The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1941-02-13
THE sKYLAND POST. WEST JEFFERSON, y. G.

he's known you since you were
five. Don't you feel cotnple tely1
indicated by now & 1, B B
ss suppose 50, 3 said i Lucy
doubtfully. 81 did So want you to
|see the dean but il you haven't
tinle = s's:S ls,1 s.. n 4 .s
eve haven't" said Mark .m.
a hard working president myself.
Nothing swanky, like bank. Just
chemical company. But It 1
don't show up once in while,
they may throw me out on my
ear"
So Lucy had to be satisfied.
They drove back to Arlington, to
find the van towed in and work
already begun. Lucy let down the
back steps and climbed aboard
to pack her things.
Valerie got in after her. begin
ming at once to plan for future
trips. The small bed that folded
up against the side when not in
use fascinated her. The half doz-
EN- shining pans hanging from
their hooks, and the tiny oil
stove, suggested incredible ad-
venture. T.
They almost had to drag her
away when they were ready to
leave. Valerie could hear Mark
talking to the head mechanic
while Lucy was packing. She
heard the man say something
about a new engine, and saw the
quiet. nod of Marks head, and his
quick glance at. the old van. Evil
IDENTIFY Luey,was not to know: She
would. never tell. If the. Ark
needed a new engine, it was no.
more than it deserved. :, !"
Back in the car again, Mark
looked at his watch. -
: "Can you stand another night
at the hotel?"' he asked. Valerie
nodded with enthusiasm, but Luz
cy glanced with sheer panic at
her purse. She could hardly tell
them that besides the Ark, her
capital consisted of five-cent
piece! "You see, it's almost din
ner time. If we stay here. we can
get an early start, and make Wide
Acres probably by evening with
ease"
"Of course" thought Lucy, che
couldn't imagine anybody with
only five cents. What's ten-dol-
lar a-night hotel to him?"
But She changed her mind later
in the evening. AS they left her
at her door, Mark handed her an
envelope. He did it SO quietly that
even Valerie hardly noticed. In
her room, Lucy tore the envelope
open. A hundred-dollar bill lay
costly inside a sheet of hotel note
paper.
"Half your first naonth's salary
in advance, Mark had written.
"Just to bind the bargain. So you
can't walk out on US" Then his
initials. Nothing more. Lucy sank
down on the tufted satin of her
bed. She had never owned a hum
dred-dollar bill before. She felt
like Croesus. Were employers Of
ten like this? she wondered.
=
They reached Wide Acres in
time for dinner the next night.
Lucy never forgot her first sight
of the house. Mark had told her
little about it, and she knew it
was comparatively new. But as
they drove up to the door, and
she glimpsed its mellow brick be-
yond the great white pillars of
the portico, it was hard to believe
it hadn't been there forever.
Chiltern opened the door. The
spirit in which the two mems
hands met was obvious, although
all Mark said was, well, Chill
tern!" And Chiltern answered,
cts good to see you back, sir"
Mrs. Banwood stood, primmer
than ever, in the background,
waiting to be greeted. And there
were the still-smiling Alice, and
Katie, the other maid. Lucy was
explained to them all simply as
Miss Tredway, who has come to
us as Miss Va1erie's tutor"
Lucy felt more than a little
strange as she followed Mrs. Ban
wood to her rooms, with Valerie
at their heels. What standing had
tutor? She had read that secre-
taries in great houses often had
their meals served upstairs, to
avoid embarrassment. But what
happened to tutors?
And what was she between
classes? She had gathered from
Mark that she would then be a
sort of companion. Although she
had never had regular job be-
fore, she knew she was being
overpaid for this. Two hundred