Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1922-02-03
THE UNUSUAL MAID
BY AGNES G. eRoGAN

Copyright, 1922, Western Newspaper Union.
He was very rich old man. Old.
before his time, with the business of
making dollars and keeping them.
Sometimes l think that the keeping"
was his more anxious labor. And I,
the elderly housekeeper who had been
long in James IvOrs 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 I, the housekeeper, were
the only ones known to him.
The new maid was one that /
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' advertisements, re-
questing the vacated place Of second
maid and receiving it.
'Why should you desire to wait
upon Mr.. Ivor at the table?' asked
her impatiently, cor take his mail I'D
to him? Kali and his secretary at
tend to these matters"
Then one day the girl was taken
Ill. I was for sending "Fran," as she
called herself to the hospital; but our
physician, whom I conscientiously
sent for, smiled and said that Fran
would get along very nicely in the
house and advised that l had better
let Ter talk the matter over with Mr.,
Iyor.
Perhaps it was a estate of mind
which made Fran merely smile as
Kali or ordered her about and which
made her insistent to see our employ
er. Several times I had been obliged
to take the mail from her hands as
she was trickily Fastening with it up
the stair. She may be an anarchist,
I reflected, one Of those terrible peo-
pie who are rebellious against men
of great wealth. SO to settle all
quickly I took it upon myself to dis
charge Fran, and she refused to go.
Openly. and still smiling, refused.
l had no recourse but to see Mr..
1vor. ''This is new departure of
yours he said, testify, ''troubling me
with your servant problems. II this
maid is i'll send her to hospital. If
she is unsatisfactory. discharge her"
Il have tried both measures I an
! sWered him, "and she refuses to leave
the house."
For the first time he turned an in
terested glance toward me.
| "What did Doctor Struthers advise 2?
he asked.
'"That she talk the matter over with
you,'' replied, perplexedly.
Mr.. 1vor stared. Then before either
Of us could speak the unusual maid
came into the throne room-the blue
room, I mean. She appeared not
ahashed by her own holiness nor dis.
mayed by Mr. Ivor's cold dignity
"How do you do?" she greeted my
white-haired employer II 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
II am BETTER" she brightly inter
rupted.
She was examining a tapestry on the
wall. All eagerly she turned back t.
the frowning owner.
"Why," she exclaimed, "the tapestry
is a genuine"
The name she gave it escaped me
but Immediately Mr.. Ivor was at hel
side, eager as she, in pointing out the
beauties of that tapestry hobby Of his
Then all at once he stopped and free
a question at her: E:How are you sc
we'll 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. 'and yol
will be surprised at my answer. You
closeted too much in your tapestrieC
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 Allan's wife, announced the girl
.'your son Allan's wife. You have
been lonely without him, I know, as
lonely as I should have been if I had
mistakenly refused a love that was
mine, because I 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 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
mined to force my way. And 1t was
for your sake as we'll as for ours. So.
answered your advertisement. and as
! housemaid I found my way into your
home. Now" cried the girl, her blue
eyes wet with sudden tears. 'nOw that
I have come this far. can you keep
your heart closed against me"
They had forgotten that I was
there sitting back respectfully. And
saw that for all my years of serv-
ice had not known the man before