The Coolidge examiner., 1937-03-18

lullleu anu WSllt Ou ny Vic 1Odu.
Jim picked up the coin at his
feet. 1t was quarter, the form
and substance of her retaliation.
She had mean to be insulting. He
deserved it. of course. She had
spirit and she rode superbly. Those
facts, too, he was obliged to admit.
His rage softened, dissolved, was
gone. He realized, then, how very
angry he'd been. 1t was stimulat-
ing to let go. He ran up the drive,
delighting in the breaking fury of
the storm, in the feeling of being
alive again. He'd been a vegetable
for so long. Why must he return
to Long Island? Why couldn't he
stay?
The idea was exciting. He burst
into the cottage.
Macpherson glanced up from a
newspaper.
You've been in the storm, lad"
he said. "I'll wager you're wet to
the skin"
Jim proceeded directly to the
matter nearest his heart.
will you let me have a try at
the job?" he demanded. He tipped
the quarter into the air and caught
it as it fell.
Macpherson shot him a quizzical
glance from under his shaggy
brows.
What made you change your
mind?" he asked. The boy had
been up to something, he thought.
Could it have been that-He'd heard
Miss Cecily's horse Gathering up
the drive a few minutes ago-His
pipe moved. in an upward direc-
ton, paused, returned to the arm Of
the chair.
1.-The job is yours" he said. go
up and change into some Of my
clothes. Supper is just about
ready"
"Meadowbrook," during the first
two weeks of Jim's servitude, was
ruled by an invisible master. Thorn
as Huntley Vaughn, senior, conva-
lesclng from nervous breakdown,
was confined to his room. All that
Jim knew of his employer was an
impatient voice calling from the
second floor. a bell buzzing inces-
sanity. the irritated promptness
with which the trained nurse an
swered any summons from the in
valid's room, Miss Parker's nerv-
GUS anxiety and repeated requests
for silence.
Jim's duties were varied and, at
times, confusing. He swept the ter
race and the verandas in the morn
ing and brought up the mail from
the rural delivery box at the end of
the drive. He drove to the village
with marketing lists and washed the
cars and picked vegetables in the
garden. He assisted Macpherson
about the grounds, learned to trim
hedge and spray for ,etles and
make neat edges along the borders
of the lawn.
He enjoyed working out of doors.
though he was frequently humili-
ated by his lack OF skill and amazed
at the intricac cies involved in achiev-
ing apparently simple results. There
was, he learned, a right and
wrong way to train a vine against a
wall. to roll a tennis court, to thin
and transplant bed of tulips. Mac
Pherson insisted upon the right way
in every instance. He was a kindly
but exacting superior and showed
Jim no favoritism beyond a sympa-
and an occasional word of encour-
agement.
You're learning. lad," he said
one afternoon. inspecting with ap-
proval the transplanted tulips.
But there were countless difficult
ties. MacPherson's authority, un-
fortunately, stopped short at the
house and it was with the domestic
arrangements that Jim was largely
concerned. Life in the rambling
stone house presented marked
contrast to the ordered routine of
the farm.
Miss Parker, he learned, was,
technically, Susan's governess. She
was, at the moment, acting as
housekeeper as well. She did her
best to keep things running smooth
ly but her best was far from ade-
quate. Tommy was difficult. Susan
was grubby little savage. Nora,
the cook, disliked the country. Rose,
the maid, a girl from the village
engaged for the summer. was in
volved in a Irritation with one of
the farmers assistants and careless
about her work. Miss Jones, the
trained nurse. was supercilious and
sensitive and demanded a great
deal of service.
It was into this maelstrom of con-
ficting personalities that MacPher-
son delivered Jim. Nora summed
up his dilemma the first time he
entered the kitchen with basket of
vegetables from the garden.
$50 you're the new man." she
said, her bright blue eyes regard
ing him with interest and a sort of
acid compassion. We'll, the Lord