The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-11
lCopyright.l

a grim jest. Money, kindness and even simple luxuries would not make the ser wants stay. It was too lonely; 1t was too far from the city; 1t was too cold In win ter; 1t was too dark at night; 1t was too remote from cousins and sisters and policemen. Bonuses were of but tempo rary efficiency. Promises of holiday pres ents encountered skepticism Vacations were looked upon as legitimate opportuni- ties to 20 away and not come back. Even the suggestion of a servants night al ehe club aroused no enthusiasm in behalf or a quiet life in the suburbs.
 The men had not thought or inter- fering in the matter until MT. Dexter got his idea. He had an undue advantage In this respect, because the idea was born or a philosophic study of Della Mary Mona hans jaw, and his opportunities for the pursuit of this study so far as the other men went, were almost exclusive, TOT Della Mary was Mrs. Dexter's cook. lie noted particularly the rugged contour oi that jaw on an evening when Della Mary entered the dining room and informed Mrs Dexter that she was going out. When her Amazon figure had disappeared into the kitchen again, MT. Dexter inliuis inquired of his wife:
 Doesn't Della Mary ask first, my dear?"
 '.No,n sighed Mrs. Dexter. "she just tells me-
 MT. Dexter looked thoughtful and scru- tinized a mental photograph of the jaw
 Does she expect to favor us with a continuance of her patronageT' he asKeo' after pause.
 Dear only knows. She'll propaply eo like all the rest And when she goes, Liz- zie will go, too, and probably both or Mrs. Fanshawe's girls. They follow her inst like sheep I never saw sucn woman"
 MT. Dexter finished his dinner in silence and then went into the kitchen. Della Mary was putting on her hat.
 "Delia," said MT. Dexter abruptly '.How much are you getting?'
 "Twinty- said Della Mary, trlne truculently, he thought.
 DO you expect to stay here?'
 'P'raps not" she answered, shortly.
 Work too hard?'
 "No" \
 Pay too small?"
 "Im not sayin so."
 Then why do you think you'll go?' pursued MT. Dexter.
 Iris too far from tn city
 ,.'How would you like to get s4o month"; said MT. Dexter, suddenly.
 Della Mary looked at him suspiciously and resumed the adjustment of her nat
 "I'll pay $40 on one condition, and that is that you make all the girls working around here stay in their places for the next six months. The transaction IS strictly between you and me. You can take it or leave it. But think he added, If you want to take 1t, you can fill the bill''
 Della Mary was buttoning her Jacket Tn front of a small mirror, and she finished her task, to the last button. Then she said, simply:
 'Ill sthay."
 'At s40?"
 "At $40.'
 ..With the understanding that you de- liver the goods" added 1lr. Dexter. You kape your eye on me-, said Della Mary grimly, as she went out the pack way.
 Frankenstein went back to the living room to inform his wife and from that hour the Boss became the marvel of Gar dendale. How she did it nobody knew, and she did not disclose her method. But true 1t was that the Boss possessed the elusive quality of leadership. eardendale settled down to an era of uninterrupted domestic service. The help" stayed, and 1t talked less about the city, the dark and lonely nights and the bereft rela- lives. Dexter was a hero; so was Della Mary, for 1t seemed a misuse of terms to apply the feminine form of the word
 
 she did it well. Her extra compensation of SIP month did not, of course, fall entirely upon MT. Dexter. A score of families cheerfully paid their assessment and blessed MT. Dexter every time they did it-for a while. What the Boss did with the money they did not inquire. MT. Gates expressed the belief that she had to give up" part of it. But MT. Dexter, being more familiar with the Boss's max illar architecture, said no. He insisted that was sheer personality.
 There was only one skeptic at the start and he was MT. Wilson.
 Wait till your boss gets an organiza- tion," he cpoaked. MT. Dexter knew what he meant, but he made light of 1t. He trod on air now, having won back popu- larity that had suffered since he had claimed the Greenlawn Golf club cham pionship by default
 The first rift in the lute which for three months had sung so sweetly to Garden dale appeared when the boss informed Mrs. Dexter that she needed an extra af- ternoon out every week. Mrs. Dexter hes itated. While she was hesitating the boss went out, had her afternoon, and thereby made 1t fixture.
 ''I suppose we'll have to humor her a little," said Mrs. Dexter, when she told her husband of the matter
 Next week the boss explained to Mrs. Dexter that Lizzie, the upstairs girl, needed an extra afternoon also This mat ter was referred to MT. Dexter, who showed some anxiety. It wasn't so much the extra afternoon, because that did not personally inconvenience him. 1t was the fact that Lizzie did not do her own ask ing. He scented an organization. Per sonal favors granted to the boss might continue within reasonable limits, but he expected the boss to handle her own con stituents. Nevertheless, Lizzie got the day.
 After that there was an epidemic of ex- tra days. until not a house in the park was unvisited by the scourge. Some of the other girls went direct to their employers, because at first the boss had shown some indifference to their needs, now that she and Lizzie had been taken care of. But soon the boss saw that for her own pro- lection 1t war necessary for her to take these matters in hand herself, and after that all the demands were made through the master of the organization.
 Mrs. Fanshawe at first met the demand with a lat-footed refusal, and Annie said that she would be compelled to leave The boss was quick to see the peril of break in the ranks. It was not in her mind to have the flow of gold from the Dexter treasury curtailed. She was diplomatic about it. for she worked it through Mrs. Dexter. That lady did mot relish the task of pointing out to Mrs. Fanshawe her duty in the matter, but she felt such a heavy responsibility toward the other neighbors in Gardendale that she did 1t. She came away with the distinct impress sion that Mrs. Fanshawe thought she was meddling, which was an entirely cor TAkxx fhota v,6ir rfa