The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-08-29

rarely been subjected to the process
by me- I saw that it wuold take
careful management to make him come
definitely to the point Of buying the
property.
Secretly was delighted with the
place. Tt had been the home of a. pros
porous business man who had died a
few years before, and it had since
been rented as a summer furnished
courri I~4sntfasEe" by his widow, who
husbands death. me 1T a6tay, 1,a,
tenancy was only too apparent m =
piles of rubbish and the tangles of
weeds in the garden. Even the little
lake and the brook leading to it were
choked with rubbish, while all over
their surfaces foated empty tin cans
and bottles.
But closing my eyes to the devasta-
ton which the tenants had wrought ]
could see endless possibilities In the
place. said so quietly, watching
carefully TO see the effect Of my OBJ
servation upon Dicky.
ooh, possibilitiesl' he snorted.
'1'm sick of the very sound Of that
word. OF course there are possibilities
in the most hideous places if you
spend money and time enough on
them. But it strikes me that this is
a mighty discouraging prospect"
"Dont Decide so Quickly"
Elf you had waited until had fin
ished instead of snatching the words
out of my mouth" I returned saucily,
'.you would have learned that 1 agree
with you. The place certainly has
possibilities, but it is too run down TO
make it worth while to bother with
it,"
/ tried to make my tone as final, as
rigidly decided as I could. For in a
flash it had come to me the way to
manage" Dicky about the house. He
was. in one of his provoking obstinate
moods, and I had learned by sad ex-
j perience that when he had a con
/ trary fit on" as my little mother used
to say, he appeared to take especial
pleasure in t1warting any expressed
wish of mine.
Perhaps if / expressed disapproval
of the house in such a manner that
Dicky would not suspect the ruse he
might reverse his own opinion and de-
eide to buy it. waited with inward
trepidation for Dickys reply to my
first objection.
I But it was Alfred Durkee who ans
wered instead. Dicky only glanced al
me sharply.
"Please, Mrs. Graham. don't decide
so quickly" young Durkee pleaded. u
have just got Dicky where he was
ready to consider the place, and don't
mind his banks OF discourag cement. for
he never means half he says. But
know what you say goes around the
Graham ranch. and do hope you
didn't mean what you said"
/ could have clapped my hands in
glee at Alfred Durkee's unconscious
taking of my cue. If he had been
coached he could have said nothing
more calculated TO stir UP Dicky's OBJ
stinacy against me- As ] answered
him I purposely made my voice as
firmly disappearing as possible.
IT am so sorry, Mr. Durkee," said,
shut I don't see how I could possibly
manage to live here with so much to
be done. Besides, that water looks
distinctly unhealthy 10 me-"
An unnistakabie Wink.
'eUnhealthy," Dicky snorted. .There
you go again. Madge, with those foo
sanitation ideas of yours. She's per-
fectly daffy on the subject, folks" he
explained. ha1f-laughinsiy rides the
hobby at every opportunity. But 70
ike to know how you figure that this
lake is Unhealthy Don't you know ii
IS fed by springs. and that similar
lakes and brooks all over Long Island
formed Brooklyns water supply before