The Iola register., 1901-10-04


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 ss
any woman might be expected TO be IN
anything that was not even thought
out far enough to be rightly called a
conference"
Mrs. Vane met them with her usual
bright greeting, and again Barbara
felt the sharpness of her look.
i've 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 headache? Or maybe this isn't
your day for having one. ! don't won
der your girls have trouble with you.
You're so nervous with your head
aches that wouldn't venture to work
advance. / wonder Miss Clark has
stayed as long as she has"
All this the old lady said with as
tonishing rapidity and with a frank
ness that amazed Barbara and made
Mrs. Ward laugh.
Miss Clark is learning to put up
with me, I think, Mrs. Ward said, with
kindly look at Barbara, who was
pleased.
20, 1 should think So" said Mrs.
Vane, looking sharply from one to the
other. You don't either of you have
many grievances, l imagine. Sit right
there, Hildal" she exclaimed as the
girl Barbara had met on Sunday came
into the room. "You remember Mrs.
Ward and Miss Clark, Hilda? We met
them last Sunday"
Hilda sat down awkwardly in the
seat indicated by Mrs. Vane, and there
was a 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: snow, then.
Hilda, you know well 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-
alize what their work means, and what
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 do?"
you never can do it," Mrs. Ward
spoke with some emphasis. at 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 a 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 unsatisfactory
and not to be depended on for any
length of time. And that's about all
we're agreed upon"
Mrs. Nane 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
housekeepers?"
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. Nane to
be used TO her queer ways, and was
not disturbed by her eccentricities.
She shutiied her feet uneasily on the
carpet, and dug the point of a very
bright red parasol into a corner of a
rug.
81 don't know, Mrs. Nane," she final
ly said, slowly. 81 have no complaint
to make"
mo, but | have. Now you know,
Iilda, you didn't half do your work
right this morning; and if | hadn't
come out into the kitchen, the pud-
ding Mr.. Nane likes would have been
burned to a crisp. Wouldn't it?"
Yes, ma'am," Hilda answered, her
face rivaling in color her parasol.
And yet you had the clock there
before you as plain as day. What were
you thinking off"
81 can't always be thinking of a
pudding!" Hilda replied, with more
spirit than Barbara had yet seen in
her.
There, my child" Mrs. Vane said,
gently, without a particle of impa-
thence or i'll nature, II don't blame you
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