Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-05-08
mis- ROSIE"

lust as though she had Deem uoWn ~
Kentucky instead Of in New York, and
keeping a clearinghouse in New YORK
at that. Not that she ever thought OF
it as a clearinghouse, however.
"We're all one family" she used to
say. They're nothin' but reel quality
in my family; that's how It's they can
be like a reel family"
1t is likely that she had a better
clearinghouse with less trouble than
any one ever had before. She seemed
to have an endless supply of colored
servants-seryants Of the family IN
Kentucky-always one waiting to take
the others place.
In the beginning Of the season mis-
Rosie calls the staff together and
makes the following speech:
Now, you all know you got good
place, where nobodyil worry you. l
can't keep lookin' after you, snoopin'
round all day-my health won't permit
it. Now, If hear any complaint o
you work I'll bounce you all without
ten minutes notice. Addie an Geor-
gie's ready to take you place right
off," This speech Is delivered from the
depths of a big easy chair, mis-
Rosie being appropriately dressed In
a white plush wrapper lined with pink
silk. She says 1t in the slowest and
most Indifferent of southern drawls,
while she shifts absently at bottle Of
violet extract. This ends all Of "Mis'
Rosie's' housekeeping for the year,
save that, true to her promise, she
"bounces' Agnes, and Addie takes her
place.
Here you have the keynote Of "Mis'
Rosie's' character-a wonderful, far
reaching lazlness. There never was
any one In the world quite so lazy. 1t
was not an ostentatious laziness. 1t
was too deep rooted for that. mis-
Rosie never gave a moments thought
as to how to save herself trouble. It
came instinctively to her. She put her
business on other peoples shoulders in
way that amounted to genius. Her
shiftless brother-in-law was spurred
on to keep the books. How Mrs. Mea-
dows induced him to, no one ever
knew, certainly by some method that
gave her no trouble. The servants
kept the house. "Mis' Rosie" limited
her efforts to designing dresses-the
dressmaker came to the house to try
them on. A gulllible friend, who really
believed in mis- Rosle's" health, went
to the stores for samples and went
again to order what mis- Rosie had
selected.
After "Mis Rosie's" vast repose, her
most noticeable characteristic was her
evaslveness. Now and again unkind
boarders called it lying. But evaslve-
ness has Its uses. For Instance, there
was almost no gossip In "Mls' Rosle's"
family" Now a clearinghouse
where there is no gossip is positively
abnormal.
"Do tell me how you manage 1t, Mrs.
Meadows" asked curious boarder.
"NIis' Rosie" looked out between half
closed eyelds and said impressively:
mis- Powers, | don't never know
nothin'."
This was all very WELL as far as COS
sip was concerned, but it extended to
Ignorance of every detail of her house.
"You amt got but one blanket on
your bed? Now, am surprised. Amt
1t too bad, now" she would say, sooth-
ingly, but no blanket would be forth
coming.
1t was miraculous how all the I'M
pleasant affairs of life slipped off her
mind. She had a nose for trouble,
and would find some errand to- take
her away from home whenever q
storm threatened, and away she would
remain until all was serene again.
She would remark benevolently at din
ner time: "Now | do hope you all got
sumpin' to eat at lunch. Adde an
Agnes was rowln'-I don't never inter-
fere with the qua'ls of ma servants
ma health don't permit 1t. Only some
times Addie, she won't cook a stitch
when she's mad-but | do hope you
got sumpin'."
In spite of such outbursts of plant
i've chlldishness "Mis' Rosie was guile
itself. Not misunderstanding guile
for that she was too sluggish. 1t was
more illuslveness than anything else.
Anything on earth boarder asked for
was always just about to be purchas-
ed. She was so suave that she made
one almost believe that II was already
there. After all, 1t was ones own
fault IL one was fooled, for her duplio-
ity was 80 obvious.
"After ALL" the wise boarder remon-
strated, when you know a person al
ways lies they are quite 40 reliable as
though they always told the truth"
And the New England woman who
had staid three indignant years In
mis- Rosle's" clearinghouse because
1t was clean and the food good, snorted
derslvely.
But genius is never really apprecia-
ted, so mis- Rosie's' chef d'oeuvre
was her undoing. With the disreput-
able brother-in-law who kept the &C.
counts, she went down to her summer
Mace ''to get II. in order" she said.