The Crittenden press., 1920-08-13
MAN AND A MAID
sy ETHEL !. sTETsoN.


street when l met BIZ Kingston. Bill
II the finest fellow l know. He saw
me first, but didn't speak. / stepped
over and grabbed him and said:
"Blll, have you been in this town
all day without showing up at my
placer
"Yes. Frank. came in this morn.
Ing"
l was about to say "Well, you're Q
right subject for a nut house." but by
this time l could see that he was in
some kind Of trouble. Il hate to see
old BIZ In trouble.)
You're going In the wrong direc-
tiOn, man." tried to face him about,
but he seemed dlsinclined to 20 home
with me. Here was trouble indeed.
Bill always made my home his head
quarters when he came to our town ON
business trips.
what Is 1t, old manT' ] asked.
~The thing I feared-lt's finally
come, Frank. My wife has gone away
left me.
"Our home has been like a machine
run by unseen hands, no friction to be
sure, but lifeless, soulless. with wealth
the power which fed 1t. 1t needed
the touch Of woman's hand and
Marian didn't give II. She got bored
to death-I got bored to death, so we
agreed to live apart indefinitely"
"Just now you need something good
to eat" said I, and tried to pull him
along.
Cant do II, Frank" he said. Cant
stand II right now to 20 into a real
home and see your wife all done up
In big apron frying fritters for
you"
my wife won't be home till along
toward midnight-big suffrage meet
ing. dinner, speeches. etc. You and
I'll be all to ourselves"
Considering that. BIZ came along
with me- The home windows were
aiight and when l opened the front
door something smelled mighty good.
Bill started back.
"Your wife has returned. I must
60, Frank. Your domestic happiness
is going to unnerve me tonight"
domestic happiness nothing"
"Bfll, you've been mighty careful
to conceal your ideas about real
home from your wife for fear you'd
hurt her feelings; we'll. how do you
know that she hasn't been concealing
that same thing from you for the same
reasOnr
That was q new thought to Bill and
It seemed to give him a good deal Of
courage. SO that we went in to dinner
In pretty good spirits. Before we sat
down ! went to the pantry and said
to our new maid:
II 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,"
As I've said. Bili's spirits were i'm
proved, but I could think Of nothing
to account for his unusual behavior
during our dinner. He was unnatural,
In a state Of suppressed and. what
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.
ing to him when she entered. and
saw the Queerest expression come
over his face. then he started up as
II he were going to speak, then there
was a big crash-the maid had dropped
both plates. At that he began tC
laugh. The girl was embarrassed at
first, then she looked at me. then a,
Bill. a kind Of long, queer look. and
then she began to laugh. and so then
I laughed. and we all laughed.
Such happiness possessed them both
and there was such an evidence OF
mutual understanding between then
that I began to have suspicious oi
good old Bill. His wife had gone away
left him-could II be for any reasor
other than what he had told mel
81 say, Bill. have those doughnutl
gone to your head, or what the deuc'
sils your" finally lost my temper.
"No, not my head, but straight L
my heart" he answered; and l wal
pretty worried.
As We were rising from the tabl'
the maid tripped In from the kitchen
rather saucily. I thought. and sait
TO me:
"Air. Dighton. I am leaving your EN-
: ployment very soon--as soon as yo'
can find substitute"
Then she looked straight at BIZ
and Bill looked straight at her; In fac
be hadn't looked anywhere else sine,
she entered the dining room. Ny
heart sank away down. My old Bill
the world was getting topsy.turvy.
managed to say:
"why are you leavingf Are yo'
, dissatisHed?"
, ~ have been perfectly satisfied on
4 Ill this evening. There Is only on
! person I'd rather work for than you.
Then she walked straight over to Bill
and added. 1T is my husband"
Well. II we three weren't happy
Then the doorbell rang-it was m
wife and the table was not cleared
I went to the door TO meet her an
. In the hall / said:
/, "Hope your meeting went OF vel
for I've rather bad news for you here
the maids leaving"