Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-06-28
A FAMILY AFFAIR.
BY HUGH CONWAY.
CHEPTER VIII.
MRS. MILLER TAKES A HOLIDAY.

NV "A
Mrs. Miller, the respectable. middle
aged widow who had, in spite of her
lack OF properly authenticate service
testimonials, been installed in the place
of the nurse-girl whose amorous tenden-
cies sentsuch a chill through Lakewood
House, continued TO give the greatest
satisfaction. She was a living proof
that a broom which swept clean when
new, may sometimes do so after the
newness has departed. Moreover. Mrs
Miller was a broom which raised very
little dust rs ii swept.
Her masters liked her, Miss ClausOn
liked her, the boy liked her. and, above
all, Whitaker liked her. This last was
an important matter. as in the servants
hall Whitaker. by virtue OF long SER
vice and i~rreproachable character,
reigned supreme.
The new nurse was in many ways a
servant after his own heart. She treated
him with the respect which was his
due, and neither by word or action
ridiculed his masterS-the crime COM
mon in nearly all the rctainers of Halle
wood House. The only fault which
Whitaker could ind with Mrs. Miller
was on account of her rel gious senti-
ments and il was but natural that in Il
kindly paternal way Whitaker should
take an early opportunity of ascertain
ing Mrs. Miller's orthodoxy.
He did this in the buffers pantry,
whittier she had one day come on some
errand 1t was on a Monday, and
Whitaker began by commenting on
Mr Mordle's sermon of the preceding
night. He little guessed what a storm
his words would raise, how by sheer &C
cident he had stumbled on a way of
turning this calm looking woman into
n wild enthusiast. But he had, in fact,
struck the fire from the flint.
She forgot all about her errand, and
entered into a religious discussion in Il
way that took the male d sputant's
breath from him. She talked about
selection and predestination-the utter
ineficary of works or faith to save
she pounded him with terrible texts
which cut off the hope of mercy from all
save the elect, until poor old Whitaker
fairly gasped. His one sided studies
furnished no weapon With which to
meet her vehement attack. All he
could DO was to shake his head plying
" and sigh for the state of her mind.
In this he was little different from many
reputed teachers of men.
suddenly, as il remembering where
she wa'. Mrs. Miller grew calm; but
evidently by n great effort of self con-
troll. She even apologized for her ex-
element which she hoped Mr.. Whitaker
would forget Then she left him.
In his responsible position his first
thought was that his masters ought to
be informed of the heterodDx views held
by the nurse. But this seemed scarcely
fair to the woman, who, in spite of all,
went to church as regularly as the other
servants. So he did not men
ton the matter to toe Talberts, but,
overtaking MIR. Mordle as the latter
was one day walking into the town, he,
with all respect, told him what strange
ideas Mrs. Miller held on religious sub
jects
"Ah!' said Mordle ''Calvinism-
dreary religion-m0st dismal and
dreary OF all.
The curate Was rather short with
Whitaker. He thought the old SER
want rather a nuisance and somewhat
of a prig.
"Will you see her and talk to her,
sir?" asked Whitaker, respectfully.
''No. Calvinists are incurable. But
to pleaseyou, Whitaker, I'll preach at
her ONE Sunday"
1t may be presumed that Mrs. Miller
did not infiict her Calvinism upon
Beatrice, as the latter seemed to find
the new nurse perfectly suited to her
duties. 1t was cleIr that Mrs. Miller
ha bscome strangely attached to her
young mistress. Nothing seemed to
give her such pleasure rs performing
any small lcr,onal service which Miss
Clauson required. When eatrice
passed her, the woman's dark eyes fol-
lowed her w tn an EXPIRE sSion of almost
dog-like affection. On her part Bea-
trice treated the nurse with e considera
ton not always shown by the most
amiable toward their servants. 10 was
vulgarly said among the household that
Mrs. Miller, quiet as she vas, had
m mage to get the length of Miss
Clauson's foot.
Whether Mrs. Miller vas unduly
favored or not, things ut Lakewood
House ran on smoothly. Perhaps 1t
was the perfect order in which the gear
worked that induced the nurse TO take
a days holiday.
1t was the day after Mr.. Mordle had
made and lost his venture. Horace
and Herbert po'tering about the gar
den saw the bright haired boy going
out in charge of the parlor-maid. This
was an i~niraction of rules which could