The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1929-12-13
CHAPTER vi
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Life is no bower Of roses for the
schemer of schemes. Ellen TOlliver
was nor the first to make that discov.
cry in actual experience. There could
be no possible question but that she
had figured the family future along
the most pleasant as well as profit.
able lines. and yet 1t grew increasing
ly difficult to hold her recalcitrant
subjects to the designated stars. Take
Miriam. the sensible twin, for In.
stance, frivoling away the precious
hours Of her life out at Pay Dirt In
the company of mere can grocer
And 1t was not merely that she did
those things, she enjoyed the doing
That was the painful side of the stu.
alton.
And there was Marjory. Hiram
Buckworth remained a pleasant and
c0mradely member of the household
cheerfully paying ten of his fifteen
dollars into the general Golfer every
week, and obviously counting this
not so much hardship as privilege
Miss jenkins liked him. Mr.. Tolliver
liked him, the members of the church
liked him. All the young daughters of
all the influential members developed
a strange assiduity along lines of re-
ligious activity. On the surface,
things seemed to progress with
sweet serenity which should have been
highly satisfactory to everybody con.
cerned.
But Ginger Ella, casting about her
with keen eyes that saw everything,
and keen mind that suspected even
more, knew intuitively that all was
not we'll. mol In the church. where
were heard vague murmurings, in
definite suggestions. and were seen
strange and significant looks, nor in
the parsonage itself. where Hiram
Buckworth looked too often, and too
long, upon the slender white hands
of Marjory Tolliver. This was a bad
sign, one of the very worst. Hiram
Buckworth was good looking. Marjory
had always been mammal The stu
alton held all sorts Of horrible posi-
bilities. Ginger renewed her vigilance
Hiram Buckworth. good looking,
brilliant young student. mad deliber
ately chosen the ministry as his life
work Ehe tossed MIN scant re-
spect that choice. which. although
At acc9f0N niIn~-a nisn s,efrK 49,
character, IL no way entitled him to a
permanent placesin her plans for the
lfamily's future. Being seminary
man. with special study at Oxford, he
would begin perhaps at thousand
dollars. or twelve hundred, If he was
lucky. and would progress upward.
slowly. perhaps as far as Two thou
sand. twenty-five hundred, possibly
he was so very good looking. If he
married. he would instantly. according
to time honored Methodist parsonage
statistics as figured " Ginger. become
possessed of minimum of three chill.
dren.
! Small good would he one Of his es-
tate 10 the impoverished and needy
Tollivers. Encouraging him was
deliberate throwing away of their one
resource. 1t was the willful choking of
their oil well. 1t was the burning of
their liberty bonds. Ginger reconnoi.
tered carefully. She did more than rec.
onn0iter. She bounded She was all
present. all-pervasive. all-Observing.
If Marjory and the young minister
inclined for stroll in the moonlight
Ginger inclined also. II they sat In
the shade Oh the ramblers on the
veranda, Ginger sat with them. bored,
but unyielding.
Had she washed dishes all these
years merely to save the fair hands
of Marjory for the dishes of Hiram
Buckworth and minimum of three?
The attic saw little o. Ellen TOlliver
during these days. She met the post
\ man. thanked him warmly for the
letters he gave her. and few to the
attic. The dimes crashed into the
dolls trunk. and Ginger returned to
her veranda vigil.
In way considerable disappoint-
ment attended the accumulation Of
funds for the blind. Rarely did she
receive more than five contributions In
a day. a stingy fifty cents. Lovely
daughters cannot be sent to finishing
schools. shabby pars0nages cannot be
done over. suffering eyes cannot be
operated on BY expensive surgeons.
upon a paltry five dimes day. Not
that Ginger frowned upon her re-
ceipts. far from It II was only that
she had hoped so greatly.
In the three weeks OF Mr.. Tolliver's
idleness In the country. he had ac-
Quired a thick coat OF unaccustomed
tan. and i've full pounds in weight.
with such an increase of strength, en-.