| Show r V t 1 Th t clE m Il 0 0 0 OI V c JL DL ilL D Or rill 1 I i l g Mary Doyles Doyle's Spirited Reply to a the Charges harges pf of Her Rich Richand and Fr Pratt Former Fo Mistress mer 1 P I e e tee z 4 p sl is t J t M a S Se e qs t L I t I ill illa illY r a Y 1 1 1 J ail I J f f G I V Z 7 jk jl j I 11 I BETTY Mrs Katherine La Salie PRETTY P Carpenter sat in sat fn other morning and rang for her maid to bring in her breakfast tra tray As she waited Mrs Carpenter looked about her on the becoming softness of her pretty room Yes it was rather a good world she che lived in when a woman was young and beautiful with ith a lac faculty y d for getting her own way And perhaps Mrs bin Carpenter rather felt that she fitted into the young picture picture young beautiful bringing her wishes to pas past pass As many theatergoers will recall she was once rather famous on the stage stage- stage played important roles on New Yorks York's Broadway Later she married Samuel Emlen Carpenter and won for herself great social distinction After a time when things didn't please her at the Carpenter home at Ridge Ridgefield eld Connecticut Mr Mrs Carpenter CarpenterI sued for divorce charging intolerable cruelty She won n her divorce although I many folks smiled at the ch charge rge of in in tolerable cruelty And besides besides- she sheI I gained the sole custody of the year six six old old daughter l In winning her suit suit as Mrs Carpen Carpen- Carpenter Carpenter ter well fell 11 remembered that morning she had summoned the testimony of Eleanor lher her husbands husband's daughter by his first mar mar- marI marriage mar marriage l- l to bolster up her charge that Mr Carpenter had bad used her cruelly cruel She I had also named an old family servant nt of the one Carpenters Carpenters Carpenter's one Mary Doyle Doye as having been unduly familiar with Mr Carpenter Carpe Mary was only a servant but still if Mr C Carpenter h had d eaten chestnuts with Mary if it he had had taken his meals with her in the kitchen instead instead o of with I his wife in t the the e dining room if it he he- he had hadi haden i given en keys to Mary which should h have ve been given ginn to his fe wife and had asked her for assistance hicha which a a wife com com- commonly commonly commonly renders renden why that why that was worthy of mention And Mrs Carpenter had mentioned it And perhaps these I charges against Mary Doyle had helped her ber in her success with her recent divorce di- di di divorce vorce case I Yes it was a world in which a pretty J j young woman who had brains as well as beauty was sure aure to 14 win win happiness and her own way Mrs Mra Carpenter arpen er smiled to herself And And then the door opened I She looked up expecting the deft maid fI with the dainty tray ti But instead another maid entered I bearing a legal lei envelope l which Ji crackled stiffly Mrs Mra Carpenter took the en- en envelope envelope en envelope She hastily opened it it She read And then over her fair face swept a blush of anger or anger or r annoyance perhaps of both For Mrs Katherine La La Salle Carpenter had just Juat realized that a new and very unusual servant problem had suddenly been dropped into her lap Mary Doyle the servant whom she had mentioned in her ber suit for divorce was suing her former mistress for for damages Mary Doyle was charging that Mrs Carpenter had elan slandered d dered h her character b to that smart I Clean off the mud with which r you and your lawyers lawyer have be- be besmirched be besmirched smirched me cried Mary Doyle in in her suit auit against Mrs Mra Carpen Carpen- Carpenter Carpenter Carpenter ter I demand it not only for lor my sake aake but bat for lor the sake ake of 01 other innocent servants who may be as aa falsely accused a as I I have been amount The only suit of its kind on record had just dust just bee been filed and Mrs Carpenter Carpente real real- realized that the last servant problem problem problem lem connected Mary Doyle would undoubtedly be the most annoying one of of all also all also the most most expensive So So when the breakfast tray at- at at last ast arrived she had lost her appetite But if Mrs Mn Carpenter in New York received her sum summons mons with annoyance nce it was nothing to compare with the indignation with which Mary lary Mary Mary is now had married had t taken ken this this I legal gal step Mary directed her lawyer r john John M Barrett Barrett of Ne New York to hasten the suit But to drop it on one condition If Mrs Carpenter will with with- withdraw withdraw withdraw draw her charges directed Mary obry if she will ill confess that every bad word she said about my character she he said SLid through malice if she will w acknowledge that ther there was nothing wrong between nie and her former former husband Mr Carpenter Carpel and that she knows knos now and knew al al- al always ways there was nothing wrong why wrong why wrong Ill I'll drop my suit I dont don't want I dont don't want wanta a cent of damages J Jut Just t let her her glye me my character back again and c every everything thing will be all all ll right Otherwise Ill I'll never drop this Suit putt suit till tillI I get Justice So Mary Doyle spoke as she filed tiled he her suit Later at her ht little le lehome home in