The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-10-29
The Third Maid
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"Well, we must not be surprised to find
vanished"
However, presently we stopped in
front of a building which looked sub
stantial enough to withstand anything,
! and in answer to our drivers application
to the bell the door was promptly opened
by a smartly attired porter. He was
! closely followed by a person full of
smiles and bows, who posted himself in
the doorway ready to receive us.
All at once there was a terrific bang,
as though a forty FOUNDER had been fired
to welcome our arrival, and he of the
smiles and bows was hurled headlong
/ against the muddy wheel of our convey
ance by the slamming to of the large
door. My wife's bonnet blew off and
tngged hard at its moorings; the light in
the porch was extingushed, while the
wind seemed to give a shrek of triumph
at the jokes he was playing upon us.
Here we were, then, in total darkness
and exposed to the drenching rain. How
ever, half an hour afterward all our dis
comforts were forgotten as we sat down
to an excellent dinner a la carte.
Next morning l was abroad very early
looking for lodgings. Fortune seemed to
smile upon me on this occasion, for scarce
ly had l proceeded fifty yards from my
hotel when | came upon very nice look
ing row of houses, and in the window of
the first was lodgings to Let" Knock
ing at the door, it was soon opened by a
very neat looking maid.
l inquired if l could see the proprietor,
but was told that Miss G. was not yet
down. l said | would wait and was
shown into a very comfortably furnished
dining room. Soon Miss G. appeared and
proved to be a pretty brunette of about
five and twenty, whose dark eyes during
our short interview were every now and
then fixed on me with an intentness that
seemed to be trying to read what kind Of
person l was, while her manner, though
decidedly pleasing, had a certain restless
ness in it which / could not help observ-
ing Her father and mother being both
dead she kept the lodging house herself
l asked her if she had good cook, to
which she replied she was responsible for
most of that difficult part of the menage
herself, keeping two maids to assist in
the house and parlor work. She went on
to say that her drawing room was ''dis-
sected," a term common among north
country lodging house keepers and meant
to express that it was undergoing its au-
tumn cleaning, but she would have it put
straight if l wished. l told her that we
should be quite contented with the dining
room, provided we had a good bedroom.
This she at once showed me and, soon
coming to terms, returned to the hotel.
After breakfast I went to the bureau to
ask for my account. While it was being
made out, l observed casually that | had
taken lodgings at Miss G.'s on Cliff ter
race, upon which the accountant looked
quickly up and said, "Oh, Miss G.'s,"
and then as quickly went on with my bill.
l hardly noticed this at the moment,
though l thought of it afterward.
Eleven o'clock saw us comfortably en-
sconced in our rooms. After lunch we
took delightful expedition, the weather
having greatly moderated. We found
that night at dinner that Miss G. was a
first rate cook, and we retired to rest
much pleased with our quarters.
We soon made the acquaintance of the
two maids-Jane, who waited on us. and
Mary, the housemaid-and two very pleas
ant and obliging young women we found
them.
About the third morning of our stay
on going up to my bedroom after break
fast, l was surprised to find a strange
maid in the room. She was standing by
the bed smoothing down the bedclothes
with both hands and appeared to take
no notice of me, but continued gazing
steadily in front Of her, while her hands
went mechanically on smoothing the
holv@ Los,, ,k,, ,,aIy
with her pale face, which wore a look Of
pain, and the fixed and almost stony ex
preston of her eyes. / left her in ex-
actly the same position as | found her,
On coming down l said to my wife: II
did not know Miss G. employed three
servants. There certainly is another
making the bed in our room" | am
shortsighted. and my wife would have
it that l had made mistake, but ! felt
quite certain l had not. Later on, while
Jane was laying the lunch, said to her,
81 thought that you and Mary were the
Only two servants in the house."
Eyes, sir; only me and Mary" was
James reply as she left the ROOM
"There!' said my wife. 81 told you
that you were mistaken" And ! did not
pursue the subject further.
Two or three days slipped away in
pleasant occupations, such as driving,
boating, etc, and we had forgotten all
about the third maid. We saw but little
of Miss G., though her handiwork was
pleasantly apparent in the cuisine.
On the sixth morning of our stay,
which was the day before we were to
leave my wife after breakfast said she
would go up and do a little packing
while l made out our route for the fol-
lowing day in the Bradshaw" but | was
soon interrupted by the return of my
wife with rather scared look on her
face
well" she said you were right after
all, for there is another maid. and she is
now in our bedroom, and apparently en-
gagged in much the same occupation as
when you saw her there. She took no
notice of me, but stood there with her
body slightly bent over the BED, looking
straight in front of her, her hands
smoothing the bedclothes.' She described
her as having dark hair, her face very
pale, and her mouth very firmly set. My
curiosity was now so much awakened
that | determined to question Miss G. on
the subject But our carriage was now
at the door waiting for us to start on an
expedition that would engage US all day.
On my return, late in the afternoon,
meeting Miss G. in the passage, l said
to her, "Who is the third servant that
Mrs. X. and myself have seen once or
twice in our bedroomW
Miss G. looked, l thought, rather
scared, and murmuring something that
could not catch turned and went hur-
riedly down the stairs into the kitchen.
An hour afterward, as we were sitting
waiting for our dinner Jane brought a
note from Miss G. inclosing her account
and saying that she had just had tele-
gram summoning her to the sickbed Of a
relation, that in all probability she would
not be back till after our departure, but
that she had left directions with the serv-
ants and hoped they would make us quite
comfortable and that we would excuse
her hurried departure.
A few minutes after cab drove up to
the door, into which, from our window,
we saw Miss q. get and drive rapidly
away.
Later on in the evening, while Jane was
clearing away the dinner things, l said to
her, by the bye, Jane, who is the third
maid?" She was just going to leave the
room as I spoke. Instead of replying she
turned round with such a scared look on
her face that felt quite alarmed. Then,
hurriedIy catching up her tray, she left
the room. Thinking that further inquiry
would be very disagreeable to her, | for
bore again mentioning the subject Next
day, our week being up, we departed for
fresh woods and pastures new.
Our tour led us considerably farther
north hut q month later SAW na home