Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1922-03-08
THE UNUSUAL MAID
BY AGNES G. sRoGAN

He was very rich old man. Old
before his time, with the business of
making dollars and keeping them
Sometimes l think that the excepting"
was his more anxious labor And l.
the elderly housekeeper who had been
long in James Ivor's service used to
sigh over his loneliness and the lack
of pleasure that gold brought him.
In his pretentious mansion were cost
ly furnishings and priceless tapestries,
the latter alone could arouse his in
terest. And Of all the house servants
who catered to his comfort, Kali, the
butler, and l. the housekeeper, were
the only ones known to him.
The new maid was one that l,
with all my experience, could not I'M
derstand. She was unusual.
"Why does he set up himself as
| emperor?" she asked one day when
Kali had flown to the blue room in
answer to Mr.. Ivor's summons, the
"throne ROOM" the girl flippantly
called it. She had appeared at the
house in response to our newspaper
Help Wanted" advertisement re-
questing the vacated place of second
maid and receiving it.
"Why should you desire to wait
upon Mr.. Ivor at the tablet" I asked
her impatiently, cor take his mail up
to him? Kali and his secretary at
tend to these matters"
Then one day the girl was taken
ILL., l was for sending "Fran," as she
called herself to the hospital; but our
| physician, whom conscientiously
sent for. smiled and said that Fran
| would get along very nicely in the
! house and advised that had better
| let her talk the matter over with Mr..
+, Ivor.
| Perhaps 1t was estate of mind"
| which made Fran merely smile as
Kali or l ordered her about and which
made her insistent to see our employ
| err Several times had been obliged
to take the mail from her hands as
she was trickfly Fastening with it up
the stair. She may be an anarchist,
| l reflected, one Of those terrible peo-
|
of great wealth. So to settle all
| quickly I took it upon myself to dis
| charge Fran, and she refused to so.
Openly, and still smiling, refused.
l had no recourse but to see Mr..
| Ivor. '"This is a new departure Of
| yours" he said, testify, "troubling me
with your servant problems. If this
maid Is i'll send her to hospital. If
she is unsatisfactory, discharge her"
| II have tried both measures" I an
| swered him. land she refuses to leave
the house."
For the first time he turned an in
terested glance toward me.
"What did Doctor Struthers adviser"
he asked,
'"That she talk the matter over with
you" l replied, perplexedly.
Mr.. Ivor stared. Then before either
of us could speak the unusual maid
came into the throne room-the blue
room. | mean. She appeared not
abashed by her own holiness nor dis
mayed by Mr. Ivor's cold dignity.
How do you dos she greeted my
white-haired employer. 81 am so glad
to see you at last. I have been second
maid in your household for weeks
(Which does not" answered Mr.
IvOr, Concern me at all. I learn,
however, that you have been i'll and"
81 am better" she brightly inter-
rupted.
She was examining tapestry on the
wall. All eagerly she turned back to
the frowning owner.
"Why." she exclaimed, "the tapestry
is a genuine"
| The name she gave it escaped me,
| hut Immediately Mr. Ivor was at her
side, eager as she, in pointing out the
beauties of that tapestry hobby of his.
| Then all at once he stopped and fired
| a question at her: Glow are you so
well informed regarding tapestries"
he asked her, and "Who are you. any
way?"
Fran laughed. She has a pretty note
of laughter.
| "That is the very question | wished
you TO ask" she triumphed, land you
Will be surprised at my answer You
| had best be seated. You look frail--
| closeted too much in your tapestried
room. You must spend more time
| hereafter out in your beautiful gar
| dens. You need the fresh air and sun
! shine. which may not be bought.
| am Allans wife" announced the girl.
"your son Allan's wife You have
been lonely without him, | know. as
lonely as I should have been If l had
mistakenly refused love Chat was
mine, because / happened to have no
wealth or know it's ways. What Is
wealth after all but love. The love
of a son for his father, of a woman
for her own. When you disowned Allan
because of his loyalty to me. when
YOU refused to give either of us well
come to your home. or heart. l deter