Bedford New York Mary w went nt into details as to Why why she she was s suing ing the divorced wife wiCe of her former employer And And when Mary Doyle S goes into details she explains a side of of the servant ryant que question nev never before r beCore perhaps considered by exacting mistresses As lo Mary ry explains I e came me over here from Ireland Ireland when I was just a young girl about eili eighteen years old and I became the maid of the senior Mrs Carpenter Mr Carpenters Carpenter's mother shortly after I a arrived Now Im I'm Im I'm old style I fancy faney I n nr was one of these high and mighty maids who wanted every afternoon out for the Hie movies and posted a list in the hen of things I wo would ld do and of things things- J I wouldn't I expected expected to serve and serve and I Idid Idid Idid did what my mi mistress tress asked me me al always Under t the e elder cider Mrs Mra frs Carpenter i I I- I g got t along fine tine She was w was a kindly and sen- sen sensible sen sensible sible sable woman and she had regard for her maids Moreover Moreover old Mr Mrs Carpenter carp t r wu was of my own faith and duri during g he her last illness we both got consolation from our r religion ligion Just three months before the senior Mrs Carpenter died Mr loIr Samuel Emlen n Carpenter came home to live wi with h his a icy S The former Mary now Doyle Mrs rs John for for years a ser in the Carpenter family and the plaintiff in a at damages damage new bride ride Of course Of-course course this tiis this meant more work for t n n e arid ad and and- Ive I've y known n many a maid who has asked for fora a raise ra sein in n wages w when ep tl the efa s i increased r by liy two two thirds thirds But not no me JUe I I w would ld think it it hame to do sae such a brazen bra n tiling thing In the autumn Mrs Mrs Carpenter Cup died And t then en began the trouble which finally caused Mrs Mr Katherine Katherine ath rine Carpenter mos most maliciously to accuse accrue me of of shameful T things The e trouble sfa started soon te as as- asso so soon as a's as came we we came J home from from tie the funeral The master went w went nt into his study and alid clo 1 iho pl door w was Yu wi with h hips hip him Sure hadn hadn't t 1 been II-been L bee been jn inthe in h the family for fot long n years and wasn't-L wasn't t l feel f sad feel I in in my heart too too too too- o Theo Then upon P n the stillness of the house went ept out o a commotion ti l I d edi It ras 1 irs ip J r just u over lIz Jt dr i l Mother Mother of love I Is I's said a i id fo myself If f i it isn young isn't-young y ung Mrs Mra r run rum rum- rummaging rum maging the bedroom I trembled trembled-I trembled trembled- I If f wa hock lea The Then Mrs CI Carpenter t r came irs Wh What t this thi needs house hous she said is up Windows lIp up h air air Sunshine Happiness w W We p must u t Ii get t tover over in in the family Then she be- be turned tome to me Mary lafY J she aile s id oveT go 1111 an i the oPen op the n win windows windows qs q's particularly h in the drawing room and room r And then for Cor the the first first first time i in my my life J a mistress mistress 1 atio noI no sald cant l cant can't Ifs Its geyer the thing The ur cur curtains thins ta should hC be down a a month l t 1 e two r rooms rooms 18 So o J the the have been taught ug r Well Veil sa says Mrs elf f you wont won't dp d i it if yourself lf i lor you I in k listening n YVE Y to her as she she went i about When she l- l came came downstairs I 1 heard talk in the mas masters master's Later t e r r's s 's study Later he called d tome tome to tome me me He told me me to his go get the keys to his mo mothers mother's hers her's room room and and t to lock the door I Mrs I didas did as he bade but me-but me but didn't Mrs Katherine Carpenter didn't like this As tine time time- tinie p passed l lon on then the 1 n new W mistress sc didn't dt t make things any to too easy for me me but I never never talked talked back to her I Iwas was vas not reared todo to do that No indeed But still there were times when I felt bad eno enough gr Of course even maids have haye feelings f elings There was the time when the family came cami back from Europe I had gone to the house bouse and op opened ned it up and polished and cleaned and made all ready When When they came opened I the door Mrs Car Car- Carpenter Carenter Car penter enter walked right by me mc never ne speak speak- speaking speaking ing mg But Mr Carpenter stopped and kindly inquired for my health That was That was the beginning of terrible i ii ies e jn the family with Mr Carpenter ke keep p th the peace and Mrs Car Car- Carpenter Carpenter Carpenter penter talk talking talking- pg scolding never satisfied d And how she ordered me about Of course I 1 I was a maid and I expected orders But and b hr r and bells and then when she came came to to the kitchen Often she ahe stood over my dishpan as asI asI asI I washed Mary she said youre a abad abad bad ad girl You dont don't give satisfaction Not from the day when you locked that door door and nd carried away wa the key Who should carry arry carry kept k y in this house the ot the or-the the mistress And whom bom obey Mary Im I'm displeased sed Soshe spoke and I have cri cried d many manya