The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1920-07-29
MAN AND A MAID
BY ETHEL !. srersoN

esssssssessssssssssssscsSSSsessssssss
e. isse b. Nct4uts Ne~sperrf - naicAts
had just closed NJ Tor the dag
and Nas walking lesufeA up Main
street when ! met Biil kingston. nia
T. the finest felleN know he saw
me nrst. but didn't speak. st-pg~.d
over and grabbed him and said
~liiil, have yoa heeu In this town
all day without showing w ~ ms
placer
Yes. Frank. I came in This morn.
INK
! Was about 20 say well you're u
right subject Tor nut house" hut hy
this time I could See that be WAS in
some kind Of trouble. q hate 10 see
old Bill In trouhlel
You're going in The wrong diress
lion, man tiled 20 face him about
but be- s.emed disincined Ia 20 home
with me Here was trouble indeed.
Bili always made my home his head
quarters WHEN be came to our town on
business trips.
~whaf l. II. old MANI asked.
The ching | feared its finally
come, Frank. Ny wife has gone away
left me.
-our home has been like machine
run by unseen hands. No friction ta be
sure bni lifeleSs. smilless. with wealth
The power which fed IL. u needed
The tonch of Il woinan's hand aud
Marian didn't give IT, she rot bored
TO DEATH got bored TO death. 80 We
agreed to live apart indefinitely"
Just now you need something good
10 eat" said !. and tried 10 pull him
along
NCan't do IL. Frank" he said. Can't
stand il right now TO 20 into real
home and see your wife all done M
in a big apron frying frluers for
you.''
MY wife won't he home I'LL along
toward midnight hig suffrage meet.
ing, dinner, speeches. &c. You and
III be an Ia ourselves
Considering that Blll came along
with me. The home windows were
alight and when | opened the front
door something smelled mighty good
Bgl started hack
''Your wife has returned. lnust
80, Frank. Your domestic happiness
Is going 10 unnerye me tonight"
domestic happiness nothing"
"Bll, you've been mighty careful
10 conceal your ideas about real
home from your wife FOR fear you'd
hurt her feelings; Welt. how do YOU
know that she hasn't been concealing
that same thing from you for the same
reasonT-
That was a new thought 70 Bin and
II seemed 10 give him a good deal Of
courage SO that we went in 70 dinner
in pretty good spirits. Before we SAT
down went TO the pantry aud said
10 our new maid.
u don't know what you've got for
dinner. but serve some Of those dough.
nuts. anyway. MY guest thinks there's
nothing like doughnutS. and II you
happen to have made any beef stew
while my wife was away. give Us some
Of that. too; he's especially fond Of IT. I
As I've said. Bill's spirits were I'M
proved. but could think Of nothing
10 account for his unusual behavior I
during our dinner. He was unnatural. K
in a state Of suppressed and. what 1
appeared TO me happy agitation. I'd /
seldom seen him like that before. II
commenced when the maid came IN
for The first time carrying Two plates
Of soup. or. rather. stew. was talk 4
Ing 10 him when she entered. and | I
saw the queereSt expression come
over his face. then he started up as
II he were going 10 speak. fhen there
was a hig crash-fhe maid had dropped
both plates. At that he began 10
laugh. The girl was embarrassed at
FIRST, then she looked nj me. then nj /
Bill. a kind II long. queer look. and
hen she began 10 laugh and 50 then
laughed and we al laughed
Such happiness possessed them both
and there was such an evidence N
mutual understanding between them ,
hat began 70 have suspicious OF
rood old Rill His wife had gone away !
Jeff him-could Il be for any reason
,ther than whaI h. had told me-
II say Bin, have those doughnuts !
.one 70 your head. Or what the deuce /
lis youT' ] finally lost my temper.
NO. not my head hnf straight "a y
ny heart" he answered and ! was J
lretiy worried.
A. We were rising from the table J.
he maid tripIsed In from The Kitchen. /,
aiher sauciig Thought, and said I
. me
Mr. Dirhton. J am leaving your en-. Z
loyment very soon-as soon as you !.
ar find substitute
Then she looked straight ~ Rill
I'D Bill looked stra ght ~ her: IN fact
2 HADN'T looked anywhere else since g
BE- entered the dining room. Ny