The Washington herald., 1917-11-19

grunted Warren. What's the mat
ter? Can't you sfeep?"
NO. can't" desperately. Every
time I go out to the kitchen 1 see
something to upset melt just makes
me sick!"
For the love of NIKE! What's got
you now?'
"Oh. II didn't intend to tell you
but 1t drives me wild. She's been
using the napkins for dish towels! Did
you ever HEAR OF such a thing?
How d'you know she has?"
81 Just saw them out there on the
towel rack. They're all damp and
rumpled. Why. aside from anything
else It's filthy thing to dol And it's
just because she's too lazy to wash out
the dish towels! She's SO afraid she'll
do too much!'
Then speak to her about 1t in the
morning-but for Heavens sake don't
get all worked up now" as he Topped
over with greedy tug at the covers
Forcing herself to lie motionless.
Helen soon heard his deepened breath
ing. Once asleep he was not easily
awakened. and for another half hour
she tossed and turned, her mind still
infiamed.
Beneath her indignat ton was the old
sick dread OF having to break in an
other girl. When she spoke of the
napkins she knew she could not speak
calmly. There would probably be
clash. for Nora's temper was infam-
ma BILE. What IL she should flare up
and leave? The very thought was
Christening.
Every day It was getting more Diff
ficult to get a girl. and. in spite of
her glaring faults. in many ways Nora
was a good maid. She was honest, an
excellent cook. fairly economical and
very efficient.
Mrs. Reed had been without a maid
for six weeks. Just yesterday she
phoned that she was almost desperate.
She had advertised and advertised
anc not a single answer. She had
tried a dozen agencies. They all had
chambermaids and waitresses-but no
general house workers. That was the
drudgery from which all the girls
were turning.
Gradually Helen's indignation SIM
mered down. After all. might It not be
better to say nothing of the napkins
at least for a few days? Tomorrow
was Saturday. cleaning day. Accord
ing to their monthly schedule 1t was
the day for the big front room-the
hardest in the apartment. Taking up
the rugs and washing all the white
woodwork was an arduous task.
Tomorrow would be a most inoppor-
tune time to reprimand her. To wait
until Thursday would be wiser, for
with fha nrn1narf Of nHf afP
Nora was always more amenable.
But she would miss the napkins on
the rack and see the accusing towels
in their place. Then not to speak Of it
would seem to condone too lightly so
grave a misdemeanor. No, Nora must
not know that she knew-not untt1 she
could seriously take her to task.
Impelled by this more prudent i'm
pulse, Helen was out of bed, cropping
for her slippers. She would put away
the clean towels and hang back the
napkins! Nora must not know that
she had even seen them.
Stumbling out through the darkness,
she paused in startled dismay. From
beneath the pantry door .shone
streak Of yellow light Nora was out
there! Having heard her in the
kitchen, the girl had been suspicious
and gone out afterwards.
1t was too late. Tomorrow she
would have to speak about the nap
kins. She could not ignore them now.
If only she had left them on the towel
rack! If she had stopped to think,
she would not have forced an issue
now. Would she never learn not to
act on impulse?
She went back to bed but not TO
sleep. Nora was so high tempered.
How could she sufficiently admonish
her and still avoid a clash?
since their return from the West,
the work had been unusually hard.
They had brought back a lot of soiled
clothes about which Nora had grum-
bled. And twice this week there had
been company. She was Just in the
mood to fly up and say she could get
an easier place for more money-which
In her heart Helen felt was true,
Another half hour Of anxious brood
ing and Helen was again out of bed,
stealing out to the dining-room. The
strip OF yellow light still shining be-
meath the pantry door proclaimed that
Nora was still in the kitchen.
The girl was peculiar. She had a
way OF brooding over fancied wrongs.
Confronted by the accusing; towel
rack. and knowing that she would be
severely. censured in the morning. per-
haps even now she was planning to
leave.
The night always magnified Helen's
fears. Every pending trouble seemed
more serious, and now she felt the
loss OF Nora would be q real calamity.
LIt might be weeks before she would