a ti time Tight into my dishes But what she said to Patsy that's Patsy that's her little was daughter was worst of all I came into th the bedroom to dress the child the morning morn- morn morning ing after they returned ed and she said tome to tome tome me You here ere Mary My mother does does not Youre You're Youre You're a b bad d girl And again I cried but I rem remained ined until my aunt became c me ill and I ha has hasto had to leave Later I heard Mrs Carpenter had left Mt Mr Carpenter When When I was free again I I tried for Ridgefield in work Ridgefield in-Ridgefield in One lady asked me if I Iwas was tile the the Carpenter Carpenter maid maid and and then ine didn't engage engage me Somebody told me about the the terrible stories which were all ove over town telling stories everywhere about you and you and Mr Carpenter tr they said But Dut I never could track them in down and down and I never could get geta get geta a position It H I hadn't married I might have starved My My husband John knew what kind of woman I was and he was so kind and sympathetic Well We'll just forget all about it it he said These malicious stories will finally quiet down Then Then when my baby was a week old that heard I heard that Mrs loin Carpenter was nam nam- naming nam naming ing me as llIe one of the causes of the in in tolerable cruelty she charged against her husband In court I sat and listened to them She accused me of oC eating esting chestnuts with Mr Carpenter She said 1 was present when when he bathed She w III y I k 0 y LL H a 3 q rt r r rf b yM Mrs Katherine La Salle Salle Carpen- Carpen Carpenter Carp en- en enter ter who faces a new and very i unusual aspect of the servant problem in the damage suit that ti resulted from her own divorce suit 9 11 charged that he lunched with me in the kitchen while she guests lunched in the dining room She charged some some- something something something thing which I shall never forget she charged I had been a mother before my marriage I hardly could believe my ears because Mrs Carpenter had never said anything to 14 me like this not to my face And I took the stand and tried to explain Mr Carpenter did cat in the tho kitchen times when his wife wiCe hada had a woman for lunch whom he had asked her please not to to know The The older older Mr Mrs Carpenter of this woman But Dut when he be ate in the kitchen I placed hi his lunch luncheon on o on on the table t and went up- up upstairs up upstairs stairs to that dust dust that was all the sociability it ity there there Vas Va's was between him and and nd me at such times As for the chestnuts I never knew wrong for a master to give his cook cook a five-cent five bag of oC roasted chestnuts he bought on the way home He placed them upon the table Here Mary he said cat eat them if you like them Or give them to the hens if you dont don't And he passed out to the garage and garage and that's all the sentiment there was to those chestnuts I was shocked at Mrs irs Carpenters Carpenters Carpenter's charge about the bathing It made me blush That's one of the charges which must be taken back back or or r paid for When the the most shameful news of all was brought to me that Mr Mrs Carpenter charged I had been a mother before I Iwas Iwas Iwas was married Iwas I was even then in the hospital with my son just born And came forward Ill stand tand by you 1011 Mary he said with medical proof Dont Don't worry my girL I guess the good Lord raises up pro pro- protectors protectors protectors for a decent woman when she needs them He lie has raised them up for forme forme forme me And so Ive I've sued Ive I've read of many and many a case where a D mistress has accused a maid in her divorce suit A maid is a handy I butt Women with money may sue and sue and make the wife t Samuel Emlen Carpenter the wealthy husband K Katherine La LaSalle Salle divorced divorced- for intolerable t I crueltY prove her charges maids have little money and no good husband to encourage them to fight tight to the end 1 respect Mr arp He lie reo re- respected re respected roe me more As for my good name n me its it's worth quite as much to me ins me as a good name is worth to the mistress of millions And nd Im I'm one servant who is prepared to de- de defend defend de defend fend her good name and will We hear a lot of talk about the servant question but right her here from from my experience Id I'd like to add my opinion If there were only more maids who tried to be faithful and and do their work well things would be better in ninny many houses But if maids ni were quicker to resent attacks like those made upon me there would be a fewer wives making loose charges and f fewer l i divorce suits And Ive I've decided right here to start the precedent fo for maids Mrs Irs l Katherine Carpenter will prove her charges or charges or retract and If jf necessary necessary ear sary Ill I'll fight my case to the last court courtin courtin courtin in the country Mary Doyles Doyle's lawyers tell her that of ill of Jill ll the many servants who have doubt doubtless a aless less been wrongly wron ly accused accused in connection with their employers divorce suits suits she is probably the first to take tako legal lega action to have themselves set t right right-in the eye of the tha world I |
