The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1923-01-13

COISlSLeu OIL three ulII6 metal DOWiS
upon a string; they were unequal in
size, and, upon being tapped with
padded stick, gave forth vibrations al
most musically pleasant. It was Alice
who had substituted this contrivance
for the brass "dinner-bell" in use
| throughout her childhood; and neither
she nor the others of her family real
lied that the substitution Of sweeter
sounds had made the life of that
household more difficult. In spite of
dismaying increases in wages, the
Adamses still strove to keep a cook;
and, as they were unable to pay the
higher rates demanded by a good one,
what they usually had was a whim-
steal colored woman of nomadic i'm
pulses. In the hands Of such a per-
son the old-fashioned "dinner-belP'
was satisfying; life could instantly be
made intolerabe for any one dawdling
on his way to a meal; the bell was
capable of every desirable profanity
and left nothing bottled up in the
breast of the ringer. But the cham
discovered stick might whack upon
AIce's little Chinese bowls for a con-
I
no great effect of urgency upon a
! hearer, nor any other effect, except
fury in the cook. The ironical impos-
sibility of expressing indignation
otherwise than by sounds of gentle
harmony proved exasperating; the
| cook was apt to become surcharged,
so that explosive designations, never
rare, were somewhat more frequent
after the introduction Of the gong.
Mrs. Adams took this increased fire.
quency to be only another manifesto
| ton of the inexplicable new difficult
| ties that beset all housekeeping. You
| paid a cook double what you had paid
| one a few years before; and the cook
knew half as much Of cookery, and
| had no gratitude. The more you gave
! these people, it seemed, the worse
they behaved-a condition not to be
remedied by simply giving them less,
| because you couldn't even get the
worst unless you paid her what she
demanded. Nevertheless, Mrs Adams
remained fitfully an optimist in the
matter. Brought up by her mother
! to speak OF a female cook as the
girl, she had been instructed by Alice
to drop that definition in favour of
one not an improvement in accuracy:
the maid Almost always, during
the first day or so after every cook
came, Mrs. Adams would say. at in
tervals, with an air of triumph: Il
believe-of course it's a little soon TO
be sure-but I do really believe this
new maid is the treasure we've been
looking for so longr' Much in the
same way that Alice dreamed of a
mysterious perfect mate for whom
she waited" her mother had a fairy
theory that hidden somewhere in the
universe there was the treasure, the
perfect maid" who would come and
look in the Adams kitchen. not four
| days or four weeks. but forever.
The present incumbent was not she.
Alice, profoundly interested herself,
kept her mother likewise so pre-
occupied with the dress that they
were but vaguely conscious Of the
gong's soft warnings. though these
were repeated and protracted un-
usually. Finally the sound OF a hearty
voice, independent and enraged.
reached the pair. 1t came from the
hall below.
all" Ia %
Then the front door slammed.
Why. what" Mrs. Adams be
gan.
They went down hurriedly to find
out. Miss Perry informed them.
I couldn't make her listen to rea-
son." she said. "She rang the gong
four or five times and got to talking
10 herself; and then she went M to
her room and packed her bag.
told her she had no business to go
out the front door, anyhow"
Mrs. Adams took the news philo-
sOphically. Il thought she had some.
thing like that in her eye when 7
paid her this morning, and I'm not
surprised. Well. we won't let Mr..
| Adams know anythings the matter
| till I get a new one"
They lunched upon what the late
! incumbent had left chilling on the
table, and then Mrs. Adams prepared
/ to wash the dishes; she would have
them done in a jiffy," she said. cheer
fully. But 1t was Alice who washed
the dishes.
Il don't like to have you do that,
Alice" her mother protested follow
ing her into the kitchen. 1T rough
ems the hands, and when a girl has
| hands Ike yours
Il know, mama" Alice looked
troubled, but shook her head. 1T
can't be helped this time: you'll need
/ every minute to get that dress done"
| Mrs. Adams went away lamenting,
while Alice, no expert. began to splash
| the plates and cups and saucers in
the warm water. After q while, as
she worked. her eyes grew dreamy:
she was making little gay-coIoured
| pictures Of herself, unfounded prophe-
| cies Of how she would look and what
would happen to her that evening.
| She saw herself, charming and de-
mure, wearing a fluffy Idealization of
the dress her mother now dotermin-
eddy struggled with upstairs; she saw
| herself framed in a garlanded arch
way, the entrance to q ballroom, and
saw the people on the shining floor
turning dramatically to look at her;
then from all points a rush of young
men shouting for dances with her;
and she constructed a superb stranger,
tall, dark, masterfully smiling, who
swung her out Of the clamouring
group as the music began. She saw
herself dancing with him, saw the
half-troubled smile she would give
L IL