The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-11-06
TRIALS OF A DEPUTY MOTHER

Henrietta needed 9 change badly. So when Robert, her husband, invited her to go West with him on a business trip, it gave me real pleasure to say ', I'd keep house for the children. Now to keep house for Henrietta is no trivial affair. The intricacies and perfections of Henrietta's household system might well challenge the re- spect and admiration of any flourish 1 ing business house. Henrietta has a day, a place, a pigeon hole and a plan for every conceivable household rou- tine, accessory, triviality and emer- geney. Nothing is wasted; every need and comfort is provided for; and every cent is balanced. The atmos- phere that pervades Henrietta's home from the trunk room on the third floor down through the formal parlors to the coal bin in the cellar. is redolent of order, law and harmony.
 The parade Of seven children, headed by the invincible Fraulein, lined up in the front hall to say goodbye. And then the door closed behind Robert and Henrietta,
 As we all had forseen. the children, behaved like cherubs; Their natural goodness, added to a real fondness for Twas only at times that I was made to feel that their game was to be ust as nice to me as was com patible with having little more fun and liberty than if, their parents were home. Zen
 One afternoon happened in from my walk unexpectedly, to find the front piazza and Henrietta's handsome hall transformed. Water ran over the piazza floor and trickIed off the edge of the steps into tiny iciciles. for { it was midwinter A glare of rapidly freezing ice made treacherous the ap- proach to the, front door, which was flung wide open to the winter winds. A sense of- openness and speedy fall ing temperature pervaded the entire hall atmosphere. Curtain, portiers draperies and palms swayed Justify back and forth in the stiff breezes that swept through the whole house. Op- posite, the buffers pantry door yawn- ed expansively Chairs, the umbrella stand, the chime clock and the hall table had been rudely showed from their accustomed places, well back into the corners, to make broad and open track through the center of the hallway. Thanked by a crowd of grinning school friends with frank ad- mirlng eyes and wide wondering mouths, and arrayed in rubber coat and hip boots, stood Henriettas 10-year-old son, holding open court.
 Attached to the spigot in the buffers pantry sink was Roberts new garden hose leading across Henrietta's ele- gant royal Kevir rug and out the front door. Pools of water puddled along l the royal Kevir. Wet footprints mot tied it's regal design. And all along the path of the hose at haphazard ! intervals, lay wrench, an extra pair of rubber boots, @ tin pail, two pairs of sopping wet mittens, and snow tshovel. We'll in the foreground stood Junior, hose in hand and cheeks
 flushed with joy, plying a vigorous stream of cold water through the front door, across the verander rail, out into the front yard beyond.
 The bevy of school friends espied
 me first. Then the son of the house saw me.
 Were having lots of fun,' explain ed Junior jauntily.
 'I'm glad you're having a good time, dear,' said I. ''But will you kindly tell me why you are hosing mothers beautiful, expensive rug.?"
 "Oh," said Junior, with enlighten- ment, ''we're only flooding the front yard to make a skating pond. Isn't this a oily big stream of water?"
 The success of the whole scheme