The Elk Mountain pilot., 1923-11-08

The swivel chair creaked suddenly
as Mr.. Abbott ierked himself to an
erect position. The mocSing laziness
disappeared from his face, like the
lifting of morning fog. where's your
machine" he demanded.
Its at home. IL"
"'Fraid I'd steal 1t. eli? Well.
can tell you"
"Oh, no-o." interrupted Lettie
breathlessly. Her black eyes sprang
wide as she glimpsed the hideousness
of failure. IL thought I'd see If
you were int'rusted. cause if you are,
I'D make machines for you-for a
dollar apiece. And. honest, they"
In her eagerness to forestall refusal.
she rushed madly through all the
points of her scheme, instead of mar
shaling them automatically. as she
had planned.
Mr.. Abbott took up his pencil and
found his place in the account book
from which he had been taking notes.
| 1t was painfully evident that his easy
tolerance was exhausted. His good
nature was in Jumps, like pocket free
gold, and after few minutes one
confronted the barrenness Of country
rock. Sensing this reversal Of atti-
tude, Lettie grew cold with prickles
Of ghastly fear. Before her mental
vision swan misty picture Of Christ
mas tree. gifts. jollity, cheer; 1t
jiggled dizzily. receded farther-and
farther. She gasped.
"Oh. please be Int'rusted." she
begged. pounding a small brown fist
into her open palm. Honest, it'n
save you heaps"
"Save nothingl S'posing your pipe
dream worked, it'd take boy as long
to load up the contraption-"
"But even If it did" broke in Lettie
eagerly, "It'd pay cause he'd be more
excited and"
I amt aiming to get my boys ex-
cited. My line amt revivals; it's ad-
vertising. Now you run long outa
here while I'm still holding on to my
temper. Do you hearT'
Lettie rose swiftly, her face white
with fear. her eyes blazing with in
tenslty. you gotta listen. Honest.
you'd get more work out of your boys.
I'll bring 1t; I'll show you: I'll"
"Get outa herel I amt going to
bother"
"Holy Jiminettyl" !" cried the child.
with a flare of anger. Cant you talk
sense? I'm telling you straight"
"Jack," called Mr.. Abbott, put this
kid out"
"Ohi OH" screamed Lettie Don't
you dare" In a binding gust of
rage at the threatened indlgnity. she
clenched her fists and pounded the
frail old desk till the papers rustled
and the inkwell rocked against its
metal holder A wrathful red had
surged into her cheeks; her narrow
chest jumped up and down in agony.
Don't you darel Just have heart.
Listen till / oh, let me alone.
Don't you dare; don't you"
Shrleking. protesting, lashing out
with her lean. angry arms, Miss Pen
field was being forcibly elected from
the office of the Wideawake Adver-
tising agency. The boy Jack. with
unconcealed relish, had grasped the
child by thin elbow and was guiding
her to the door. Not without diff
Guilty, however, He was able to con-
troll the general direction, but not
without picturesque zigzaggings. Let
tie, alternating shouts of entreaty and
defiance, was executing series of
contortions about the fulcrum of her
own elbow which would have given
tanc 70 do Nv,
search Of innovations.
you don't know boys" screamed
Lettie. "Leggo. dern you'll You don't
know boys. They'd rather work q
trick than eat. They"
"Shut up. you wild Indian" advised
the boy called Jack.
"Shut up, yourself" retorted Let.ie.
You don't know boys! You don't
know" She stopped, abruptly con-
scious that she was addressing a
closed door and a sidewalk empty of
life except for a pattering A,redale.
obviously not interested in sdvertis-
ing.
Sitting with anger. panic-stricken
by failure, Lettie dashed down the
street, into vacant lot where there
was sprawling live-oak tree. With
small brown fists she began beating
the rough trunk. Wild sobs shook
her thin frame. Tears rolled down
her face; anger dried them on her hot
cheeks, only to replace them by new
flood.
With savage delight in her own suf-
fering, she beat the gnarled bark till
the blood came and her muscles
ached. Then her arms dropped; she
slumped into heap on the ground
no longer a will-driven human being,
full of fight and fierceness, but a for
lorn little girl. hopeless and heart
broken. With all the gathered longing
Of hard, dreary childhood, she had
set her mind on these holidays as
upon some idealized heights Of bliss.
And now 1t was to be as 1t had al
ways been: no tree, no presents, no
party, no games. no anything!