The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-10-19
EDening Story
Letitia's Ambition.
BY JANE OSBORN.

was IL, and had served rigid ap-
premiership under Mrs. Dawson for
as Grandmother Dawson was by this
time disposed to remain in her easy
chair, the entire tasks of housekeep-
ing had then fallen to Letitia. This
meant doing the cooking, cleaning.
washing and mending for the indolent
Grandmother Dawson, the widower,
Mr.. Dawson, and Tom Dawson.
Mrs. Dawson had called Letitia her
"hired girl" She had rescued the
little girl from the county poor house
after the death of her widowed
mother, tho it may have been a
rescue more in name than in fact
Since Mrs Dawson's death Mr.. Daw-
son paid Letitia a meager wage, but
one considerably greater than the pin
money allowed by Mrs. Dawson.
It was as 'Dawson's hired girl'
that Letitia was generally known in
the community. However, there was
no special social line drawn between
her and her employers. She sat be-
side the same lamp with them, read
ing or mending on winter evenings.
She ate at the table with them, jump
ing up, of course. every few minutes
to get fresh supplies from the kitchen.
1t was one chilly evening in Octo-
Der. Grandma Dawson had retired and
Letitia sat with her mending in her
lap, while Father Dawson read the
over the table where he was working
out problems in his correspondence
course in scientific farming. Several
times Letitia had looked up, opened
her mouth to speak and had then re-
manned silent.
After three or four false starts she
managed to say: There is something
I was wondering. I thought perhaps,
if it was just the same to you, maybe
now, since I'm getting to be older
and all-that maybe you'd just as
soon call me a housekeeper instead
of hired girl. If you'd just drop it
that was the housekeeper then other
folks would get into the habit.
Letitia looked up and for a pain
full moment her eyes met those of
Tom Dawson. eyes that were flash
ing with indignation. Apparently en-
barrassed at meeting Letitia's glance.
his eyes dropped and his tanned face
Redeemed.
'T don't see why you should be so
vexed with me, Tom, for asking"
Letitia said, resuning her darning
furiously.
81 wasn't vexed with you. Lefty.
I-but it doesn't make any difference,
I suppose"
Mr.. Dawson had been cogitating the
situation. He ended by laughing. and
looking amusedly over his reading
glasses at Letitia.
keeper, do you? Well for myself I
don't see any difference between a
hired girl and housekeeper. No dis
grace in either. What you been read
ing, Lefty, TO put sucn notions into
your head?"
Nothing" snapped Letitia. "And
you don't have to do 1t if you don't
want to. Only I want you to know
that my folks were as good as any in
the county. Ny father was a parson
and my grandfather had as big a
farm as this-and it would have been
mine, too, if he hadn't sold it to buy
bum oil stock, or something"
Letitia said she had not been read
ing anything t. put new ideas into
her head. but this was not quite true
Letitia had invested in a book on
etiquette-an elaborate volume that
opened up undreamed-of worlds of
luxury and ceremonious living to her.
She read it eagerly. and now she
knew by rote the duties of butler,
footman, lady's maid. first gardener,
second gardener and the rest. She
dwet with especial interest on the
paragraphs dealing with housekeep-
ers.
They wore no aprons. were per-
mitted to wear a silk dress in the
afternoon, provided it was high
necked. They were addressed as
Mrs. or Miss to distinguish them from
meals in their sitting room-brought
up on a tray by one of the maids.
They carried the keys to the supply
closets, had the hiring of less impor-
tant servants. paid off household bills,
kept track of arrival and departure
of guests and, where that work was
not done by the butler. took instruc-
tons for meals from their employers.
Letitia's ambition was to be a house
keeper. She thought with satisfac-
ton of herself as a middle-aged per-
son in stiff black silk frock, eating
in solitary grandeur in her private
sitting room But she could not be-
come SO important a parsonage all
in one day. She must work up to
such heights. The rudiments- of house
keeping she had learned from her
service with the Dawsons- The flour
isheS she must learn by experience
in more pretentious households.
She had definitely decided to go
to the city and apply at an employ
ment agency for a position as a house
keeper, in less pretentiouS establish
ment than that described in the book
honestly to say that she had been
housekeeper-not a hired girl.
Apparently she gained nothing by
her petition to the Dawson men, diff
ficult as it was to deliver. Mr.. Daw-
son. ST., simply hadn't taken her Sc
t1ouSIy, anu 1oiu as uSudl answered
ih an indefinite sort of scared man
ner. Ever since he had been work
ing on that correspondence course he
had seemed preoccupied. Once several
years ago he had taken her for oc-
castonal walks and had driven her to
town, but apparently his ambition to
become a scientific farmer left no
thoughts for Lefty, 1.-THE hired girl"
Letitia's darning needle flew back
and forth as she sat by the reading
lamp, and once a large tear splashed
on one of Tom Dawson's heavy
wooden socks that she was darning.
She rose to retire when the clock
struck ha1f-past s, and on some pre-
text or other Tom followed her to the
kitchen, where she went to get her
little lamp to light her to bed.
"I want to talk to you, Lefty" Tom
said, barely looking at her. "Stay in
your room until father has gone to