His Name was Perkins

When I was young, I went with my aunt to look at an old, but well preserved mansion, she was thinking of purchasing the mansion and making it a permanent home for herself. The limousine carried us up the long beautiful drive way and stopped at the entrance. The chauffeur got out and opened the rear door and I jumped out. He held the door while extending his arm to assist the lady in getting out.

It was a wonderful looking structure, but oh so large. She was looking for, someone to meet us there, as we walked up to the entrance and rang the bell. As we stood there waiting, A grounds keeper came to welcome us. He was told to watch for us and give any assistance that he could. He informed us that the party that was to meet us, was running late, and but would be here as soon as possible. Meanwhile we were to look around and go wherever we wished.

As we entered the hall, there was a life size statue of a Butler standing off to one side. At first we thought he was a real butler, but the grounds keeper said it was just a statue of the butler that had served at the mansion for so many years.

The grounds keeper excused himself and turned to leave and I ask for permission to go with him and my aunt said I could. As we walked along, the man told me the butler’s name was Perkins and that he had been the butler at this mansion most of his life, He first came here as a valet to the young master of mansion. This was way back in the early nineteen hundreds and he soon became Master Butler. He had passed on, only a few years ago and no one really knew just how old he was. It was said; That he was born in old England to a poor family and attended his schooling there. His father was offered a job in New York City, by a very well to do Family, He moved his family, consisting of his wife and son, to America and they became American citizens.

Most people thought of Perkins as an old aristocrat, He always held his head so high, that he seemed to be looking up at the ceiling most of the time. Some said, that he had a nose so large, one could see a national forest growing in it. Others would say he held his head that way because of an old injury.

Whatever it was, he was the master of all that served at the mansion. Everything in and around the mansion appeared to be a reflection of the butler. Maybe he was more than just the butler at the mansion.
Of course, there are always rumors about those people with money. and there is always a chance that half of what you hear could be true. The Butler’s quarters had expensive furnishings and a special play room connected to it, with things I could never describe, ”not in mixed company anyway”.

There were pictures and more pictures of ladies and especially of the young maid servants, in all kinds of alignments or positions, dressed in scanty things. I blushed and blushed so much I could hardly look at myself in a mirror. My face stayed red for so long, people thought I had a high fever.

I became friendly with the grounds keeper, as he knew things and could tell story after story about the people that lived in the old mansion. I am not sure, but I believe he had the diary that belonged to one of the ladies who resided there.

The old grounds keeper would raise an eye brow and gave me a look that told me to back off, as I tried to go deeper into his knowledge of things happening at the old Manison. I’ll bet he thought, if I was going to use this information for my own gain, it must be worth something to him, to keep for him-self.

And sure enough, a few years later, a book was written, telling the secrets about the people that once lived in the old mansion. It became a Best Seller and many editions were printed. Now some years later, the old grounds keeper owns the mansion and I am recruiting his servants to be spies for me and getting them to make notes and take pictures so I can write a book on The old Grounds keeper, so I can become rich!

By; Ben R,

Dec. 1,2009