The Washington herald., 1910-06-19

and black paiama coat OF Jimmy's as g
sort Of breakfast jacket
This is Officer Flanagan" Mr. Har.
bison said. II explained our unfortunate
position earlier in the morning. and hs
is prepared to accept our hospitality
Flanagan. every person in this house
has got 10 work as I also explained tC
you You are appointed dish-washer and
| scullery maid"
The policeman looked dazed. Then
| slowly. like dawn over a sleeping lake
light OF comprehension grew in his
! face.
Sure" he said. laying his helmet or
the table. ''Iil be glad 10 be doing any
thing I can to help. Ne and Mrs. VIII
son-we used TO be friends. It's many
the time I've opened the carriage door
for her, and she with her head In the
| air, and for all that the pleasant smile
When any one around her was having
a party and wanted a special officer. II
was Mrs. Wilson that always said, Get
Flanagan. officer Timothy Flanagan.
He's your man."
MY heart had been going lower and
lower. SO he knew Bella. and he knew
I was not Bella. although he had not
graspad the fact that I was usurping her
place. And the odious HARRISON man sa;
on the table and swung his feet.
II wonder II you know he said. look
ing around him. how good 1t Is 10 see
white woman so perfectly at home in a
civilized kitchen again after two years
OF food cooked by a filthy Indian squaw
over a portable sbe~t-iron stovei''
So perfectly at home, I stood in the
middle of the room and stared around
at the copper things hanging up and the
rows of blue and white crockeTy. and the
dozens and hundreds OF complicated
looking utensils. whose names I had
never even heard. and / was dazed. ]
tried with some show Of authority to in
struct Flanagan about gathering up the
soiled things, and. after listening I'm a
puzzled silence for a minute. he stripped
Off his blue coat with a tolerant smile.
Lave EN- 10 me. MISS he said. The
miss passed unnoticed ST mayn't
give 'em Turkish bath. which is what
you are describin'. but Til get the grease
of ali right I always clean up while
the misses is I'm bed with a young 'un .
He rolled up his sleeves, found brown
checked Bingham apron behind the door,
and tied it around his neck with the ease
OF practice. Then he cleared of the
plates, eating what appealed to him as
he did so, and stopping now and again
for a deep-throated chuckle.
I'm thinkin'," he said once, stopping
with q dish in the air. what a, deuce
of noise there will be when the vacci-
nation doctor comes around this mornin'.
IN a week every one OF us viii be nursin'
a sore arm or Walkin' on one leg, beg
gin your pardon. ~aiss The last time
the force was vaccinated. I asked TO be
done behind me ear; I needed me legs
and needed me arms. but didn't need
me head muchr
He threw his head back and laughed.
Mr. HARRISON laughed. too. On. we were
very cheerful And that awful stove
stared at me. and the kettle began TO
hum. and Aunt Selma sent down word
that she was not well, and would like
some omelet on her tray. Omelet!
I knew that It was made of eggs. but
that was the extent OF my knowledge.
muttered an excuse and ran upstairs to
Anne, but she was still shifting over her
necklaces, and said sh. didn't know any
thing about omelets and didn't care. Food
would choke her. Neither Of the Mercer
girls knew, either, and Bella, who was
still reading In the den. absolutely de-
clined TO help.
~ don't know. and I wouldn't tell you
II I did. You can get yourself out. as
you got yourself in" she said hastily.
THE simplest thing, II you don't mind
my suggesting II, is to poison the coffee
and kill the lot Of us. Only IL you de-
eide TO do it, let me Snow; want to live
just long enough to see Jimmy Wilson
writhe!
Bella Is the kind of person who gets
ones nerves. She finds q grievance and
hugs it.; she does ridiculous things and
hlames other people. And she flirts.
went down stairs despondently, and
found that Mr.. HARRISON had discovered
some eggs and was standing helplessly
staring at them
''Omeiet-eggs. TGgs-omelet. That's
the extent Of my knowledge" he said,