New Britain herald., 1917-10-19
Why Madge Determined to Champion
 Katie's Cause.

OSS~~~~>----~ Katie's Cause.
 I had hard work to draw my face down in proper disapproval when Katie tearfully told me the retort she had made to Cousin Agatha, the un- expected guest who had come to our home with my mother-in-law, and who has brutally Quizzed Katie con- corning the girls secret, accusing her of deceiving me.
 Katie had called the woman ''vun old liar' and had fled to me in a per- feet paroxysm of tears and sobs and demands for Jim, her husband, our
 man of all work, of whose existence Cousin Agatha evidently did not know. Don't you see how hard those speeches of yours make it for me,
 Katie?" I asked responsibility, al- though secretly I gloried in the girls grit in thus facing her tormentor. "I could defend you, if you simply had walked out of the room without an- swering her. But now she also has a grievance"
 II no care" Katies tone was sul
 len. II tink you say same ting your self if strange vomans you never saw before talk like dot to you" Well, it can't be helped or unsaid now," I returned briskly. "but want you to do as tell you. Will your"
 T not go ask her forgive me if I never-see-you-ag Katie ut tered the words as though the worst punishment she could receive would be banishment from me.
 T don't wish you to go near her" I said. II want you to stay right here and finish the dinner. You may lock
 the door if you wish, so you'll be sure no one will disturb you." Do I have to wait on table?" she
 inquired. Her hands were trembling pitifully.
 Will Cousin Agatha Speak? |. Mot if you don't feel like it," I answered, and then I stopped and kissed my woe-begone little maid with feeling of hot indignation in my heart against the woman who had caused such needless suffering. She chung to me convulsively. "Oh! if only all de vimmen in world were like you, Missis Graham" she breathed gratefully, and foolish ly extravagant words went with mo as climbed the stairs to my mother in-law's room. felt that I would million times rather be "too easy" than to have caused the suffering Cousin Agatha had inflicted in the last hour.
 , had no hope that I had heard the last of the encounter. I was morally 1 sure that Cousin Agatha was only demand reprisal for the insulting words that Katie, maddened by her , unjust accusation, had flung at her. But I was firmly resolved that she ] would have to make her own .oppor- tunity to speak. I would leave her no opening that could possibly keep closed.
 l went into my own room and shut the door softly, looking around me with discouraged eyes. In trying to get everything possible done before the actual moving day-for I detest having wildly confusing time at the
 last minute, if it possibly can be avoided-I had dismantled my room, i even to taking up the rug and tying i up the furniture. I had packed the 1 drawers of my chiffonier and dresser 1 and locked them, had the bed taken : down and for two nights had slept on
 an army cot. comfortable enough
 bed, but one which I knew I never
 could offer to Cousin Agatha. 1 Only One Thing l My mother-in-law had announced
 upon the unexpected arrival of the i two women that each must have a l separate room. There were only two
 habitable bedrooms now in the house.
 Dicky's and his mothers. But the 1 impulse that came to me to ask
 Dicky to give up his room to his mothers cousin and let me make up
 temporary bed for him on the
 1 couch in the library died almost be- 1 for 1t was born. I recalled previous
 l domestic crises and Dicky's selfish be-
 havior when I asked him to share
 any inconvenience with me. l wouldn't risk a similar rehuh now.
 My nerves were in too raw a state to I wish any further unpleasantness.
 There was only one thing to be
 done. I must call Jim and instruct 1 him to put up the bed he had but re- | gently taken down. lay the rug he