| Show 4 CONTRACT fit M 4 WITH D MARY BARKER BARD n 77 TE R dinner at the balleys was a mova ble blo feast sometimes they had it at 8 g 0 clock sometimes at 5 30 and some times not at all unless they went to the restaurant around the corner and 1 ad it there this irregularity in dining was not due to an aversion on the part of the marleys to methodical habits on the contrary the they are the most systematic people alive and would have preferred to dine promptly eveia evening at 7 0 clock for many years however the accomplishment of that desire bad had been prevented by the vagaries of their long succession of cooks one evening when mr mabley came home at 6 30 and found that dinner had been stone cold toy for more than an hour he dismissed the present incumbent of the kitchen and early the next morn ing went around to the employment agency and hired a new girl that girls name was mary barker mr mabley talked to her kindly but firmly mary he said we will sign a con tract for one month as a trial term I 1 will pay you the exorbitantly high wages of 7 a weel and if at the end of a month you have furnished us with three meals a day well cooked and properly served I 1 will give you a present of 10 extra then he wrote out a contract in which it was specified that if in one single instance mary barker tailed failed to have an appetizing dinner ready for the marleys to sit down to at 7 p in she should be forthwith dismissed and mary signed it in the presence of witnesses for one week after the advent of mary barl darl er the marleys were happier than for any corresponding period in their reason they did not continue to live in such idyllic conditions was not the fault of mary alary barker but of the man of the firm where mr mabley was emD employed loyed athey ve made a lot of changes in ine staff down at the office said mab ley irritably after next monday I 1 shall have to report at the office about 2 0 clock from 5 to 7 1 I shall be al owed lowed a recess of two hours after 1 which I 1 shall have to go back an work till 10 clock that tha s what I 1 call a dog dogs s life it s a shame to work a fellow that hard how about dinner said mrs mab ley mary is under contract to have it if ready at 7 0 clock and you will ha have IF e to eat about 5 30 that s so groaned mabley but I 1 guess we can talk mary over all right she seems a real nice sort of girl mary barl bari er v a as undoubtedly a nice sort of girl but she refused to be talked over in the matter of chang ing the dinner hour here is me contract bhe bho said woul I 1 she asked want me to go back on me v or r rd 9 bother your word muttered mab ley alrie in ev but mrs mabley who had a highly developed sense of honor of her own frowned u upon P on him reprove angly and said heaven forbid I 1 am glad mary that you regard a promise as something om ething sacred nevertheless she spent the greater part of the following forenoon in try tr ing to persuade mary barker that her duty to her employers called tor for the preparation of a piping hot meal at 5 30 0 clock instead of at 7 but all her arguments were nere unavailing so for the remainder of the month mr mabley dined alone dowa down town at 5 SO and mrs mabley in order not to waste the excellent food prepared by mary barker dined alone or with invited guests in her own home at the sped fied fled hour uben VI hen the month was nas up P they talked about a new contract do want me to sign for clock ailed ed mary no not thundered mabley don dont t mention any regular time to me again get the meals ready at any old hour that suits you maybe they will hap pen to hit us at least once a week under the new arrangement dinner and the marleys manage to coincide rather oftener than that tor for mary bar ker Is 1 inclined to be accommodating of course nobody Is really happy but then as mabley philosophically re marks that would be too much to ex hect in this dyspeptic world new nevi york times |
