The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-14

hospitals, or to some "shut-in." or the
Mercy Home" or the "Old Ladies'
Home" or somewhere that they will give
some pleasure to people who cannot in
dulge their taste in flowers as they would
like?
Any of these institutions would be glad
to send some one to gather the flowers,
and in this way the flowers themselves
would be well cared for. too.
The matter of looking out for the cat is
q far more serious one.
Who has not heard in the wee sma'
hours the plaintive yowl coming from the
cellar of the house next door?
An incident is recalled of a certain fam
lily who left town very hurriedly last sum-
mer and in the rush and excitement, Tor
got to make any provision for the faith
full cat until the motor rolled up to the
door TO take them to the station.
The good housewife in her furry all at
once exclaimed:
"Where ON earth is the cat?'
Nobody knew.
They held the motor until search was
made.
LUX" was not in the living room in
the big Morris chair; he wasn't curled up
on the dining room table, he couldn't be
found anywhere in the pantry, and the
kitchen was ransacked high and dry.
Time was going, and so the family had
to leave, but not without instructions to
the man who was left in charge to look
for Lux and feed him every day ana
see that he was housed at night.
Two days passed and the man, who had
searched everywhere for his "catship
gave up in despair.
Finally
One evening the family next door was
aroused by the wall of LUX" sad and
pitiful, and 50 worried did they become
that an immediate search was made for
the poor, neglected animal.
The family donned kimonas and bath
robes and with a lantern went forth
searching for the honest but mistreated
cat.
In the cellar of their neighbor's house
sat LUX" a mere semblance of his for
mer rself-hollow-eyed, thin, emaciated and
miserable.
With crow bar the grating was prled
off the cellar window and poor Lux was
rescued from a tragic death.
With the ever increasing seriousness OF
the servant problem the manner of keep
ing faithful and competent cook or maid
III a willing and receptive mood to re-
get back from their summer vacation is
no trifing problem. let me tell you.
If good servants were as plentiful as
the thistles on a cactus bush the woman
who is getting ready to close her house
for a long period and betake herself ana
family to a mountain or seashore hotel
would not have to worry about the SER
wants she will have when she returns.
At the present writing, however, with
good servants as scarce as humming
birds tongues on toast, "Mariah Ann
must be provided with a suitable place OF
residence, and given bonus besides, IN
order to gain her consent to letting the
family depart for regions unknown.
The housewife who doesn't thus provide
will hate worse than "pison' to return in
the fall.
Even then "Mariah Ann sometimes
comes up missing, as was the case in
certain family where the "cook lady" was
paid her full wages for four months and
Provided with nice room and her gro
GERS and butchers bills were also footed
every blessed month, and in spite of all
this, which she accepted from her former
mistress, she took another job all dur
ing the time she was gone and when she
returned was quietly told that she
couldn't cook fer her no mo-, kaze Miss
Mary Perkins had done offered has er
dollah mo- er week dan she'd been git
tim I"
So there you are,
The family departing for a lengthy va
cation has more to bother about than mere
clothes and railroad accommodations. and
whether they'll have a good time" or
not, as you plainly see.