New Britain herald., 1916-02-07
Mrs. Graham Seniors Ways With
 Maids

| that they were browning SatiSfactor- { ilY. I hated to disturb the content which I knew was hers, but my | mother-in-la wish made it inn ; peratiVe that I do so. r "Oh, Missis Graham FIatie's voice was full of pretty pride. Dose | potatoes joost baking lofelN. Now I | feex me dot steak. You tink l luncheon too late? Dey come too queeck. Meester Graham, he not say SO sOon.'
 q know Katie" I soothcd 'but you need not broil the steak for a while. MT. Graham's mother is feel ing ill and cannot cat any luncheon | now. so we will wait until she has had little nap. Will you be able to keep the potatoes hot, do you think, or had we better bake mOre? Now vot you tinll of dot?' Katie addressed tho kitchen walls with vehemence Dot lunch no good after a while" Then she evidently thought of my question about the potatoes, for she opened the oven dcor and looked at them critically.
 'I feex dose potatoes all right" she said after a minute: "I turn off oven, wrap potatoes in clean cloths, lay dem in oven, dey keep one hour, two hour not so good, but pretty good Why, that will be vory nice, Katie,' I said. "The luncheon will not be so spoiled after all. am so glad you have not yet started to hroil tho steak Now will you please go to Mrs. Graham's room? She wishes you to help her. She is not very well, you know so you will help her whenever she wishes you to do sc"
 Into Katie's eyes there crept the look of sudden fright I had seen once before,
 T do not like to help old sick vimmens, she muttered "I fraid."
 Across my mind flashed the re- membrance of the day when I had first told Katie Dicky's mother was coming to live with us. She had threatened to leave and I finally dragged the reason from her. A curious old world superstition that old women sometimes turned into witches and killed people obsessed her. Lillian Gale had finally re- duced her to reason, and Katie had remained. But here was her super stiton nearing it's head again.
 'Tt It Safe?"
 
 whole problem went through my brain in an instant. I simply could not lose Katie in the combination of circumstances confronting me. Tn a week I was to take the club position which offered me the prospect of an income of my very own. I could see that my mother-in-laW' Whims would be unbearab ble if I were alone with her all day The presence of a maid would be some restraint, besides al- lowing me needed time for myself
 On the other hand, I could not an tagonize Mrs Graham further by re rusing her Katie's services. I spoke quickly sternly:
 Katie. I thought you had put that nonsense out of your head. Mrs. Un- Cerwood and MT Graham and I all have told you that was silly and wicked idea. Besides, Katie, - pur- posely made my voice very signifi- cant-.'I tried to be very kind to you about that lavalliere of mine. I eX- poet you to try to please me"
 The ruse worked. Katie looked up quickly.
 q do joosc yot you say she said humbly.
 ''That is right Katie" I laid my hand on her SnOulueI. -NON HUI " in to Mrs. Graham
 'I feex my potatoes first" she said rebeIliously.
 "No, no Katie" I knew just how impatient the imperious woman in the front bedroom must be. "I will at tend to the potatoes. Hurry please.'
 "All right den," and Katie hurried out.
 I felt quite like a blacllmai1er as 5 thought of the way I had used the incident of the lavalliere to compel Katies obedience. But matters really were desperate with me. Katie would have been quite capable of walking out of the door, leaving the dinner and everything else if she had not possessed lively fear of what I might have it in my power to do to her because of her meddling with my lavallero
 turned out the gas in the oven, and opened the drawer where Katie kept d pile of clean cloths for use in cooking. I took out the hot potatoes and signed, because with a few more minutes they would have been per fect1y baked. Wrapping them in the cloths I laid them back in the oven.
 "There," I thought to- myself, "when Katie broils the steak she can take off the cloths, and the potatoes can finish baking"
 As I closed the oven the door of the kitchen softly opened and Dicky put his head into the room. "Is it safe to enter?" he queried jccosely.
 "Why not?''
 q thought perhaps the matter might have gotten on your nerVpS' "Oh no, she hasn't bothered me at all,'' I returned airily and untruth- fully. "How is Katie getting along?" "Oh. Katie is busily engaged tell ing mother what a perfectly lofely, 1 kind and good lady. inOSt like an