Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1922-12-28
Mildred Makes a
Wager
By H. IRVING KING

stooi oeIOre the piano IN Mildred
Browns little parlor. Mildred Brown,
music teacher, sat beside him on a lit
tie, straight chair, watching his fingers
intently. Harold looked scowlingly at
the music opened before him, then
looked hopelessly at his big fingers,
moved them awkwardly over the keys
and struck, or rather attempted to
strike, the opening chord of the new
piece" teacher had given him to
study a week before.
ouch" said Mildred, her face reg
istering a sensation of actual physical
pain.
Harold took his fingers from the
keys and turned toward Mildred.
Teacher, I'm sorry" he said. "Does
1t really hurt you when l make mis-
takes?" He looked ~intently into the
%reproachful eyes. "Tm really sorry"
IF you were sorry" said the teach
er averting her eyes, YOU'D play bet
ter. Doesn't it hurt your ears when
you play discords?"
Not in the least" confessed Har-
old.
Mildred sighed. IL guess you just
aren't musical" she said.
II don't SUPPOSE 1 am. Besides my
fingers are big and clumsy"
Il really don't see why you take
lessons then. l hate to encourage
you"
Harold again looked a little too in
tently into the teachers eyes. you
haven't encouraged me. You haven't
said n encouraging thing about the
way I play yet. If you want to know
why I go on with the music I'll tell
you. It's because / am so darned fond.
of the teacher"
How absurd!" Mildred said, with
eyes still averted; then cautiously
raising them: "But you began the
lessons before you had even seen me
so you must have wanted to-"
II suppose it was a case of plain
loneliness" sighed Harold. There's
so little to do here in Stapleton. I've
been here six months and until I start
ed taking music lessons from you, two
months ago, / had never set foot in
anybody's house. The movies bore
me to extinction. / like golf, but no
n has suggested putting me up for
the country club. I never saw such an
exclusive town as Stalpeton-"
doh OknD1atnn hoc - 6oor - faa -
Mildred agreed. "Pve lived and worked
here six years, and I've never been in
any ones house except to give les
sons. The people think / am socially
beneath them because I teach music"
"And they think / am their social
inferior because"
Because you came here to be man
ager of the Stapleton Mills without a
social introduction, because you are a
poor young man without a fortune and
without a family name that dates back
to the Colonial vars. oh, / know
Stapleton. The only time they over
look the fact that a person doesn't
come from one of the first families
is when he has a million or So"
Harold Shipway listened intently.
"Do you really think they are as mer-
cenary as that? / thought perhaps
they hadn't taken me up because they
hadn't got around to 1t. I can't be-
lieve money counts for so much
Harold folded the music on the music
holder before him. you know | don't
care for society or that sort of thing
Only having been brought up in a
place where my people knew every
n I got used to being made to feel
at home. I tell you it's great having
peoples doors standing open for you
and knowing you'll be welcome once
in a while for dinner" Mr.. Shipway
sighed. "Now, little teacher, I've sale
enough about myself. I'm no duffel
at music, but I like to hear 1t. Be
sides, I'm a little tired"
But aren't you going to try?" sale
the teacher, very much surprised t.
see her hitherto docile pupil rising de
liberately from the piano stool where
he was supposed to sit for another
half hour.
"No, I'm going to sit in this com
Portable chair and get you to play
something with a good old-fashionet
tune to it. Won't you please?"
Mildred Brown answered by draw
ing the morris chair nearer the piano
and lowering the back to a comfort
able angle. Then she lowered the win
dow shades to keep out the late
afternoon sun and sat down at tn,
piano. First she played "Home, Swee
Home" and then she played Mendels
sohn's "Spring Song and then a hal
dozen old favorites that all sounde,
dimly familiar to Harold Shipwa,
though he couldn't have told you tn
mi Of their composers and Mildre,
didn't trouble him by explaining.
When the clock struck 6 to remin,
the teacher and pupil that the lessor
was over, Harold rose to go.
TITS been a little bit Of heaven
he said. II won't bother you to try Il
teach me any more" he said. II CUES
I'm too much of a dub-I-"
cOh, 7 don't want you to stop" sal,
XXI = -. ~ 49,. 800