The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1902-02-14
CHAPTER w,

TO BE OF USE IN THE WORLD.
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 as
any woman might be expected to be in
anything that was not even thought
out far enough to be rightly called
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 1 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. l don't won
der your girls have trouble with you.
You're so nervous with your head
aches that l wouldn't venture to work
for you short of ten dollars a week in
advance. L 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, 1 think" Mrs. Ward said, with
a kindly look at Barbara, who was
pleased.
80, L 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, Hilda!" 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 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 I
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 a 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. 1T 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. Pm 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 al
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 al
you girls? What's the reason yor
aren't all full-grown angels like Us
I housekeepers?
Barbara could not help smiling, al
though she had been sitting so fan
with n GROWING feelinp of diSeoura ue