The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-01-13
Why Madse Determined to Champion
Katie's Cause.

/ Katie's Cause.
on may tink you hide it from
your mistress. but / Din superinten-
dent long time in home for girls like
you. You no fool me. Amt YOU
'shamed to pretend you good girl I.
| started in anger and held Katie
closer as I mentally mathematical
the meddlesome cruelty Of Cousin
Agatha. 1 had seen her type of char
| ity worker before, had known Of the
mental fortunes they were capable Of
Iinflicting upon the helpless girls in
their charge. It takes the work Of q
dozen of the wonderful self-sacrific-
| ing women who give themselves 10
labor for erring girls to compensate
for the harm done by the harsh, NOR
bidly inquisitive women like Cousin
Agatha
What did you do Katie?n l asked
as she burst again into tempestuous
sobhing at the thought of the scene
through which she had passed. I
knew how easily her attention was
diverted. knew that if she began talk
ing again she would gradually. quiet
herself
Il joost look at her at first" Katie
lreplied, choking back her sobs. Il not
know for mint joost voc she mean.
Den 1 get so mad / could Keel her. I
'fraid l say something awful bad to
her. | know you never let me stay
now, but so mad BY her not care
vot i say!"
What did you say to herr" I
queried
Il walk oop to her. Katie answered,
''und l look her straight in eye, ind
say:
You yum old liar.'n
/ had hard work to draw my face
down in proper disapproval when Ka-
tie tearfully told me the retort she had
made to Cousin Agatha, the unex-
pected guest who had come TO our
home with my mother lin law, and
who had brutality quizzed Katie con-
corning the girls secret, accusing her
of deceiying me.
Katie had called the woman ''yun
old liar" and had fled to me IN per-
feet psroxysm 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, Ka-
tie?' I asked reproachfully, although
secretly I glorfed in the girls grit in
thus facing her tormentor. q could
defend you if you simply had walked
out of the room without answering her.
But now she also has a grievance.
II no care Katie's tone was sui
len. Il tink you say same ting your
self if strange vomans you meier saw
before talk like dot to you
We'll. it can't be helped or unsaid
now," / returned briskly, "but l want
you to do as / tell you. VIII you p
Il not go ask her forgive me if r
-see-you--aga gain. Katie. ut
tered the words as though the worst
punishment she could receive would
be Punishment from me.
i don't wish you to go near here.
| said. 4 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 / have to wait on tablet she
inquired Her hands were trembling
pitifully.
.'Npt if you don't feel like it" I
answered and then / stopped and
kissed my woebegone little maid with
a feeling of hot indignation in my
heart against the woman who's had
caused such needless suffering.
She chung to me convulsively.
%0hl if all de vimmen in world we're
ikeAyou. Missis Graham" she breathed
gratefully, and foolishly extravagant |
words went with me as l climbed the
stairs to my mother-in-law ROOM I |
felt that l would a million times rather |
be "too easy than to have caused the |
suffering Cousin Agatha had inflicted /
in the last hour.
l had no hope that / had heard the
last of the encounter / was morally |
sure that Cousin Agatha was only
awaiting the earliest opportunity to |
demand reprisal for the insulting /
words that Katie, naddened by her
unjust accusation, had flung at her /
But I was firmly resolved that she
would have to make her own oppor- I
tunity to speak L would leave her no /
opening that I could possibly keep
closed t
| Went into my room and shut the /
door softly, looking around me with /
discouraged eyes. In trying to get ev-
possible done before the ac-
tuai moving day--for ] detest having
a wildly confusing time at the last
minute, if 1t possibly can be avoided
had dismantled my room, even to
taking up the rug and tying up thei