of the things she stole, to friends who used ‘em. They was a special kinda ticket Mr. Borrden had that had someone’s signature on ‘em, and when the people were asked where they got ‘em from they said Miss Lizzie gave ‘em to them. Well, that’s when Mr. Borrden just told the police to stop their investigatin’ because they’ll never catch who did it. I don’t think Mr. Borrden done any favors protectin’ Miss Lizzie from that incidint. But he’s a closed-mouth man, except for eatin’ and to gripe at things not to his likin’, which are a lot of things, let me tell you. Oh, nothin’ pleases the man. He’s gotten so he complains about most of the meals I make. The latest complaint is him now sayin’ he don’t like codfish. A perfectly good fish, and it’s plenty and cheap. He says he don’t mind it just by itself, but he don’t like it none when I put it in somethin’ like a chowdah or other dish. We are havin’ more and more mutton, and it’s gotten to be where the two misses and I can’t stand touchin’ it anymore. So it lasts and lasts, and Mr. and Mrs. Borrden keep havin’ me re-servin’ it until it’s gone. Well, sometimes it’s gone because they eat it. And sometimes it’s gone because bugs eat it. ‘Tis a stomach turner, to be sure.
Well, I made some resolutions for myself for the new year, and so far I ain’t done ‘em, but I ain’t not done ‘em, either. For the year of 1892, I resolve to get a new position. It’ll take me a while to find one this easy, but I got the whole year. I hope to leave by summer ennyway.
Another thing I wanna do is catch me a husband. Only Irish lads will give me the thyme of day, and most of them are last-named ‘Sullivan’. If I have the same name when I’m married, how am I gonna throw it in the faces of all the girls who’ve been mean to me in this city? They won’t be able to tell I’m married. That’d be half the fun of bein’ married, I should think.
I can’t see me livin’ here no more much longer. It’s not comfortable what with the fightin’ goin’ on between the girls and Mrs. Borrden. The older Mr. Borrden is gettin’, the worse those girls treat Mrs. Borrden. It wouldn’t surprise me none if they are startin’ to worry about what’ll happen to his money when he’s gone. They haven’t exactly endeared themselves to him. And if Mrs. Borrden is left his money, if I was her I wouldn’t throw them a penny if they was beggin’ in the street.
I’d like to go back to Ireland and see my dear old muther and my Da. There were 14 of us kids, and I’d like to see all of them that ain’t already come over. Then I’d like to probably come back to America and live in a nice place, like Anaconda, Montana. Or one of them towns in the east that have “Saint” in them. They sound like good Irish towns.
Oh, here comes Mr. Borrden, hollerin’ in the back yard because the laundry wasn’t taken down. And it’s late this week, too, on account of wet weather on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Today I’m makin’ my own recipe for Fish Bake. He can eat it, or let his portion go to waste. I think I know which he’ll choose. Come on in the kitchen. This won’t take long.
Yer gonna need:
Smoked cod – one and a half pounds Cream – 2 big spoonfuls
Butter – 2 big spoonfuls Black pepper, to taste
Leeks – 2, thinly sliced A Bay leaf
Flour – just a small handfulSome chopped parsley
Milk – 1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated, a small handful
Take the bones out of the fish and cut up. Place in a pie pan that’s been greased with a lot of butter. In a pan on top of the stove, melt butter. Add yer leeks and cook for two minutes. Put in the flour and cook for a minute. Now ya whip in the cream and the milk. Get it boilin’. Pour this sauce over the fish and add yer Bay leaf. Cover the pie pan and bake at a moderate temperature (Mary Doolan says 350 degrees is good) for 25 minutes. Now remove the cover from the pan and sprinkle yer cheese over it. Put it back in the oven to brown.
You can garnish it with parsley. It looks kinda bland if you don’t put nothin’ on it. Side dishes can be boiled potatoes and some carrots. If someone yer cookin’ for really don’t like cod, you can put in smoked haddock instead.
I hope you all know that the recipes I share with you are genuine old-fashioned Irish ones. If enny of you has tried any of them, I’d appreciate knowin’ about it and how ya liked it. Just drop a note to this publication, and they’ll see that I get it.
A Happy St. Patrick’s Day to ya!
