Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1909-1915, 1911-11-10
The Great
Temptation

No." said the woman who was tell.
Ing the story. II did not have the
time to do as I did II took
the time. There was plenty of
good reasons why should have
taken it.
AT least II insistent duties glared
at me from various corners OF the
house. They glared at me accusing
~, as one who would willingly neglect
them. They glared at me Indignantly,
as one who lightly assumed duties with
no idea Of discharging them. They
glared at me pityingly, as one who had
been slackly brought up and didn't
know any better. But I turned my
back on them all, dressed the children
and went.
This is why I went. I had taken
perfectly green girl from the intelli-
gence office and trained her steadily
Tor two months. had trained her so
that she understood what I was say
ing and could do the Homework more
than fairly well. Any one who has
trained a green girl for two months
at stretch knows that rest cure Is
due the trainer, but I'll never be able
to Introduce rest cures into my curricu-
lum, so didn't feel abused
And then one Thursday evening a
tall. gaunt woman with a fairly good
knowledge Of English appeared and
Stasia and she went up to Stasia's
room When they reappeared Auntie
Wandaluski-for that was the gaunt
ones name-held Stasia's PAPER
mache suit case in her hand. Stasia,
clutch1ng her months pay, acquired
but two hours previously, brought up
the rear.
Stasia was about to leave, at
once!
mo. the work was not too hard No.
she didn't want more money. She was
about to be married, and, as the girl
next door expressed it, I didn't even
know she was keepin' company
She went in the middle of the
spring cleaning. She went when a sis
ter-in-law whom I had never met was
on her way from the Pacific coast to
visit me- The three Intelligence offices
which constituted the first aid to the
suburbs could send me no one for a
week So I went to bed discouraged
and woke up sick.
1T was as drank the tea that the
great temptation reared its head
Isn't 1t lovely day. said the great
temptation, enticingly. You ought
to be out of doors on such day. Oh
well, l know the work isn't done and
you have no girl, but the work will
keep and the world is full Of girls
AT this point the duties that have
mentioned before stalked from theil
respective corners and tried the eff
feet of whitening the great temptation
bat it was waterproof.
How fresh Is the smell of the lake
ART 1t went on. How pleasant is the
beach! How much good it would do
the children!'.
Il had put the dishes to soak right
after breakfast; that was all I had
done. LAT was all I was going to do.
= ran upstairs and dressed myself and
| the children, locked the door and fed
toward the nearest station that would
furnish a train to bear me and mine
to the lake shore. AS turned the
corner and looked back at the house
a duty glared at me from my bedroom
window. Going away for the day.
and not single bed made!' 1t shrek
ed after me. made no defense. I
had none to make.
THE faults of the great temptation
may have been legion, but it was
truthful. The lake was blue, the air
delightful, the atmosphere Quivered
and sparkled There were very few
persons about The children and
sat on the beach and ate quantities Of
fruit that had bought and later I
read a new magazine. Once or twice
had an uneasy feeling that a lowering
duty was asking me what would be
the result If the sister-in-law should
arrive ahead of time and, getting into
the house by hook or crook, should
find the beds unmade. I refused to lis
ten-absolutely refused
Il am now coming to the part Of the
story that I don't like to tell. Even
to myself it sounds 'fishy,' but it really
Is true, notwithstanding.
"As approached my own door late
that afternoon, literally saturated with
ozone and the joy Of living. being &C.
companied by two children similarly
affected, my neighbor crossed the
lawn. Behind her came her maid and
behind her came still another maid.
Briefly told, the mistress of the second
girl was going to England to visit her
husbands people. She would be gone
four months: could have Jeanne for
that period If I wanted her, but Jeanne
would like to return to her first mis-.
tress in September.
Would / take her? I had difficulty
to keep sfrom throwing my arm
around her. / promptly arranged for