Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-12-27


81 can't help that; she has no business to
answer me impudently. 1t wasn't the words
so much-it was the manner"
''Poor Lucy! And you have discharged
her!"
''That's you all over" said Mr.. Cavendish,
angrily. 1T believe you'd take anybody else's
part against me. Yes, of course discharged
her. I told her to have her things outside Of
the house in two hours or I'd fling them out
of the Window
'sBut, James, what am to do?n said Mrs
Cavendish, who had by this time captured
Ethel, the second child, and was buttoning
her boots with nervous rapidity. "With one
of my sick headaches coming on, and Willie
and Pen down with the measles, and not
soul to lift a hand for me!''
''Thats pretty question to ask" said Mr..
Cavendish, standing with his hands in his
pockets. Zone would think you women were
made of sugar or salt nowadays. My mo-
ther had ten children-ten-and did every
stroke of work fer 'em herself year in and
year out; and here you make such rumpus
because you happen to be left without SER
want for twenty-four hours-because, of
course, shall expect to stop at Virgins and
send you up Swede OF Norwegian this
Afternoon"
Poor Mrs. Cavendish burst into tears.
James, said she, "Lucy was the best
girl I have ever had. You should not have
sent her out of the house in this way. How
would you like it if I went down to your
wholesale boot and shoe place and discharged
your clerks?"
II should say you did perfectly right" re-
turned Cavendish, ''if they answered you
impertinently Now don't SWIVEL! If there
is anything 1 hate it is a scene. I'll go down
stairs and boil the coffee myself-any one
can make coffee-and you hurry down with
the children as soon as you can. There's
plenty of bread and butter and cold boiled
ham, anyhow. Nobody ever starved on
that.n
Mr. Cavendish had ''camped out'' good
ieal during his bachelor days, and succeeded
IN preparing a remarkably good pot of coffee.
The bread and butter and cold ham were not
Dad of their kind, but the children cried aloud
or milk The Cavendishes kept a COW, and
5he milk had not yet been brought in.
''And that was what kept Lucy!' involun-
4arily cried Mrs Cavendish.
CONDENSED milk is good enough for any
oody,n asserted Mr.. Cavendish.
But Bob and Ethel declined to drink it on
any terms.
''Starve 'em to itl'' said the father, drink
ng his hot coffee in prodigious gulps
Healthy children have no business to be
iainty."
And he caught up his hat and ulster and
made a bee line for the train.
Mrs. Cavendish looked piteously around at
the disordered table, the ash choked fire, the
general desolation of the room. Her head
ache was gradually working itself up to the
supreme moment of desperation. The chill
lren above stairs were crying for breakfast
Bob was sailing his shoe in the cedar pail of
water; Ethel was feeding the kitten from the
can of condensed milk.
ma" piped up Boo, ''there's tramp at
the kitchen winderl'
But it was no tramp. 1t was Miles, the
stableman.
sob, Miles, am so gladl" said Mrs. Caven-
lsh. ''You have brought us the mike"
81 haven't that, num-" said Miles. 'The
cows lost, an it amt meself is going to track
her through the swamps an boys. If the
master wants his COW took care of, he's got
to pay me dollar a week more wages"
''Got to, Miles?"
"Yis'm!" boldly retorted the man. 81
amt to be put upon no longer. Doctor Mill
every wel," said Mrs. Cavendish, 'syou
may gol"
'Maamln echoed the astounded servant.
'You are discharged" said Mrs. Caven-
dish, frmly-''at oncel'
Miles SUNK away and disappeared.
Mrs. Cavendish went up to her room, and
after ministering as well as she could to the
wants of the poor little victim Of measles,
she threw herself on the bed, with wet
towel bound around her head and despair in
her heart
There's one comfort" said Mrs Caven-
dish, gloomily smiling, eff he discharged
Lucy, have sent away Miles!"
Mr.. Cavendish had an unusually busy day
in the city. As he was hurrying toward the
depot in the afternoon he remembered that
his mission to Mr.. Virgins famous ''intelli-
gence bureau" was yet unfulilled.
'Confound it!' said Mr. Cavendish to him
self. "However. tomorrow will do just as
we'll My mother did without any help at
ALL"
At the station no buggy was in waiting.
Il wonder what that lazy villain Miles is
about?n said Mr. Cavendish, dark frown
gathering upon his brow. ''He may think
he's got snug place of it, but I'll teach him
Pm not to be trihed with"
When he reached Althea LODGE very thing
was disorganized. Ethel was pulling the
feathers out of the peacock's tail; Bob was
galloping around the barn yard on the back
If Pounce, the pony.
"We're having such fun. pap he cried
"Pounce hasn't been fed, cause l couldn't
find the key of the oat bin, and the COW is
lost. Sach funl"
''Where is Miles?' roared the father.
''Na's discharged him"
''What for?'
"'Cause he talked saucy to her,"
Mr Cavendish stood moment staring at
the pony and the peacock, the boy and the
girl.
''Ethel," said he, ''let that bird go. Robert,
get off the pony at once and come into the
house"
Ethel obeyed reluctantly, Robert with
alacrity.
"We've got company" chirped the latter
youth-''company pal most forgot to tell
you. And mas in bed with headache, and
there's no one to get them any supper. Hoo
rayp
Mr. Cavendish hurried into the house. The
parlor was undusted, yesterdays flowers
were wilted in the vases, and the fire had
died into mass of feathery cinders. Through
the open door was visible the dining room,
with the remains of the breakfast still visible
as dispiriting a scene as could well be be-
held.
And there, in the midst of all this forlor-
nifty, sat Mrs. Burgoyne, his sister from the
west, to whom he had frequently boosted of
the perfection Of the wife's housekeeping ar
rangements, and Mrs. RidgWay, who once,
years ago, had been a sort of old, sweet beau
of his. Of all people, he was most anxious
that his home should appear pleasant in the
eyes of those two women! And now
He made the best of it, however He ex-
tended to them an ostentatiously hospitable
welcome, hurriedly built I'D a blazing camel