"Dinner's been ready more than half an hour.

Mary's furious, and it's hard enough to keep servants in this town since the canning factories started." Adelaide and Arthur laughed; Hiram smiled.

They were all thoroughly familiar with that canning-factory theme.

It constituted the chief feature of the servant problem in Saint X, as everybody called St.
Christopher; and the servant problem there, as everywhere else, was the chief feature of domestic economy.

As Mrs.Ranger's mind was concentrated upon her household, the canning factories were under fire from her early and late, in season and out of season.
"And she's got to wait on the table, too," continued Ellen, too interested in reviewing her troubles to mind the amusement of the rest of the family.
"Why, where's the new girl Jarvis brought you ?" asked Hiram.
"She came from way back in the country, and, when she set the table, she fixed five places.