The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1901-09-20

turned reluctantly from the window.
"Well," said Mrs. Hostetter, drawing
a long breath, 81 just run in to see if
you'd heard the latest. 1 can't stay.
I've got my weeks bake gettin ready
to 60 in the oven."
eff you mean about the way Mr.. Dav-
enport's been a-actin up" said Mrs.
Frazer, closing her lips grimly, "I've
heard"
"Sd've l." said Mrs. Dean. 'I think
that's just horrible. 1 don't mean to
bid him the time of day if die fer it."
"Well, l don't, neither. But just
want to tell you what Mis- Graham
says when l told her. She waited till
l got all through, and then she up and
says she didn't think it could be true.
After my a-tellin her! So 1 just told
her it was true"
"What'd she say then?"
"What do you suppose she said? She
just looked me in the eye and SAYS
calmly that if it was true she was sor-
ry he'd done wrong, but that she didn't
/ consider one person had ought to judge
another; says she thought it was hu-
man nature to do wrong and that we'd
, ought to be sorry fer each other and
| help each other up"
"Why, the ideal What'd you say? 1
hope you give her good one."
"Well, l did" Mrs. Hostetter spoke
with triumph. 81 told her 1 was a
Christian and belonged to church and
she wouldn't ketch me upholdin a man
thatd turned hisself out to be what
Mr.. Davenport had. asked her how
you could pick out respectable folks if
they was on speakin terms with that
kind. Then she said somethin reel pro-
fame. She guessed that God could put
his finger on 'em! Oh, that made me
awful mad! l said, well, wouldn't
speak to Mr.. Davenport and I didn't
reckon Mis- Dean and Mis- Frazer
would neither, and that we was the
leadin ones in the church."
Good fer you! l guess she didn't
have anything furder to say to that,
did sheY'
"Yes, she did. That's what makes me
so awful mad. She up and says then,
still ca'mlike, that she didn't consider
it would hurt any good woman to be
kind to Mr.. Davenport, even if he had
done what was claimed ag'in him,
which she didn't believe-the brazen
thing says that ag'in-and it might do
him some good"
The door opened suddenly, and a slat-
ternly girl burst into the room. She
stopped and stared at the guests. Then
she threw her hand over her face, gig
gled bashfully and exclaiming "Oh,
now" retired noisily.
"What do you think of that" ex-
claimed Mrs. Frazer in a tone of exas-
peration, "after all I've talked to her,
a-trouncin in here that way before peo-
pie! A woman might as well be crazy
at once as to keep hired girl. They're
that mortifyin"
"Now, that makes me Think" said
Mrs. Hostetter. Il was sayin the same
thing to Mis- Graham the other day,
and what d'you s'pose she says? She
says she thinks hired girls have an
awful hard life. She feels sorry fer
Fem. She keeps q rpckin chair in the
kitchen fer her'n and let's her go out
/ ten times a week if she wants; says
she thinks it's awful hard fer girl to
have to ask every time she wants to go
anywheres. She says she gets cross
sometimes and lets her temper go at
her girl, and then she always goes back
and apologies. She amt got any sech
word as. servant in her vocabulary"
"Such Stiffness" said Mrs. Frazer
scornfully-"a a-ruinin hired girls that
wayw
"Well, must say" admitted Mrs
Dean reluctantly, "that Mis- Graham's
hired girl is an exception to the gen'ral
run Of 'em. She worships the ground
Mis- Graham sets foot to and would
run her legs off fer her."
"The worst thing she said," put in
Mrs. Hostetter. twas that she didn't
think women had ought to get together
and talk over girls faults; says she'd
just as soon anybody would ask her
how she liked her husband as to ask
her how she liked her hired girl; says
she's been guilty of such things her.
self, but she amt goin to ag'in. Oh,
never heard such goin ons"
al guess she's crazyY'
81 guess she is. She says If we
caught girls a-criticisin our faults we'd
have conniption fit"
:There goes that express wagon back
ag'in em'ty," interrupted Mrs. Frazer
in a perplexed tone. II can't imagine
where that trunk went to. Mr.. Brown
told me yeste'day that Mis- Brown
want comm home fer week, but
mebbe she just telegrafted and come
right on"
But when you want real scandal"
said Mrs. Hostetter in low tone, you
have to go on piece furder than Mr.
Davenport"
Mrs. Frazer's pillowsham sank rus
Ting into her lap.
rs there anything worse~ asked
AIRS. Dean breathlesslY.
A little smile wripkled Mrs. Hostel
ter's face. "Yes." she said briefly;
''there's somethin worse"
"What is it" asked both women at
once.
Mrs. Hostetter was tantalizngly slow
In replying. She looked out the win
dow with an air of mystery glooming
over her. II don't know as ought to
tell you-if you amt noticed"
81 amt noticed a thing"