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Show I MAN AND A MAID ii By ETHEL I. STETSON. j (6. 1J0. by llcCluro Newipapr SynJIcala.) I had Just closed up for the day and wus-wnlklng-leisurely up Main street when I met Hill Kingston. Hill Is the Uncut fellow I know. He saw me ilrst, but didn't speak. I stepped over and grabbed him and said: "Hill, have you been In this town all day without showing tip at my place)" "Yes, Frank, I enmo In this morning." morn-ing." I was about to say "Well, you're a right subject for a nut house," but by this time I could see that ho was In some kind of trouble. (I hate to see old Bill In trouble.) "You're going In the wrong direction, direc-tion, man." I tried to fuce him nbout, but he seemed disinclined to go homo with me. Hero was trouble Indeed. BUI nhwi.VH made my home his head-quarters head-quarters when ho came to our town on business trips. "What Is It, old man?" I asked. 'The thing I, feared It's dually come, Frank. My wife has gone nway loft uie. "Our home has been like a machine run by unseen hands, no friction to be sure, bUt Dfeless'soulless, with wealth tho power which fed It. It -needed tho touch of n woman's hand and Marian "didn't glvo It. Sho got bored ' to dcatl( I got bored to death, so we ugreod.to live npurt Indefinitely." "Just now you need something good to cat," said I, and tried to pull him along. "Can't do It, Frank," he said. "Can't sthnd It right now to go into a real homo nnd eo your wife nil done up In a big apron frying fritters for you." "My wife won't bo homo till nlong toward midnight big suffrage meeting, meet-ing, dinner, speeches, etc. You and I'll be all to ourselves." Considering that, Bill enmo along with me. The home windows woro alight und when I opened tho front door something smelled mighty good. Bill started back. "Your wife has returned. I must go, Frank. Your domestic happiness Is going to unnerve mo tonight." "Domestic happiness nothing." "BUI, you've been uilghty careful to roucciil your Ideas about a real home from your wife for fear you'd hurt her feelings; well, how do you know that sho hasn't been concealing that sauie thing from you for the same reiiion)" That was a new thought to BUI and It seemed to give him a good ilea of courage, so that ve went In to dinner In pretty good spirits. Before we sat down I went to the pun try und said to our new maid: "I don't know what you've- got for dinner, hut servo some of thn-ut slough-nuts, slough-nuts, anyway. M.v guest thinks there's nothing like doughnuts, nnd If you happen to have mado any beer stew while my wife was away, glvo us some of that, too; he's especially fond of It." As I'vo.sald. Bill's spirits were Improved, Im-proved, but I could think of nothing to account for his unusual behnvlor during our dinner. Ho wns unnatural, In a state of suppressed and, what I appeared to me, hsppy ngltn'tlon. Td seldom pocn him llku that before. It commenced when the maid came In for the first time carrying two plates of soup, or, rather, stew. I was talking talk-ing to him when she entered, und 1 saw the queerest expression come over his face, then he stnrted up as If he were going to speak, then there was n big crash the maid had dropped both pinto. t that he began to laugh. The girl was embarrassed at first, then she looked ut me, then nt BUI, .u kind of long, queer look, and then she began to laugh, und so then I laughed, and we nil laughed. Kuril happiness possessed thein both and there was such iii evidence of mutual understanding between them that I began to have suspicions of good old Bill. Ills wife had gone awny left bltu could It be for any reason other than what be had told me? "I toy, Bill, lime those doughnuts Bono to your head, or what the deuco alls you?" I finally lost my temper. "No, not my head, but straight to my heart," bo answered; and I wns pretty worried. . As we were rising from (he table the iimld tripped In from the kitchen, rather saucily, I thought, and said to me: "Mr. Dlghtou, I mil leaving your employment em-ployment very soon as soon as you can And a substitute" Then she looked straight at Bill and Bill looked straight at her; In fact be hadn't looked anywhere else since she entered tho dining room. My heart sank away down. My old Bill the world was getting topsy-turvy. I managed to say: "Why nre you leaving? Are you dissatisfied?" "I have beep perfectly satisfied until un-til this evening. There Is only one person I'd rather work for than you." Then she walked straight over to Bill and added, "It Is my husband." Well, If wo three weren't happy. Then tho doorbell rang It was my wife and the table wns not cleared. I went to the door to meet her and In the hall I said: "Hope your meeting went off well, for I've rather bad news fw you here; the maid's leaving." ".She's leaving? I'm glad of It. Now I'll have an excuse to stay away from meetings," said my wife, mid then she added, 'Tin hungry; something smells terribly good." "It's be'f stew," said I. t .. i |