Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-08-06
SYNOPSIS.

CHATTER 1.-Mr. and Mrs. Ward, OF
GREATLY worried with the servant girl
problem, not being able to keep one for
over few months. The constant recur-
made them both irritable and cross. and
members Of the Marble square church, the
strewn with many little tiff and quarrel
The last girl has just left and Mr.. Ward
has advertised for another. Barbara Clark
educated, refined young college graduate,
and although qualified 10 teach school, has
been unable to obtain employment of any
recently moved to Crawford After much
coaxing she persuades her mother to per-
NIT her to apply for the position OF servant
Rrl which she obtains.
CHAPTER 1I.-After four weeks or
aruogery barbara Is extremely down.
hearted and decides to give up her position
TOR many reasons. She notifies Mrs. Ward,
help she had been and Is begged to stay.
es9a. more sn . os D1 rh night s ss
teacher. but decides t to remain with I the
Wards. believing she can be of some good
there MsI u She ha. a hsart-to-heart talk with
MrA. ward and they arrive at the conclu-
sion that the difficult servant girl problem
Is one that can be remedied, which they
plan to do. The following Sunday she is
which she gladly does.
CHAPTER III.-Ths act Of the Wards in
taking their servant girl to church creates
yoan9 r. fa
day Ais,! s Sssss;s (, s seeF Rp
aRH S.os e sh sf fooR
Ing day. Barbara is quite Interested In
MT, Morton. and she wonders If in her po-
he. A few days later Barbara calls on Mrs.
Vane. a wealthy member of the church
whom she had met there. a leader of Craw-
cause Of her liberal views toward dn SERVANT
girls, She takes quite a fancy to Barbara
ana they become very familiar.
For the next three weeks the days
went by in an ordinary way for Bar
bara; but, when she had time to reflect
on them, she acknowledged that they
had contained important events for
her. 1t is because we are not able to
see the bearing of what occurs day by
day upon the entire programme of life
that very often we do not count each
days sum as part Of the sum total.
Barbara had been unusually con.
fined to the housework Mrs. Ward had
been again subject to an attack of
nervous headache, and the whole of
the care had been thrown upon Bar
bara. Mrs. Ward had now learned to
trust her implicitly. This did not
mean that the sharpness of her man
ner under stress of her headaches had
entirely disappeared; but Barbara had
learned almost perfectly how to antic-
ipate her wishes, and the girls great
love for Carl and his complete trust in
her, together with Barbara's cheerful,
competent handling of the entire
kitchen, had all united to capture Mrs.
Wards affections. She was content,
even in her enforced idleness, to lie
still with her pain and indulge in
great feeling of thankfulness for such
q treasure in the house.
She was talking of it one evening
with her husband.
do you realize, Richard, what q
prize we have in Barbara?"
she is certainly most remarkable
girl. The most competent servant we
eyer had in the house, isn't she?"
without any comparison. And /
want you to build that room as soon as
you can"
Mrs. Ward had mentioned the mat
ter of the room over the kitchen, and
he had agreed that it was not suitable
for a girl like Barbara.
"Or any other girl, Richard" Mrs.
Ward had said.
Yes, I'll have carpenter come right
up and look over the house. We shall
have to raise the roof over the kitch-
en-"
"Why can't we at the same time en-
large the kitchen SO that Barbara can
have corner of that carpeted off for
her own when she does not want to
run upstairs? saw Mrs, Rice's kitch.
en- the other day. 1t is unusually large.
One end of it is neatly fitted up with
table for books or sewing material,
several comfortable chairs, and pic
lures on the walls-a very cozy, COM
Portable corner, where her girl can re-
ceive her company or sit down to read
or rest"
"But Barbara never has any COM
pany, does she?" Mr.. Ward asked, with
little amusement at the look his wife
gave him. "She hasn't any beaus, IS
all our other girls have had"
'No," Mrs. Ward answered. thoughts
fully. "But-"
SWELL, what?"
"If she had, we would ask her to in
vite them into the parlor. OF course,
we can't expect girl as attractive as
Barbara Is to go through life without
attracting some one"
UNLESS her place as a servant"
began Mr.. Ward.
"But why should that make any DIFF
ference?" Mrs. Ward asked, irritated
by the suggestion. 20 dear, don't sug-
gest my losing Barbara. Whoever gets
her for his wife will get a perfect
housekeeper and rare, sweet girl in
every way; but we shall lose the best
servant we ever had, and then our
troubles begin again, Mr.. Richard
Ward" -
Mr.. Ward was silent awhile, and
then he asked about Barbara's plans
for solving the servant question.
II don't think she's done anything
lately. ! know she hasn't. Mrs. Vane
oSho o'si VIC otHef Jay W luqulre
when she was coming to see her again.
My illness has kept Barbara very close
to the house lately"
If Barbara had heard this talk, it
might have encouraged her to confide
in Mrs. Ward about matter which
had begun to trouble her somewhat,
and that matter was no less than the
action of her own son Alfred Ward.
1t was now nearing the end of the
college vacation, and the young man