Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1922-09-07
An
August Moon
By RUBY DOUGLAS

les. Sne had been out IN the world or
reality too long to have retained her
faith in anything so pretty. But she
did believe in following persistent
urge that seemed to come to her re-
Ipeatedly from somewhere out Of her
own ken.
1t was her last summer vacation be-
fore she should leave college and she
was worried as to how she was going
to pay her expenses in her senior year.
She knew there would be many extras
and her meager income, earned
through the college year by work out
side Of her studies, barely paid her
actual expense
School teachers whom she knew
were going up into mountain hotel
to wait on the table for two months
Surely If school teachers could do it,
she could. Somehow, 1t seemed to her
not quite the sort Of work that she
would have chosen.
"Beggars can't be choosers," she
said at last and, following the urge,
she wrote to the manager Of the noun
tain inn and applied for position.
She did not tell Tom Baker what
she was going to do. He was senior,
ALSO but in different college, and
she felt, somehow, that he would not
approve of her doing this sort of work.
He had never known that she had so
difficult time getting along. Evil
IDENTIFY his people had plenty of money,
for she had never heard him speak Of
being worried.
With two Of her friends who weEe
going to the same inn, she left the
city for the small mountain town
where she was to spend the next two
months. Every time the girls talked
about the work they were about to do
they burst into peals Of laughter. And
what they wouldn't do with the tips!
II do hope l shall be able to hold
the position, girls" said Hope as they
were being carried over bumpy noun
tain roads in the hotel bus.
Position? It's a job! And what
you get will be wages-not salary.
You might as well get yourself right,
Hope, before you get 1t wrong" said
one Of the school teachers She felt
that she could come down off her dig
nifty now that she was not being an
example to fifty-odd children.
Hope was so nervous the first night
at dinner that it was all she could do
to serve the nice family at the table
to which she had been assigned. The
family was evidently remaining for a
few days, for there was no tip offered
to her, and she felt relieved.
Her zone in the dining room was ex-
tended the following day until she had
four tables, and then she had little
time to be nervous. She found herself
becoming a very proficient waitress,
and she agreed with the girls that the
white uniform was very becoming to
her fresh coloring and fair, well-kept
hair.
The week-ends brought many tour
lists, and the girls had busy time and
received some substantial tips. They
used to gather In the room Of Hope, as
they called it, and count their change
and giggle and have a relaxed hour
after the hard days work.
"One of the men calls her Sister
and is as kindly as he can be. had
only one crank tOday-an old-maid of
man who wanted his beans cooked
way down low in the pot, the way
they do back home in Kentucky.
tried to get him some f.izzled-looking
black ones and he grunted a thanks.
I'd hate to marry some of these men,
wouldn't your"
The other girls agreed that 1t wasn't
a bad way to get insight into mascu-
line characteristics. Altogether, they
found the work interesting, amusing
and very profitable. Hope could see
herself quite free from financial worry
during her senior year. And the
mountain air was giving her new
lease on life in spite Of the hard work.
"Tm expecting my family this week
end, Sister," said the man whom Hope
had been serving for a week. Gould
you arrange for larger table-three
children and Mrs. White? And-Fd
like YOU to continue to take care of
US, If you can"
Hope said that she would do the
best she could and felt flattered at the
kindly interest of the elderly man even
though he had chosen to call her
rather Familiarity "Sister." She could
see that he was well intentloned.
"And my wlfes chauffeur is a col
lege lad who isn't accustomed, think,
to roughing it. Please see that he is
well served outside, will your"
Hope said that she would, and when
she had taken care of the whole White
family and had been ntroduced-much
to her embarrassment--tO Mrs. White
and the children, she slipped outside
to the room where the chauffeurs ate
their meals.
Coming in at the door opposite, just
as she entered the room, was the tall,
gOod-looklng figure of Tom Baker in
chauffeur's uniform.
He came toward her with out
stretched hands. "Hopel"
'sTOm Baker" she said. And then.