The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-06-06
WEEKLY SHORT STORY
THE RECONSTRUCTED sNOB.
By Annie Hindichsen.

NSOISS MOulIrle looked up from
ms book at the maid who was busting
ms STUDY. Several times it had occur
red to him that she was unlike his
mothers other maids.
The tightly fitting black dress show
ed che lines of a slender, erect young
inquire. Her hair was brushed tightly
PACK into hard knot. Her head, with
It's unbecoming hair arrangement and
the white cap OF service, was held well
Dack on her shoulders as If the firm,
round chin had all the girls life been
Quilted az a pronounced angle. Her
0ands were small, with long, tapering
fingers. They had the roughness of
labor, but not the distorted Joints of
excessive hard work.
She turned and met his curious scru-
tiny. Her face Redeemed and a look
OF pprehension flashed in her eyes. She
whirled around and resumed the
welding OF her dustcloth.
That afternoon wild, frightened
screams rang suddenly through the
mouse. DR.. Moultrie bounding down
the stairs saw In the drawing room a
cloud Of smoke, through which he
could distinguish several figures. On
the floor near an overturned tea table.
whose alcohol lamp had started the
.nre, lay woman covered with a rug.
$beside her knelt Jane, the housemaid,
pressing the rug close about the wo-
an and beating with her hands the
- ines that shot from under the rug.
WOUND them screamed his mother and
her friends.
In moment the fire was extinguish-
ed. The injured woman was the cook
who had been assisting the maid in
the drawing room when The table had
been overturned.
When the cook had been made COM
Portable in her own room DR.. Moul-
trie went in search of Jane. He found
he% in the kitchen rubbing oil on her
bhytered hands and arms.
fWhat does all this mean?" he ask
80 abruptly.
What does what meanT
Z WHO are you and what are you
doing here?"
q am Jane White, a servant in your
mothers employ"
you are a servant only through
some whim of your own. want an
explanation"
For several minutes the maid did
not reply. Finally she dragged her
reluctane eyes up to the mans keen,
wondering ones.
Il am Coral Nielson-yes, the Coral
Nelson who inherited the great Mel
son estate. My parents died when l
was baby. An aunt brought me up.
She was a hard, selfish woman, i'm
NRled with the belief thac wealth makes
~ class which has no obligationsh to
less fortunate beings. l did not rea-
lie that i had grown up to be a sell
fish, self-absorbed woman, utterly
without sympathy for the troubles of
women in other walks of life.
1.-The revelation came to me from
housemaid. She was the daughter OF
a farmer, a rosy-cheeked, happy girl,
with no knowledge of class distinct
ions. One day, When by particularly
cutting remark l tried to show her
the difference in our stations, she
fiared forth. All her wholesome PRIDE,
her innate self-respect, declared her
Indignation against my selfish inso-
ce. She spoke with a dignity and
" grief that aWed me-and awakened
me. l saw myself a 81 / was, a CAL
lous. heartless snob. There was one
chance of reformation for me, though
That was 60 rouse my heart to SYM
pathy and love for other women. /
determined to see life from the work
er's side, to know their labors and
sorrows. The little kousemaid taught
me her work. Theshrdlu Shrdlu shrd
me her work, and / went OUT in the
world to do it. l have been house
maid. l shall be factory girl and
learn what they have to suffer. l
shall be clerk in a great store
whree women as cruel as l was shall
Atreat me as a soulless, bloOdless auto
alton. Through the experience OF
Fmutual hardships I shall learn love
and sympathy for other women"
tYou have made a good beginning.
II twas a working woman whose life
yo1 saved at the risk Of your own"
81 am clad it was the cook" she
said, simply 1T is a JOY to ne TO
know that have been KIM TO ct least
one WORKING woman
Several weeks later DIR. Moultrie,
the PHYSICIAN for the Merrivale bills,
found in the room of a patient an
amazing transformation. The patient
was a young factory operator. For
days she had lain her poor, bare, little