The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1922-11-23
Mildred Makes a
Wager
By n. IRVING KING
y Mcclure Newspaper syndicate. }


Harold Shipway sat on the piano
stool before the piano in Mildred
Browns little parlor. Mildred Brown,
music teacher. sat beside him on a lit
tie. straight chair, watching his fingers
lntently. Harold loOSed scowiingly 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
IL really hurt you when ! make mis-
takesT He looked intently into the
reproachful eyes I'm really sorry"
IF you were sorry" said the teach
er ayerting her eyes, you'd play bet
ter. Doesn't It hurt your ears when
you play discordsy
mot In the least" confessed Har-
old.
Mildred sighed. 81 guess you just
aren't musical" she said.
II don't suppose 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 one encouraging thing about the
way i play yet. If you want 10 know
why 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 ayerted: then cautiously
ralslng them: But you began the
lessons before you had even seen me
so you must have wanted to"
Il suppose 1t 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 start.
/ ed taking music lessons from you, two
months ago. / had never set foot In
| anybody's house. The movies bore
me 10 extinction. like golf, but no
I one has suggested putting me up for
the country club. never saw such an
exclusive town as Stalpeton-"
"Oh, Stapleton has heart Of ice"
| Mildred agreed. 1--WE 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 / teach music"
"And they think l 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 family name that dates back
to the Colonial wars. Oh, ! know
Stapleton. The only time they over
look the fact that a person doesn't
come from one OK the first families
I is when he has a million or So"
Harold Shipway listened intently.
"Do you really think they are as mer-
cenary as thatI l thought perhaps
they hadn't taken me up because they
hadn't got around TO II. / can't be-
lieye 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
one / got used to being made TO feel
at home. / 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 said
enough about myself. I'm no duffer
at music, but like 10 hear 1t. Be
sides, I'm a little tired"
But aren't you going TO try7' said
the teacher, very much surprised to
see her hitherto docile pupil rising de-
liberately from the plano stool where
he was supposed to sit for another
half hour.
"No, I'm going 10 sit in this com
Portable chair and get you to play
something with a good old-fashioned
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 later
afternoon sun and sat down az the
piano, First she played Home, Sweet
Home" and then she played Mendels-
sohn's Spring Song" and then half
dozen old favorites that all sounded
dimly familiar TO Harold Shlpway
though he couldn't have told you the
names Of their composers and Mildred
didn't trouble him by explaining.
When the clock struck 6 TO remind
the teacher and pupil that the lesson
was over, Harold rose to go.
Its been little bit Of heaven"
he said. ~ won't bother you to try TO
teach me any mor,," he said. II guess
I'm too much of a dub-I--"
sanh I .lapse -,