Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1937-07-17

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mary the maid when she brought Ii
. neF crowd There was the drawing mas
Z Yer, the matron, the maths master. tn
! french mistress, the assistant heal
9 mlstreSS-au the usual outfit of a bic
modern co-educational day school.
Pet was jerky and casual in her hos
pitality. 49,
The headmaSter was watching he
cuTiously. He had always regarded he
Win enormous admiration, a moderr
Joan Of Arc. He was a widower ~ a.
and her vitality, her hearty gusto fol
living made him feel old and drv anC
dusty and academic Tonight She sir.
prlSeo and startled him with sorne
quality Of usefulness he had neveI
associated with his slightly strident
games mistress. 1t piqued and bewil-
Not one of her guests her familiar
associates In her daily work, guessed
Ior one moment that her knees were
trembling under her as she deliberatelv
crossed the room and sat down in the
! Pouack Women'S counting chair
Sne had Knocked it, derided It. paro-
died its family legends, disbelieved in
lt-and now she duplicated the power
OF magic she denied.
She sat there watching her guests
from her vantage and there was a
quietneSS and q sweetness about her.
they had never seen before.
DID you see the funny little Japan
csc delegate at the conference?" some
one said. Some one else said:
Pollack?"
Yes; for a year"
The headmaster had forgotten. Per-
haps he never knew. They piled her
with questions Sitting in the counting
chair, Petunia Pollock began to talk
She had not known she could talk
like that-painting things in words.
She laid Japan at their feet-and some
thing else she did not mean to reveal;
her own clean, immature, half-boyish
philosophy-the Greek ideal-a fit mind
from a fit body. Listening and watch
ing her, the headmaster saw clearly
that all this passionate zeal for physical
fitness among her pupils had one origin
the production of shining, simple,
decent, If slightly elemental, human
beings.
He thought: 'If one but touched
that mind in that splendid body, how
it would unfold with all that love and
belief in youth behind it-that desire
for service"
He felt sad and uncertain, and deeply
touched and stirred by this revelation
Of the mind and soul Of a girl whose
splendid character and physique he
had long admired
1t was an unexpected revelation.
He left the flat with all of his con-
frereS.
Then he yielded to sudden over
impulse, and when he had
said goodnight to the last of them
he went back to Petunia Pollack'S
flat.
He said, stammering, but with mount
ing excitement: This is objectionable
But wanted to thank you for mar
velous evening-for all your experiences
in Japan. You held us spellbound.
couldn't go to bed without thanking
you again."
She had loved the Head such q
long. long time. She knew that now
1uite simply and honestly. Ever since
The day when he had engaged her
she had loved this big, grave, quiet
nan.
Ienly. fiercely. ST found that out to-
hight when 1 was talking about Japan
md those japanese girls" she said
I found it out quite suddenly; some
hing I never knew before"
He followed his beWildered Amazon.
She sat down in the magic counting
hair. She did not know she sat there. {
Once more the gift Of speech touched
Ter and set her free of herself.
1--WE shouldn't make girls like men, ,
he said slowly. They shouldn't be I
90 strong, too self-reliant. We {
houldn't make fighters and free men S
# girls. There's q loneliness and-a s
enSe of Illustration and misdirection
n it that is wrong. 1 was born strong.
We built it up and built 1t up until {
has set me apart. 1 have to act
thlete. talk athletics. / dress sporty q
and I can't escaped Do you know :
hat all my life I've ACHED to be a 7
title woman-even delicatel Yes, even {
hat! I'm six foot and I've never had
days serious illness In my lifel Why i
hould any one think I'm tired and q
AIRY q bag of golf clubs for me when 7
can shoulder a trunk. Why? I've !
cen noisy out Of kind Of shame be-
ause I was so big and hefty. I've i
ched to be looked after and petted +
yer since / can remember. It's natural t
D all women and natural to all men h
} want to pet them and care for and
rotect them. am not going on train I
lg girls out Of their heritage-not now p
see" 5
He said slowly: $
IT have wanted to pet you and look b
fter you. I have wanted to make
tile girl Of you. I'm so much older \
nan you are. You seemed so superbly s
BILE to care for yourself. Oil Petl u
Vhy didn't I guessl Why didn't a
uess beforel The years we've wasted a
hen we might have been together.
zen find a happy combination of your +
ork and mine-the perfect coopera- n
on of mind and body. Wen work to- h
etherl Together wen build a brave p
ew world for youth"
He did not know he was talking !,
She did not know she was crying p
They were in each others arms in
Re counting chair. I
How the Counting Chair Affected el
the Life Of Maude PoIack, the n
Youngest Of the Pollack Sisters y
Maude had lived with the super 10
ificiency of Madelaire, who was thirty; B.
1d the strenuous athleticism Of Pc m
mia. who was twenty-five, for ten re
ears, ever since her mother died she "
a $780,. -r.t4er& 10 fI4a fruO different 10