The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1901-07-26

| ruruu4 or seeming TO act from pity Tor
Mrs. Ward rather than from genuine
conviction that she had not been heroic
enough to test her service long enough
to prove something besides few griev-
ances. She was smitten even while
| Mrs. Ward was speaking, to 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 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, think have all helped to make
me seem Indifferent and thoughtless.
But l need you, Barbara. Really, I
cannot bear the thought of being with
out help. You cannot realize what
these last four weeks have meant to
me In the burden lifted. You do not
understand how capable you are in
management. 1 ought to have let you
know it. am sure have felt it deeper
every day"
"You are flattering me now" said
Barbara, smiling little.
"No, only the truth as il ought to
have been told you. My sickness, the
children, my cares, Mr.. Wards bust
ness complications, some of which have
been serious the last ten days, have all
conspired to make me careless of you;
but even my carelessness has been a
sign of my confidence in you. Don't
leave us now, Barbara. We need you
more than you can realize"
What! Barbara Clark! Here has
been trouble in this home, and trouble
of serious nature, and you have lived
in your own troubles, absorbing all
thought about yourself. She began to
be ashamed. She turned towards Mrs.
Ward.
my feelings alone. Let me go home to-
night and think it out"
Mrs Ward looked at her wistfully,
and again tears came into the older
woman's eyes.
II am asking great deal of you.
Maybe l am promising a good deal for
myself, too, if you decide to go on
with u.s."
"You mean?" Barbara began, and
then stopped.
81 mean that, if you will keep on as
you have begun, am willing to help
make your place different in many
ways from what it has been. l don't
know all that this may mean to you.
1t is not an ordinary case, as you are
not an ordinary servant girl. There is
another thing 1 ought to say. If you
remain with us, it ought to be great
source of satisfaction to you that the
children think so much Of you. Do you
realize how much it may mean to a
mother to know they are being helped
in every way while with her servant?
That is another great reason don't
want you to go, Barbara"
"Thank you, Mrs. Ward" Barbara
answered, and the tears came into her
eyes for the first time. Praise Is
sweet. Why don't we all give more of
it where we know it will help, not
hurt?
"We cannot spare you out of the
home. We have not treated you right,
but"
Don't say anything about that, Mrs.
Ward" Barbara interrupted, feeling
of remorse growing in her at the
thought of her grievances" Some of
them were beginning to seem small in
comparison with her privileges. She
was real influence in it if what Mrs.
Ward had just said about the children
was true. Surely there was more in
the position than physical drudgery.
Could even a school-teacher expect to
be more useful? A host of new ques-
tions rose in her mind.
"Let me go home tonight, Mrs. Ward,
and l will return in the morning and
give you my answer. In any case,
will not leave, Of course, until you
have secured some one else"
every well, we will leave the mat
ter that way" Mrs. Ward answered,
and she went out of the kitchen as
Carl began to clamor for his pie and
Barbara turned to attend to him.
But Barbara was strongly moved by
this interview. 1t had begun with her
heart full of Encouragement and re-
bellion. It had ended with feeling
of doubt concerning her resolution to
give up her position, with a renewal of
her former enthusiasm. There were
possibilities in the situation that she
had not considered. And so, with all
these new ideas crowding into her
thoughts, she finished her work early
that evening and went home.
Her mother met her with a happy
smile and Instantly put into her hand
letter that had come in the afternoon
mail. 1t had printed on it the address
of teachers agency.
Another polite note saying there
are no vacancies at present, etc. Is
that it, mother?"
"I opened it, Barbara. You remem.
Der you told me to if anything came
from this agency, and 1 was going to
send over to the Wards for you this
evening if you had not come" Mrs.
Clark said, as Barbara took out the