The Coolidge examiner., 1938-01-20
CHAPTER VH-COntinued

They lunched in small tea room
in the shopping district and worked
over their shopping list while they
waited. discussing the different
makes Of typewriters. the different
kinds Of carbon paper and pens,
the best kind of fling cabinet for
their purpose.
But Margarefs pleasure came
when they chose rugs and chairs
for the offices.
1T wouldn't be necessary to have
rugs" said Margaret practically.
The rooms have lovely hardwood
floors, and an office doesn't need to
De furnished like a parlor. unless
you want to make it luxurious"
II think do" said Greg thought
fully. I've never had much of that
sort Of thing l have a notion it's
an asset in some ways to have
things beautiful and restful. I had
a couch once. 1 always meant to
get il a new cover It's too late
now, but 1 think I'll have some
leather-covered chairs instead. Big
deep ones. I've been to two or three
really fine offices this last week, and
I'd like to have a room like them.
have q notion we could work bet
ter"
So Margaret reveled in lovely old
oriental rugs, and finally selected
two Scraps, lovely in soft pastel
blendings of old blue and coral and
Jade and white. The leather chairs
they chose were dark blue and deep
with comfort. There were two desks.
one for the front room for Greg.
one for the back room for Margaret
And when I'm not here you will
sit in the front room and receive
any callers" he said 'The back
room will be for work Of course"
So the desk for the back room was
arranged to drop its typewriter
down out of the dust when not need
ed, and the desk for the front room
was large and polished and had
many deep drawers.
The filing cabinets matched the
desks. and everything was quite
like a dignified office. There were
raw silk sash curtains for the win
dows in deep cream. It did some
thing sweet and satisfying to Mar
garet's artistic soul to have the
pleasure of selecting these things
and she went back to her boarding
house that night feeling that she had
been on a pleasure excursion.
The next day seemed almost like
her childhood's anticipation OF
Christmas with all those packages
coming. It all seemed a lovely
dream in which she was moving,
everything delightful. il only she
had not that pang at her heart
about her dear grandparents.
She was eating the fat Of the
land, doing only pleasant things, and
they were living mostly on corn
meal mush and-did they even have
milk with it now if Suiley was sold?
Then her heart would cry out. Oh,
Il only this wonderful position had
come little sooner, and she might
have saved Sukeyi Perhaps too.
even the SIS had not been enough
10 make up the necessary interest.
Perhaps they had failed in some of
their calculations; some of the fur
niture didn't sell, or the man hadn't
paid for the cow yet. She must find
out exactly how much she was pay
ing for her board and parcel out her
money. Perhaps she might dare to
spare FIVE or ten or even twenty
more dollars before Thanksgi giving,
just in case they might need it. OF
course she must keep enough on
hand in case Mr.. Sterling asked her
to get something else. He would
not like it for her to take the money
he expected her to use in clothes
and spend ii on her relatives, and
she must not risk her position even
for them, for in the end if this lasted
she could help them more abundant
ly Of course.
So she went about arranging the
offices. even singing a line of an
old song as she polished off the tops
of the desks with an old bit of silk
from a worn-out slip she had dis
carded.
Then came Greg breezing in hap
PLY, smiling good afternoon. He
had been off on some business that
morning and came in now with pa
pers and a big bundle under his
arm.
But he stopped at the door and
exclaimed:
''Sayl This is great! I wouldn't
have believed it would turn out this
way"
He went from one new article to
another, admired and touched it.
He sat down in all the chairs, felt
the leather, delighted in the colors
of the rugs.
I'm going to enjoy these lott"
ne said with his face glow of
pleasure. He was pleased as child.
Il certainly selected the right as
sistant," he said with look that
made her glad. "You have made a
picture of these rooms"
But what are we going to put in
all these?" she asked. That's what