New Britain herald., 1916-10-13
REVELATI0NS0F A WIFEN
By ADELE GARRLGON

Umphant thrill that evidently she re-
M EN- bered and meant to abide by the
ultimatum I had given her on the
occasion of her outrageous treatment
of Lillian Underwood.
I had told her then that I would
always make her welcome in our
home and treat her with all Difference,
but that I would never allow her to
interfere in any personal concern Of
mine. Was it possible that she meant
to abide by those words quietly.
She preceded me out Of the room,
paying no attention whatever to the
valuable and fearful thanks which
Katie was pouring out to me.
When I Joined her in the hall we
walked in silence the length Of it,
mounted the stairs and went to our
rooms At the door of hers she
paused, with her hand upon the
knob turned to me, and said with
en- phasis:
"Of course Margaret, you think all
these socia1istic notions of yours are
very fine, but when you've lived as
long as I have you'll learn that it
doesn't pay to pamper maids. You're
probably blaming yourself for hurting
Katie's feelings. Cattle like that
Id y
or I have. But you're young and
you'll learn, I hope"
She went to her room quickly and
shut the door.
A Big Nan-Sized Job.
I smiled to myself as I reflected
upon the thoroughly characteristic
way in which she managed to have
the last word in the matter. She
probably imagined she had withered
re with her contempt of my thoughts
and actions.
There was only one remark of hers
which remained in my mind, and that
with a far different effect than she
had intended. She had spoken of
Katie as belonging to "cattle that had
no finer feelings.' I reflected a little
bitterly that it would not have been
possible for Katie or any one of her
kind to have displayed a greater lack
OF fine feeling than had my mother
in-laW.
Katie's engagement, however, upset
me. 1t was almost time for us to re-
turn to the city for the winter Of
course, if Katie were to be married
she would not go back with us. The
girl had been with me since the first
month Of my marriage. I did not
realize how much I had grown to de-
pend upon her efficient service, her
loving faithfulness, until I faced the
prospect of losing her Whatever !
would I do without her in the city.
My second season Of lectures before
the history class of the Lotus Study |
club would soon begin. They we're |
paying me $25 lecture this season, |
and the topics were to be the current ,
political and war news Of the day, with !
the tracing back of their causes in
events that had gone before.
When Lillian had seen the outlined
course she had said emphatically that
it was a big man-sized job I had I'M
dertaken, I felt that she was right.
1t entailed a great deal more work
and study for me than had the course !
of the last season.
It would be simply impossible for
me to attempt both that work and my
Homework without the assistance of |
a we1l-trained maid, and with my !
NJ other-in- law as a member of our :
family 1 distinctly dreaded breaking |
in a new girl,
I lay awake so long bordering the
matter that I had not yet fallen
asleep when DiclSy came in from the
last train. [ called to him softly as
he passed my door, to let him know
that I was awake, and he came in
and sat down on the side of my bed
while I told him of Katie's prospec-
tive marriage and the dilemma in
which it placed me.
"And you're worrying about that
said Dicky, with fine scorn. PLENTY
of maids to be had in New York city,
my dear. If you can't find satisfac-
tory one we can always go to a hotel"
He gave me a kiss that was meant
to be consoling, and went on to his
own room, while I wished, oh, so
earnestly, that I could throw all care
and responsibility from my shoulders