The Hays free press., 1921-12-08
Polly and the
Butler
By DOROTHY WHITCOMB.


remember well the day when Mr..
James came home and told his moth
er that he was engaged to be married.
/ was butler then at the Stacey place.
They were Tot what you would call
well-bOrn; myself I'd call il rfch-born.
They had piles OF money. and besides
myself there were a first and second
man, TO say nothing OF the maids and
Mrs. Simmons, the hOusekeeper.
James Stacey had been his mothers
idol. He had Inherited all her pride.
and he had her Obstinacy too, and
more. So when 1 heard Of it l knew
there would be battle royal between
them. You see. l knew the young
woman. Polly Ryland was one of the
smartest girls in old Stacey's perfum-
cry department. You know, he died
before the department store was as
large as it is now, but it went on just
the same and prospered, though young
Mr.. Stacey seldom went near ii until
he accidentally met Polly there.
She was the prettiest thing-a cOun-
try girl, small, vivid, as you might
call it, with deep gray eyes and mass
Of red hair.
James Stacey had never been in love
before. He was a quiet. StudiOus chap,
u good deal of a bOOk-worn, and Il
good deal of a SnOb. / overheard him
telling his mother about Miss Ryland.
''Well, my dear James" she said in
her stately way, "if your heart has
spoken 10 you l shall. not Interfere.
provided the young lady is worthy Of
you"
1t was about five days after that
that Mr.. James won the first battle OF
the war. He brought Miss Ryland up
TO the house and 1 was fortunate
enough to be in the dining room when
Mrs. Stacey swept down TO receive
her
"Humphr she said, looking at her
through her lOrgnette. $50 you are
the young woman whom my son wishes
10 marry! 20
''Yes, Mrs. Stacey" answered Miss
Polly demurely.
1T would be great change from
yOSr present mode of life" said Mrs.
Stacey Scornfully, land let me say
that you never will marry James. Now
don't misunderstand me-"
l couldn't hear the answer.
The next thing have 10 tell you is
that, having said she never changed,
like all such persons, Mrs. Stacey did
change / guess her love for Mr..
James was pretty deep after all. \
couple of weeks later Miss Polly was
installed in the Stacey house and had
given up her work at the store.
This was the agreement: Miss Pol
ly was to be educated" for one whole
year 10 see whether she could shake
or her commOnness sufficiently to
make her marriageable 10 Mr.. James.
OF course nobody was to meet her
Miss Polly came to us as a companion
TO Mrs. Stacey.
Think of that, sir. to make your
sons future wife a companion. Miss
Polly was d brick.
She used TO confide in me a little,
and sometimes she'd stop in when I
was polishing the silver and speak to
me. And she knew that knew.
1t was after a couple OF months OF
this that l heard Mrs. Stacey say to
her son that Miss Polly would never
do for q wife for him. "She would
make a capital helpmeet for William"
she said, but not for you, my dear.
Come. now. be man and conquer
your infauation. VIII you?"
Half an hour later Mr.. James Dame
out. looking very, white and shaky, and
asked for Miss Polly. 1 knew then that
he had been won over and the pair of
them were going to turn her out into
the street.
Miss Ryland has a headache, Mr..
James," I said. Il heard her telling
Mrs. Simmons that she was going to
bed"
'Au right, tomorrow will do,
guess" he said, and went away with
a sort of relieved air about him.
But what I had said was a lie, be-
cause at that moment Miss Ryland was
sitting in my pantry, where I'd been
telling her about my home, and how II
was near to hers, and I'd made her
laugh with my stories and the color
had come back into her pretty cheeks,
and she flashed her eyes in the way
she had and laughed more merrly
than I'd ever known her to since she
came into the Stacey home.
When 1 came back from speaking to
Mr.. James outside the rantry Miss
Polly was standing up, rather white
again. What made you tell Mr..
James that awful falsehOOd?" She
asked.
He's awful peculiar, Mr.. James is"
1 answered. Maybe he wouldn't
think II fitting that you should be in
here talking to me-"
You are my only friend, William"
she said TO me. you don't know how
1 am here. I'm not going TO
get married" Miss Polly sObbed. Il
hate men anyway. I'm never going TO
marry any man."
"Oh. yes. you are. my dear" 1 said.
''YOu are going to marry me. I'm not
only a butler. hut I'm going to be q