The Monticellonian., 1916-07-13
A MIXED DISPOSITION
BY LOUISE OLIVER.

"MadSe, 40 you Hltdh W say 'i"t
Polly Love is your ideal OF wom-
am"
eyes. jim. dear, bright, wholesome
little Polly, with her silly giggle as you
call it is my ideal Of woman ana 1
wish you'd marry her.
"Wen. ] like Polly, Of course, but
he tiecked the ash off his cigarette and
failed to finish.
Il know what you mean, Jim. our
tvpe is the daShihg kind with us
nosition like al the months OF the
vear combined. June one instant
April the next and regular January
freeze to follow. jim. you men make
me tired with your queer ideas of
women. Take ii from me, they areh
tbe celestial beings You think, any OF
them-except Polly. She's an angel.
"If she were here she would laugh
at your wonderful Wit answered jim
sordonically. No doubt that's what
she's doing now anyway, wherever she
Is. she's always laughing. And per-
petuaI good humor bores me as much
ms incessant sunshine. A rainy day
gets to be a relief
Had Jim known It. he was right
when he said that Polly was laugh
Ing And this was the occasion. That
morning letter had come from Cor
neIfa Graham announcing that she
would visit them for a week on her
way to Boston.
Cornela was pretty rich and spoiled
and the entire relationship held her
in reverential awe.
ooh. we can't have her with the
plasterers and paperhangers here,
protested Mrs Love in panic, And
the rugs are all up and away at the
cleaners. and we've no girl. OF all
times for her to come! Why couldn't
she wait a week =
And then Polly giggled. isn't it
the limit? NeH-She isn't waiting.
and if Tn not mistaken she's here
now. for there's taxi Just stopping at
the curb and-behold. milady.'
Polly rushed ont to the porch. "Iiel= :,
10. Corncliai Yon dear, I'm SO glad
To see you. Come right in but don't
you dare to sit down or you'll ruin
That exquisite suit You have on. We
look like an accident ward in hos.
nital-all pastered up
Cornelia WAS Led through shrouded
furniture and buckets of eulcimine and
glue up to the second floor TO PoIly.s
room, the only room in the house that
hadn't been dismantled
Then Polly flew 10 the kitchen 10
see what She could scare up to eat.
"There isn't much : she declared.
searching the cupboard. Here's n
can of corn and some salmon, hut I
believe there's another thing. If | had
more eggs | could mix up a cuStard-
two aren't enough III slip over 10
Lanras the back MY and get some
eggs. I hate 70 borrow hut | must
Polly got the eggs and went home
unseen by Jim in the library
THAT poor child" said Laura, rs
In an awful fix. eornelia Graham,
that rich cousin of theirs, has Just
come and their house is IA mess Can't
you do something to help them out,
jim 2"
do you mean that girl that was
here last summer?"
YES"
'By Jove, you don't say, You bet
ri help them out I'll telephone right
away and ask her 10 lunch and the
theater this afternoon.
When Jim called at the Loves
workman had put a ladder across the
front door, SO he went around back.
Polly was at the stove getting their
own lunch the best She could She
was lifting a saucepan from the fire
when she heard Jim's voice. She
turned quickly, the pan bumped against
the high oven and the whole thing
turned upside down on the floor at
her feet
She was tired. hot and excited,
company had come on top of CON
fusion, and here was a man at the
kitchen door whose good opinion she
valued very much and who, she knew,
WAS very fastidious. Yet Polly gig
gled
You two get out of here :" She
laughed, and I'll clean up this mess.
No, of course you can't help. I've got
corn all over my shoes"
When they had gone Polly called:
Mother. can you come here? Moth
err" There were tears of pain in her
eyes now.
II spilled the corn and it was
hot. Some of 1t went on my foot and
it-hurts."
Jim came in at six.
SAY, Laura. take back what I
said about a mixed disposition this
morning"
"What! So soon?"
Eyes I've had taste of them al
this afternoon. everything from Janu-
airy to December Eve been scorched
and frozen In turn until | am numb !"
'Then you don't think incessant sun
so bad? Speaking of which. | have
some news Pollys in the hospital
She spilled something hot on her feet
and scalded herself dreadfulIy."
Then something happened to James
Porterfield Morgan. He thought of
Polly standing at the stove and laugh
ing through her agony
Dear little Polly" he muttered
what fool I've been =,
Where are you going, Jim?" called
Laura.
TO the hospital to hunt some sun.
shine" he answered. I'm thinking II
would be good thing to have II
handy for the rest of my life.p