Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-09-16

/
ing to make good impression on an
acquaintance, sweetness of temper is
supposed to be their unavoidable frame
of mind and effective tests cannot be
arranged every day.
How do you think you are getting
on, dear:" asked Mrs. Challinor one
day.
What do you suppose a perfect
stranger would think who was to see
US together in your drawing room any
EVENING""
THAT is rather an unreasonable
question. How can 1 put myself in
the position of a perfect stranger?"
you don't want to hurt my feelings.
Both of us know perfectly well that
Mr.. Benn and L are not getting on at
all. We are good friends and that is
the beginning and end of it. He Is
decidedly heavy, and he thinks dab
bic in lot of things and do none well.
[ think l shall have to play my final
card and show my greatest accom-
| plishment OF all and I don't believe
you would ever guess what it is"
For goodness sake, don't ask me to
| guess. | never could guess even the
herring and n half for three half pence
riddle. It's n mystery to me yet. Tell
me at once"
Rachel told her secret in a whisper
! "What" shouted Mrs. Challinor,
"why on earth did you not say SO at
first? You might have been Rachel
| To &c al IN, II
| ties with his servants-he is in difficult
ties now. He was telling me about it
! last evening while you We're playing
that wedding march from Lohengrin.
When did you learn?"
Last year, when 1 began to grow
| desperate. I did it on purpose and
worked very hard l thought it might
be my most deadly weapon sometime
| kept it to the last, because when a
! man of Mr.. Bena's stamp knows his
wife can cook he generally expects her
| to live in the kitchen and to read
nothing but cookery books. So I want
| ed to show l could do other things as
well and was not a mere domestic
| drudge. l hoped to succeed without
bringing it in at all, but I'm afraid 1
must"
My dear, your fortune is made.
| How very sensible you are. 1t is q
! pity other girls don't do the same
| thing. You must promise now to put
yourself in my hands. 1 will see you
| don't fail"
She summoned Mr.. Benn that even
Ing and asked him if his domestic diff
| ficulties were at an end"
ALAS, no." he said. II am IN chaos.
The housemaid won't stay and the
housekeeper won't go. She says she
knows good place when she finds
one and she is not going to leave me to
myself. In the meantime she cooks
| abominabiy. / have not had com
Portable meal in my own house for
nearly a fortnight and her extrava-
gance is beyond all bounds. Her
weekly bills simply make my hair
stand on end"
Il thinl, can help you. / heard of
! housekeeper the other day who, l be-
lieye would just suit you. II you will
get rid Of yours or give me authority
to do so l will see IL l can get the per-
son l spoke of to come"
He thanked her profusely, agreed to
everything she proposed and left the
matter in her hands.
She was at his house when he came
home on the following evening.
Mrs. Jones has gone" she said. ~
| have persuaded the houscmaid to stay
and l have interviewed the house
keeper | told YOU Of. She is willing tc
, come but cannot do so until to-Inor-
row. l could not persuade cook to do
anything for you, but she has very
kindly allowed the kitchen maid to
como down and she is getting dinner
for you now. Cook has not much
opinion Of her, but / hope she will be
able to manage something"
The dinner was uneatablc and poor
Mr.. Benn almost cried with disgust
during the evening. He went Up to
the Challinors before bedtime and they
sympathized with him. 1t appeared
the new housakeeper had promised to
come in plenty of time to cook the din
ner the next evening and she had the
very highest credentials. Rachel sang
Home, Sweet Home" and looked very
pretty. If Mr.. Benn's mind had only
been free from those miserable dom
este worries he could not have failed
to see how exceedingly charming she
was.
Mrs. Challlnor met him at his own
door again the following evening. She
said the housekeeper had come, but
had asked as 4 favor that she should
not see Mr.. Benn for week. She was
a lady by birth and had never before
taken such position. She felt, there
fore, q little shy at first and was not
sure If she would stay.
Again Mr.. Benn almost shed tears
over his dinner, but this time they
were tears of delight. Never since he
had lost his first houseieeper, who had
married butler and set up private
hotel, had he enjoyed such a dinner,
either in his own house or any other.
1t went on for week. More than
once he wanted to see his new guar