Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-08-02
CHAPTER Nv.

When Barbara started that after.
noon with Mrs. Ward for Mrs. Vane's
to meet with her in conference, she had
no plan of any kind worked out, even
in the vaguest outline. She had told
Mrs. Ward what Mrs. Vane had said be-
fore, and asked her whether she was
willing to go with her. Mrs. Ward was
very willing, and Barbara gave her
credit for being as much interested AZ
any woman might be expected to be in
anything that was not even thought
out far enough to be rightly called q
Conference"
Mrs. Vane met them with her usual
bright greeting, and again Barbara
felt the sharpness of her look.
give asked Hilda to come in for a
little while this afternoon. She doesn't
want to stay very long, and had rath-
er hard work to persuade her to come
at all. She's shy. Mrs. Ward, how's
your headacheP Or maybe this isn't
your day for having one. I don't won
der your girls have trouble with you.
You're so nervous with your head
aches that wouldn't venture to work
Tor you short of ten dollars week in
advance. I wonder Miss Clark has
stayed as long as she has"
All this the old lady said with as
tonishing rapidity and with frank
ness that amazed Barbara and made
Mrs. Ward laugh.
Miss Clark is learning to put up
with me, think" Mrs. Ward said, with
kindly look at Barbara, who was
pleased.
20, should think So" said Mrs.
Vane, looking sharply from one to the
other. "You don't either of you have
many grievances, 1 imagine. Sit right
there, Hilda!" she exclaimed as the
girl Barbara had met on Sunday came
into the room. "You remember Mrs.
Ward and Miss Clark, HildaP We met
them last Sunday"
Hilda sat down awkwardly in the
seat indicated by Mrs. Vane, and there
was moment of embarrassed silence.
Hilda was dressed to go out, and Bar
bara could not help wondering how far
the girl understood what the meeting
was about. She began to feel little
angry at Mrs. Vane, without knowing
just why, when that good woman very
frankly cut across the lots of all pre-
liminaries by saying: Now, then,
Hilda, you know we'll enough what
asked you to come in for. We want to
make beginning of some sort of help
ing the girls who are out at service re-
aIiZa what hot I'll.
they are worth to family, and all
that"
Hilda looked embarrassed and said
nothing. Barbara came to the rescue.
Don't you think the first thing we
need to do is to settle on some really
simple plan by which we can reach all
the girls and let them know what we
propose to do2"
You never can do It," Mrs. Ward
spoke with some emphasis. SIT has
been tried before by Mrs. Rice and one
or two others. The fact is, the girls do
not care to meet together for any such
purpose"
Mrs. Ward is right and wrong
both," Mrs. Vane said. I'm not going
to discourage you, but you have set out
on as hard task as ever lady under
took. The very people you want to
help are the very ones who don't want
you bothering around"
"Then perhaps we had better start
with the housekeepers first" replied
Barbara, feeling conscious of the big
ness and badness of the dragon as
never before. 'If you and Mrs. Ward
and three or four more could"
But we have no PLAN" Mrs. Ward
spoke up rather quickly. "You will
simply find that the women of Craw-
ford face the question without any
ideas about it. We all agree that with
rare exceptions the help we generally
get is incompetent and unsa tisfactory
and not to be depended on for any
length of time. And that's about all
we're agreed upon"
Mrs. Vane looked sharply at Bar
bara and then at Hilda.
"Hilda," she said, sharply, but at the
same time not unkindly, tell US what
you think. What's the matter with all
you girls? What's the reason YOU
aren't all full-grown angels like us
housekeepers2"
Barbara could not help smiling, al
though she had been sitting SO far
with a growing feeling of discourage
ment, AS for Hilda, she had evidently
been long enough with Mrs. Vane to
be used to her queer ways, and was
not disturbed by her eccentricities.
She shutiied her feet. uneasily on the