St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-12-25
Written for the Globe-Copyright, 1892.

Written for the Globe-Copyright 1892.
Whitway was the most prominent
citizen of Lumberton, although that
dourishing municipality was the place
Of residence of an eX-congressman, and
also of man who had killed his wife and
found some meSheS of the law through
which he escaped hanging. Whitway
was the president of the local bank,
managing director of big lumber COM
pany, superintendent Of a Sunday
school and mayor of the city for three
successive terms. He had the reputa-
ton of never putting Oh airs and of
never putting off payment of his bills,
SO every one spoke well Of him. The
most remarkable feature of his reputa-
ton, though, and that IN which he took
the greatest pride. was that lie and
his family never had trouble with
servants. How it came about
no one could tell = not even
the housekeepers who closely consulted
Mrs WhitWay, and to whom that lady
told everything she knew about the
management of the class that made
more misery at Lumberton than all the
politicians and other rogueS combined.
The servants said their employers were
TO blame; the employers retOrted that
the primal curse was not work, but the
necessity of keeping servants of any
kind. There were times when nervous
and suspicious hOusekeepers insisted
that there was general conspiracy of
the hired help of the town, and that no
one less malignant than Satan was the
instigator thereof, but on these occa-
siOns, as we'll as all other times, the
Whitways retained their servants and
their peace of mind; the husband had
never to begin the morning by making
the kitchen fire and prOfane remarks,
and hurry off TO business while his wife
dropped bitter tears into the dishpan.
His servants. old or young, black or
white, native-bOrn or foreign, never
gave notice until ready to 60 into matri-
mOnv or the retirement compelled by
age, and some of them lost possible huS-
bands for the sake Of remaining where
they would be sure Of food and shelter.
Indeed, so eXaSperating did it in time
become for other Lumberton people,
when they had trouble with their serv-
ants, TO have the Whitways thrown
metaphorically, of course - in their
faces, that some heads of families were
not sorry when the Whitways left the
town and went to Western state where
Whltway's knowledge of lumber prom
ised TO have wider and more profitable
field Of activity. Several years later
they heard news, bit by bit, which i'm
piled that their late felloW-townsman
was probably not maintaining his old
reputation, for if reports were true,
Whitway had become too poor TO have
servants of any kind. There had been
some trouble with a partner-Lumber-
ton never could get all parts of the story,
but the report was that Whitway bad
been entirely ruined, that long fit of
sickness had followed, and that he and
his family had finally gone TO New York.
where Whitway hoped to find such en-
ployment as his illness had left him fit
for.
Whitway had indeed become very
poor and helpless. Through an old
business acquaintance he obtained a
small GlerkShip. which enabled him to
keep section of flat house" roof
over the head of his wife and half
grown children, and to buy enough
food to keep them from starving, if he
were careful to buy only what was
cheapest; so it came to pass that once
week he carried basket TO the great
city's greatest market, and scrutinized
the stalls with AS much care as in old
times he had given to large tracts of
timber and RATS of logs. One consola-
ton he had while spending hours of
time to save the unnecessary spending
a few cents ct money-nobody knew of
him. Frapp, his rascaly partner, lived
in New York, so he had heard,
but there was no likelihood that
Frapp, with his ill-gotten gains and eX-
pensive tastes, would ever venture into
the crowded aisles and alleys of Wash
ington market. Could ever certain pa
pers be recovered from Frapp-papers
which the fellow had declared on oath
he never saw, although many people
believed he lied-then the tables might
be turned, and Frapp himself might be
obliged to squeeze pennies to keep the
wolf from the door. In the meantime,
Whitney would act on the time-honored
American injunction-"Grin and bear
it'-so long as he met no one who could
remind him of old times.
But New York is the worst place in
the world TO hide. There are towns and
wlldernesses which no one ever visits;
but every man and woman in America
longs to 90 to New York, and MANY of
them succeed, whether for better or
worse does not concern this story One
Saturday evening, after Whitway had
spent half an hour in stimulating his
heart by looking at the choice cuts of
meat and stalls Of poultry and game
from which he hoped one day to fill his
family larder, he invested quarter in
some decent yet cheap scraps of beef
from Which to make stew for the Sun
day dinner. He had Just placed his
purchase in his basket, and was Won
dering whether he could affoId single
bunch Of the crisp celery which his
wife loved SO dearly, when he heard
WOman's voice, asking:
Sure, an it must be Mr.. Whitway?'
"Why, Nora Caffreyv" exclaimed