George Albert Smith directed this rather silly comedy starring his wife playing a bucktoothed maid who lights the stove with paraffin. It is a very creative film for 1903 and using special effects and some very funny acting, it works very well.
The story-telling technique is also pretty important. While many films of the day (Melies's included) seldom used any sort of cutting to closeups and were normally very stagy, this short frequently cuts to closeup views of Mary Jane, such as when she accidentally rubs shoe-polish on her upper lip. This use of cutting makes it easier to see her facial expressions, which makes it all the more amusing. Laura Bayley does overplay the part a lot, but this sort of overacting was typical and is part of what makes the film work even today. D. W. Griffith is mostly known for innovating this kind of filmmaking, but as evidenced by this, Smith is equally important and needs more recognition.