Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1937-12-24
CHAPTER 3

He caught the laSC Crdlh oaSN'
That was what mattered, getting in
the cane.
Very high up, SO high that one used
a crawling, open-work steel elevator
to get there, Mr.. Grove stood staring
vacantly. He could see far below MN
the defeating watts; some full, covered
with dirty farm; some empty. show
ing their coiled pipes.
Conscious that old Mr.. Pfaff was
busy with the evaporators behind nim'
Mr.. Grove had nothing to do but
think. which he did, bitterly annoyed
Gazing at the small figure of Mr..
Manila, their Third Assistant Mill
Superintendent, leaning on rail- Tar
below. Pfaff! Manila! Nortz! Arnold.
He spat them down the tremendous
void drenched with electric light INTO
one of the dirty cream pools OF a oe-
fector. Pfaff was irrevocably damned
and as inevitable as hangover. BE-
tween Nortz and Arnold he could not
nj the moment choose. Unusually ne
objected more to Arnold and his damn
cd efficiency. When Arnold had boiled
sugar for seventeen years.
Nortz was usually all right lie
could be friendly, and he DIDN'T Try
to tell you things. That made ms re-
cent behavior all the more surprising
Very soon Mr.. Grove wouldn't be sur
prised if he liked Arnold better. NOT
twenty minutes before Mr.. Nortz hao
complained. -.
He'd show Nortz who knew his job'
if Nortz had any eyes left.
He thought of all he knew concern
ing North. He centered down finally
on that persistent story about Nortz
and Mrs. Fletcher. He didn't think 1t
was true; he never did.
Yet he couldn't help noticing that
Nortz didn't go over to the Fletchers
any more.
That Micks girl, he thought sud-
denly. He moved his elbows a little
and conjured up that attractive FIGURE
seen distantly from the Club porch or
bringing a hot horse into the stables
at evening.
"By God" he said, "I'd like"
"vat you say?" inquired Mr.. Pfaff'
Nothing, fatty"
maybe you make your records,
then. You think it's fun for me, ma Z
"When you've boiled sugar as long
as 1 have, I'll listen to your belly
aching, perhaps" snapped Mr.. Grove
"Don't bother me when I'm think
ing"
The laboratory was hot.
Elmer Kirk took up spray full OF
anti-mosquito liquid and sprayed the
inside of the screens on the windows
The smell of the mill came to him
He was writing to his sweetheart:
"Anne, sweetheart I feel like I couldn't
live without you all winter. San Mario
is fine and / like my work, but"
He put the letter away and began
laboratory tests of the sugar. He was
aware that Mr.. Nortz was watching
him.
"You're a good lab worker" said
Mr.. Nortz. It'll come easier when you
been at it longer"
Elmer Kirk completed his entries
and wished Mr.. Nortz would go, sc
he could get at Anne's letter.
At last Nortz departed and Elmer
wrote:
"There are some nice people dowT
here. There is Mr.. Nortz, my boss or
the night shift. Mr.. Arnold, the mil
superintendent, is nice, too, and so l:
Mr.. Fletcher, the administrator. There
are many other engineers, etc., but
do not see much of them because
am living at the club. like one OF
them called Mr.. Micks, who is out II
the field all the time. He is a great
one for hunting and shooting, etc
They have a nice house, where I went
to dinner once before the crop started
Mrs. Micks having asked me. They
have a daughter called Ruth who is
very pretty and lots of fun. She is
about my age. Of course, being OF
my shift, l do not see her often. She
has been to school up North anC
smokes cigarettes, etc., all the time
She rides horse lot, too. Some
times we go swimming in the river il
the afternoon, and Frank Delaney
who is head chemist and very nice
that is, when we can get off, for yor
always seem to be here when othel
people are going around. I see Rutl
Micks down there with Edith, who il
Mr.. Fletcher's daughter, and Mr.
Fletcher's two little boys, Jack, who il
~. ao,,o,, orl T0v,nv,oxy xr,kr SO