The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1901-09-20

weeks?"
Indefinitely, suppose" answered
Mrs. Ward, frankly.
Eyes, you see how it is. II / should
be willing to stay with you, l might
stay till l was an old, broken-down
woman, always washing dirty dishes,
always messing in kitchen, always
being looked down upon as an infe-
rior, always being only a part of the
machine, my personality ignored and
my development dwarfed. never receiv-
ing any more wages than when l be-
gan, or, at most, only little more,
always in a dependent, servile posi-
ton. Once a hired girl, always one
so long as you choose to have me and
I consented to stay. Is that a cheer
full prospect for a girl to consider as
final?"
Mrs. Ward did not answer. Barbara
had spoken out all that the four weeks
had been piling up in her mind. Once
spoken, il relieved her; but she was
troubled over the thought that, even
if all she said were exactly true, there
was still somewhere in the economic
world a factor of service she had not
fully nor fairly measured. She could
not escape the self-accusation: "But
ministry is still ministry. If this fam
lily really needs such work as l have
been doing to help it work out its des-
tiny in the world, why is not my service
for it as truly divine as if ministered
in other ways that the world so often
thinks are more noble?"
Mrs. Ward still sat with folded hands
and strange look, and Barbara turned
from her and began rolling out a small
piece of pie crust for Carl. When she
had finished il and had put it in plat
ter, as she was turning with il toward
the stove, she was amazed to see Mrs.
Ward standing in front of her. She
had risen suddenly and had come over
near Barbara.
"What you have said is too true-a
great deal of it, most of it; and vet,
Barbara, if you only knew how much
need just such help as yours in my
home you would not leave me. Isn't
there some way we can work il out
together? have not been to you what
one woman ought to be to another. I
have been nervous and faultfinding
and-and-you have not said anything
about that, | know; but. if you will
stay, Barbara, we will try to study the
thing out better-we will help one an
other. That is not exactly what
mean. but we will understand each 9th
er better after this talk, and perhaps
we can be more just, and study how
TO better matters"
Barbara stood during this unexpect-
ed appeal trembling with a conflicting
set of emotions. In the midst of il all
she could feel return of something
OF the old feeling of heroism in service
that had prompted her TO answer the
advertisement in the first place. and
her pulses leaped up again at the
thought of help from this woman to
solve the servant question and work
with her toward a common end. What
could She do alone? Only four weeks
of trial, and she had despaircd of serv-
ice. Already in the swift reaction from
her despair Mrs. Wards words pro-
duced a great revulsiou in her feelings.
Surely all things were possible if both
the woman of the house and the scrv-
ant studied the question together.
And her grievances! They were there
still, and still real. But they were not
without compensation if what Mrs.
Ward said was going to mean a new
start all around
Still, as she faced Mrs. Ward with
troubled heart, she hesitated, going
over again the trials of the four weeks.
Nhe hot, insufficient little room, the
long and irregular hours, the separa-
zion from people, even from the very
people in the house where she was
serving; the daily drudgery, the hope
lessness of any future-it all came up
again to dash an enthusiasm that had
apparently been killed out Of her at
the first attempt to turn practical
things into heroic things. And let us
say for Barbara what was n very true
part of her true self; she had so great
horror of doing anything from inn
pulse alone that part of her hesita-
ton now arose not from her doubts
concerning Mrs. Wards sincerity, but
from her own fear of changing her
Mrs. Ward rather than from genuine
conviction that she had not been heroic
enough to test her service long enough
to prove something besides a few griev-
ances. She was smitten even while
Mrs. Ward was speaking, 10 think that
she had not endured all the hardships
of service to the limit of service.
"Of course, don't know how we are
going to arrange all the things that
are wrong, but l have gone over all the
ground you have emphasized this
morning more times than perhaps YOU
imagine" Mrs. Ward continued and
Barbara, perhaps for the first time,
gave Mrs. Ward credit for many things
she had hitherto denied her. my
wretched health, and cares and trou-
BILE with servants who have had no am
billions and no abilities such as YOU
have, l think have all helped to make
me seem Indifferent and thoughtless.
But | need you, Barbara. Really, I
cannot bear the thought of being with