Hopkinsville Kentuckian., 1913-01-04
BY MARY WEsTcoTT.

girl to hire her out in a good, safe,
plain home"
Mrs. Galley can never quite forget
that she was once housekeeper for
erich folks" especially for the Stur-
tevant Yields, who allow her a small
pension. She always distinctly con-
descends toward Dixville households
and their uncertain maids.
what is The young persons
name?" Mrs. Mason asked, with her
odd, shy haughtiness.
"Selena," the girl herself an
swered. "Selena Melissa Saleag."
Her high, shrill voice made even
young Professor Mason, in the libra
ry beyond, glance up surprised. In
his brief vacations from the college
where he taught chemistry he seldom
noticed the temporary ruler of his
mothers kitchen; but this specimen
promised interest. Blushing hotly,
the girl went on:
"I'm hunting work. Do you want
me to Gomez"
And thereupon she smiled straight
at Mrs. Mason with absolutely con-
fiding innocence; and Mrs. Mason
stammered: why, yes, Selena !"
And that is how Selena Melissa Sa-
leag was installed in the Mason fam
lily.
Apart from her uncouthness she
was not unattractive.
"In fact" the professor told his
mother, ''if that girls hair was not
hauled quite so tight back from her
face, and if she could hold her mouth
shut instead of open, and knew
where to put her arms and her
hands, she might pass for one of
our freshmen from a country school.
Her eyes are wonderful"
But despite Mrs. Mason's kindly
efforts to improve these deficiencies
Selena remained what the professor
insisted was "a serene caricature Of
her inherent possibilities" Mean
while the professor watched with Sc
cret enjoyment the spectacle of Sc
lena doing her best to be what she
called "good, plain help" and his
mother trying to make her over into
what she considered ga well-trained
servant" That Selena plainly nev-
er could become-though she GER
tainly ''helped." For all that pendu-
lous lower lip of hers, and her
dropping shoulders, and the queer,
awkward way she let her arms
dangle, palms front, Selena could
work both neatly and rapidly. Her
big, red fingers did no damage, and
the professor1 oted that except for
being so n .ost unnaturally red,
they weref 'autiful and curiously
well kept I girl of her kind.
In the professors presence Selena
seemed always to touch the very
summit of her green simplicity. She
begged him, for example, to take
down from the hall a picture of
'Daniel in the Lions Den"
"Why, Mr.. Mason" He could
have sworn there were tears in her
great, blue eyes. "Can't you see
there amt one kind face amongst
all them hons?"
Even when away at college he
might not forget Selena. The tan
pajamas could not be forwarded at
once because they had been elabo-
rately starched and ironed by Selena
$50 they'd be all fine for Mr.. Profess
sor's next party" Mrs. Mason,
whose sense of humor was limited,
wrote her son perplexedly when Sele-
ma asked her how soon she meant to
call on Mrs, Galley.
"Of course you'd ought to call on
her. She brought me herep Selena
had argued. "Say, everybody knows
that visitin' shouldn't be all on the
one sidep
Then one day, without excuse, al
most without warning, Selena went
away. Mrs. Galley assumed an al
most belligerent silence Even in his
snug college study the professor felt
oddly depressed by the news. There
was to be a vacation next week-and
how dull home woulu be without Sc
lena's cheerful, diverting follies
The professor sighed as he went to
his appointment TO address the Grad
date club of neighboring woman's
college on Chemistry in the Home"
4