The Washington herald., 1916-06-12

A NEWLY-CUT LEMON lay in the
~ soap dish over the kitchen sink.
One half cleaned freshly un-
touched. but the other was squeezed
and darkened
With a resentful flush Helen turn
ed from the sink Repeatedly she had
asked Dora not to use the lemons for
her hands, but the girl persisted in dis
obeying.
Opening the ice box, she counted the
lemons in the far corner of the wire
shelf There were only three. Satur-
day she had ordered half dozen, and
they had used only one for the mayon-
naise. So since Saturday Dora had
used two lemons for her hands
In the bedroom, with a cloth tied
over her broom, Dora was busting the
molding. There was something in her
capable, upturned face under the blue
busting cap that checked Helen's in
dignant outburst.
She had promised herself never to
speak to Dora when she was irritated,
for the girls temper was most Intlam-
mable. and she was too good a maid to
lose
Hurrying out to answer the bell, Dora
returned with the announcement, It's
the man with the cockroach powder"
Once a month the house sent around
insect powder to be sprinkled about the
kitchen and pantry of all the apart
ments
NO, we haven't any reaches" Helen
informed him briefly.
Any waterbugs?"
"No. nothing at all
That's good" picking up his can Of
exterminator ITS the only apartment
in the house that amt got one or the
other"
1t was a strong tribute to Dora 5
cleanliness, and Helen. closing the door
after him, glanced appraisingly about
| the kitchen. No other girl had ever
kept the range so clean, and the freshly
scrubbed shelves and tiled wainscotng
were spotless,
Yet in many little wavs Dora was
extravagant She used more gas than
any maid they had ever had Even now
she had the largest burner turned on
full under the soup-with the lid half
off so it would not boil over
For several months their gas bill just
for cooking had been over four dollars,
yet before Dora came it had never been
more than three.
AS Helen lowered the burner under
the soup, again her glance fell on the
lemon in the soap dish over the sink.
No other girl would presume to cut a
fresh lemon for her hands
II was mistake to let these things
go on. Dora was deliberately taking
advantage Of her leniency. She would
speak to her NOW!
Then came the thought of a more
tactful way She would give Dora
some cold cream and tell her to use
that instead Of the lemons.
A hurried search through the medi-
cine chest and Helen found an empty
vaseline jar into which she spooned a
liberal hunk OF cold cream
Dora" going out to the kitchen
where the girl was emptying the
sweeper, you don't have to keep soup
at hard boil all day. That's how you
waste the gas You use this largest
burner for everything! Now want YOU
to use the other burners, and the
simmer-you never use that"
Without turning. Dora angrily clat-
NClNN lllN HNINlpdll anu SNC CCpCl llllO lllG
broom closet and banged the door
And there's something else I want
to speak about more sharply, irritated
by her insolent silence you're not
supposed to use the lemons for your
hands I'm giving you some cold cream
this is what | use"
You don't do no scrubbin' nor oilin'
the floor" in sullen anger. 1--WE got
to have somethin' that'll take the stains
off. But I'll not make a fuss over a
little thing like that" with a shrug
that was almost contemptuous. "I'1l
buy my own lemons" And, turning
to the sink, she ran the water
noisily.
FlaminPly indignant. Helen left the
kitchen. She would not let any maid
speak to her like that What if she did
leave? There were plenty of other
girls-good girls. who were neither in
solent nor extravagant.
Dora" turning back, now reckless
of consequences, Il can't allow you to
speak to me that way As long as you
work here, you must be respectful"
"I guess you'd better get another
girl" rinsing stewpan under the noisy
faucet
"Very WE'LL quietly, though a chill
tremor gripped her. When would you
like to go, Dora"
Tomorrow
That's all right" with lofty dignity.
Il don't want any girl to stay with me
who isn't respectful and willing to take
my orders"
But it was with a sick sinking at her
heart that Helen went into the front
room and stood broodingly by the win
dow. The thought of a new maid al
ways filled her with dread.
All of Dora's good points came
crowding upon her. Mo- one had ever
kept the place so clean. No one had
ever been 50 careful of the china-and
the laundry. She pictured her best
tablecloth with scorched streaks from
the careless ironing of a new maid
And Just now it was most difficult
to get any kind of maid. Only YES