South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-08-13
Quiet MarYs'
F0rtmme

who vas a maid at one OF the
great New York hotels for so long.
She never said very much-the
quaint little old woman-and nobody
thought she knew many people ex-
cept those who worked with her
making beds and sweeping rooms
and busting bureaus and bringing
fresh towels and things 10 the COR
geously- furnished rooms in the COR
geous hotel.
And nobody even dreamed that
she had a relative OF any sort on
ca nth.
She lived quite alone in a humble
little room, up under the roof some
where-and she never talked about
any other home. or said a word
about sisters or cousins. or uncles or
aunts
she seemed to be very poor and
utterly alone.
But she was always neat and COM
petent-nobody ever had TO go back
and sweep a room agein when she
had been over II once and you
could never write your name in the
| dust on one OF her bureaus
laxative guests who were wait
/ ing for some one TO telephone used
! u get Mary-for that was the quiet
/ little old woman's name-to come
/ and hook them up the back. And
/ they told Mary who they were and
/ where they came from and how
/ much they paid for the dress and
/ who they expected TO come TO take
I them TO dinner.
Sometimes they told her even
more than that. There was one lit
: tie. terrified guest, for instance, who
| was looking for a check. and the
| check didn't come and she cried and
! didn't know what to do about t.
And Mary went in and comforteo
her and helped her pack her
things and went to the manager OF
/ the hotel and the manager looked
into the affair-and he wrote a let
ter himself and the check came all
right
"YOu Wouldn't Think It."
And the girl bought Mary a iittls
bracelet watch, for a keepsake And
VI Oh AAluu6 III AllE EAiA Wh5 lOOllsI ~
spend her money like that. and she
didn't wonder that she cried and was
frightened once in a while.
And the travelling men from all
! over the country-the prosperous
/ ones who could afford TO go TO the
/ Dig hotel-knew Mary and they al
ways told her whether they'd had a
! good trip or not. and how good II
was 10 ge. into New York and how
I poor business was in some terri
tories Just then.
And Mary stood with her buster
in her hand and said:
We'll. welli Look at that, now"
/ and You wouldn't think it, and
went on about her work. in her
( quiet, competent way. And she never
had little party with tea and
/ cakes anywhere. and she thought
women who smoked cigarettes were
/ bold-and she went 20 church every
| Sunday morning. rain or shine. hot
or cold-and she wore a neat little
] dress. with neat little old-fashion-
ed collar-and once in a while you
( could hear her humming a queer,
little old-world lullaby. half under
her breath.
But Mary never seemed very hap
I Iy-she was so utterly alone.
The other Day when she died, to
| the amazement Of the management
OF the hotel. she left SIS 900 In the
! savings bank-and some newspaper
/ published the fact And Mary began
/ 10 have relatives.
The hotel management received
\ letters from three husbands" two
sons" and sixty-two other relatives
/ brothers. sisters. nephews. nieces.
\ cousins. uncles and aunts. Not one
/ OF them went 10 the funeral not one
/ OF them sent so much as one flower
I or A bit OF green for the humble
/ coffin. but when they read about the
/ money-dear me. how much they
/ thought OF Mary. and how they
would miss her now that she was
gone, No. they had never seen much
/ OF her-but they knew she was
there-and that as a great com
fort.
And the money! hope not one
7 OF them will get one single penny
]
orphan asylum or 10 some stranger
who befriended her in her lonely
I. life.
Mary must have been a good deal
or a philosopher. She knew well
/ CROUCH that her relatives would
/ pay plenty Of attention 10 her y
. they thought she had money. She
Y could have been invited out 70 din
ner on every day of. Il she had
cared 10 let the information that
she had a penny or two put away
7 leak out
Poor Mary.
\ How they would have waited on
her-the nephews How they
would have rattered her-the
nieces, How good-natured they
would have been 10 her. the broth
eGs, How aTectionate the sisters
would have seemed-f only they
I had suspected.
But Mary kept her counsel. and
hid her deposit book.
I wish she'd had some fun with
them all and then wiHed her money
10 somebody else al the last minute.
Well. it's one scomfort, after its
I divided between sixty seven peo-
pc. there won't he much left 70
each ore
Poor Mary-she must have had
I many a quiet smile 20 herself-A
good many times-when she thought
about il al