Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1912-05-09
ACCORDING
TO INSTRUCTIONS
BY JEAN DICkERsON

Giles Tower reread the telegram
and then folded 1t and tucked it away
in his pocket.
Am detained in town until evening.
Meet Lily Black at 2:20 train. Be a
dear and amuse her until l come
Bessie"
"'Amuse her, indeed!" repeated
Giles wrathfully, waving his pipe at
the surrounding furniture MAY l in
quire why that precious bit of onyx,
Lily Black, must be amused by me
me-until her mistress arrives? If
this is the present status of the serv-
ant question, the sooner women obtain
suffrage and the men folks take up do
nestle problems and solve 'em the
| better!"
There was no reply to Mr.. Towers
indignant remarks, for he was all alone
In the room. His widowed sister had
moved into this pretty suburban villa
and the house was hardly settled when
the cook, imported from the city, over
come by loneliness and the hooting of
nocturnal birds, had packed her tele-
scope bag and departed for town leav-
Ing Mrs. Emery and her bachelor
brother hungry and forlorn
This morning Mrs Emery had gone
to town on an early train hoping to
persuade an old and favorite hand
maid to return to her employment
This ebon damsel rejoiced in the con-
Trajectory name of Lilly White" and
1t had always been Giles Towers within
to speak of her as Lilly Black'-hence
his amazed disgust when he read his
sisters message saying that Lily was
on her way to Roselawn, and that he
was to amuse her until Mrs. Emery's
| return
"1f that isn't just like Bessie" sigh
ed Giles as he gathered together his
sheets of manuscript and locked them
away. 1T doesn't appear that she has
told Lily to prepare decent meal for
me-but there, l suppose Bessie will
dine In town and l must feast again
from the emergency shelf Well,
here goes for lunch of some sort"
| He went into the disordered kitch-
en- where there were visible evidences
OF the few scrappy meals he and his
sister had contrived to prepare since
the departure of the owl-haunted cook
the day before. He prowled in the
pantry and from the shelves of timed
foods, bottled fruits and biscuit boxes
he managed to get together a rather
dry and unpalatable meal.
When it was over he left the debris
for the further surprise of the COM
ing cook, and going to the garage
| got out the car and started for the
station, thinking resentfully of his in
terrupted work, and frowning dark
ly at the remembered instructions of
his sister to "amuse Lily Black"
She can amuse herself by toying
with the dishpan and dustpan," grum-
bled Giles. Il suppose / ought to
amuse her with the mechanical piano
or invite her to a game Of tennis!"
The big car swung to standstill at
the station platform just as the train
rushed in. Giles left his seat and
walked slowly toward the new arrivals.
There were about half dozen in all
but nowhere did Giles see the tall.
commanding form of his sisters IA
vorite handmaiden, Lily White-or
Black
The 2:20 pulled creakingly away to
other and more distant suburbs, and
the half dozen passengers entered va
rious waiting vehicles and departed
q fai, !,
who now and then glanced curious
ly at Giles as he stood bordering
what to do.
The girl was surrounded by various
bits of baggage.
Giles sought the station agent who
was trundling another trunk along the
platform. This trunk was a cheap af-
fair of colored metal and peeping from
under the lid were various folds
OF many-hued garments as if the
trunk had been packed hurriedly On
one end there struggled a name in
white painted letters.
! Miss Lily White. N Y"
| Giles gazed with mock sentiment
at the frowsy looking trunk. "pTis
hers'" he murmured
when is the next train due?" he
asked the man.
"Three-thirty," was the reply.
Didn't see anything of a coored
woman on this one, did your" asked
Giles, following the agent to the bag.
gage room where Miss Lily Whites
trunk was unceremoniously dumped