The Republican journal., 1899-08-17
A MUTE, NOTORIOUS MAID.

AloS oIndll udlu
servant, not the servant in chief, for
there was the cook and the housemaid
and the laundress. Winnie was kind of
annex or supplement to the housemaid,
and had been taken on a very severe pro-
baton, in order to determine whether she
had the necessary capacity for running up
and down stairs and tending door" all
day, and, at the same time, cleaning
knives, setting tables, wiping dishes and
running errands for the cook. Her
safety, speed and comfort all commended
themselves to Miss Grimshawe, and that ex
cellent woman had declared herself dis
posed to offer the brilliant prize of 50 a
month, and found-let not this point be
overlooked or understanding her SER
vice.
Winnie, therefore, in loose and tlabby
gown of green calico, several sizes too
large, with prominent pale green eyes,
and exceedingly fiat nose, her nobby little
braid tied with its dubious ribbon, and
her feet shod with a pair of down trodden
and detected cleft behinders' of former
boardel; Winnie, thus visbly armed to
the teeth, with cold terror of not doing
her best, stood to her guns, or rather ran
up and down TO them, and began her
career at Miss Grimshawe's.
Those first days were such as try men S
souls, Miss Grimshawe, stem and for
midable, lurked in the secret places of the
corridors, ready to pounce upon the child
at the first neglect or failure, and the
consciousness that this was so robbed
Winnie of the necessary repose of spirit
in her important office.
She did more dreadful things in the first
three days than Miss Grimshawe in the
course of her somewhat extended expert
eDce had ever encountered. Most humili
ating was her arch imbecility in the matter
of receiving callers.
Miss Rose Merridew, called by Mr. Mark
Mallory the 'rose that all are prasng,"
because, as he added to himself ''she is
not the rose for me, was called upon
by the ex- governors wife in some state
and splendoT Winnie went to the door,
and Miss Grimshawe gathered vague and
uncertain dread in her lurking place that
all was not we'll. But what could it be?
Surely she had heard an odd little stir and
ripple of laughter at the door.
Winnie" cried the lady when the
caller had withdrawn, did you do just
exactly as l told you when callers came?"
Yes, ma am was Winnie's reply, the
eyes round with apprehension.
''1 on held out the basket to the LADY,"
1es, ma am"
And she put her card in it?''
es, ma am.
Miss Grimshawe was more than ever
perplexed.
Another event of a similar mysterious
nature decided her. Miss Grimshawe had
the initiative of original genius, Hers
was no common mind Late that after
noon she dressed herself in boDpet and
veil, went out, and moment later stood
on her own doorstep ringing the bell.
After a due interval the door was slowly
opened little space, just enough to per-
NIT the pushing into her Mortified view of
the large waStebasket from the library,
grasped in a rough, red little fist, while
beyond it peered the scared, green eyes.
Miss Grimshawe was speechless with
CONSERVATION. $50 this is the basket"
she cried, at last, that you have used to
receive cards! Oh. You incredibly stupid
girl. Don't you see that little Fayal
basket here, here, Winnie on the hall
rack? The governor wife! Oh, dear, oh,
dear" and Miss Ctrimshawe fairly cried
with helpless wrath
She was startled at that moment by a
peal of laughter, long. loud and uncon-
IT. Led, from the back parlor, and man 5
voice called.
"Oh, il is immense, Miss Grimshawe-
perfectly out of sight! Let her off this
time, l never enjoyed anything SO much
il my life and Mr. Mark Mallory came
into view with lis evening paper in his
hand. Winnie slipped off to the shelter
OF the basement, under cover of the in
terruptiOn, and from that time she looked
upon Nj. Mallory-known to certain in
mates of the house as the Man with the
Iron Mask as her chief friend and de-
fender.
In spite OF this and many other lapses
from the path of perfect rectitude, Win
ME demonstrated in the time of i II pro
baton a patience so unwearie9 and an
endurance 50 nearly akin to that of a
machine, and in spite of the 'Fleft behind
eTs, a foot SO light and fleet, that, albeit
with signs and groans, Miss Grimshawe
consented TO formally engage her.
She was generally alluded to in the
house as the Green eyed Monster, "a
pleasantly, by the way, originating with
the Rose that ail-are praising, and that
young lady received the proper need of
praise in exploiting this witticism, from
the company who gathered at Miss Grim
shawe's breakfast table, fifteen strong.
Even the Lady with the iron will, who
always took cold, blue china plate,
empty and bare, for her breakfast, with
cup of hot water, and was seldom known
to smile, relaxed that eternal vigilance,
perfectly we'll known to be the price of
valor, and smiled palpably. Only Mark
Mallory did not join the innt cent glee of
his companions, nor lift the visor of the
iron mask of his reserve, and little
wn-eyed school teacher opposite him
went so far as to say:
"Green eyes are very popular since
George Eliot gave us Gwendolen, you
know, Miss Merridew.n
Whereupon Mark Mallory nodded with
evident satisfaction.
This was the initial stage of Winnie S
career; but, alas. worse was to follow.
With the knowledge of her various duties,
conflicting and impossible though they
might be, there came to Winnie danger
Gus confidence, followed hard by a care
lessness hardly less than deadly. She
developed a peculiar abstractedness, and
an absence of mind, which supplied Miss
Grimshawe with a never failing fountain
of complaint
80, Winnie" she would cry, "who but
I would show you this unfailing patience,
and to think how you reward itn'
Winnie's penitence was utter; some
thing of the nature of fathomless abyss,
but singularly unproductive, or at least,