The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1943-08-12
SEASONED
49, limb Err
%T ~NNU
DOROTHY CANFIELD q. FEATURES

ing more and more slowly, look
ing down at the green and grey
carpet of moss lichen, thrusting
out his lips thoughtfully, finally
halted Timothy, laying a hand on
his arm. "Say, T. c., why amt
this as good a time as any"-he
looked around the empty forest
ITO tell you that I've made my
will to leave what I've got to the
Academy? faint much. 1t
comes, to take it all in all, wood
lots and mill and savings bank
books to about ten thousand.
That's what made me, l guess,
think of that much as maybe
coming from Wheaton, too"
There was no breath left over
! for more than an occasional brief
question and answer during the
long climb down. With a pang of
alarm for himself, Timothy noted
that Mr.. Dewey looked very old
as we'll as entirely exhausted.
Don't you want me to step ahead
and get my car out, and take you
homer he asked, his solicitude
too audible.
mo, 1 do not" said the hag
gard old man, nettled and belli-
gerent. "I'm a-going to the Of
flee to see if there's a letter from
Wheaton come in
They limped on in logged 81
lence then, footsore, unshaven,
their faded shapeless clothes
stained brown and greenly damp
earth and moss. They climbed
slowly up the worn marble steps
into the echoing corridor with its
musty smell of age and chalk
dust and mice, into the high
ceilinged, dingy room that was
the Principals office.
A good deal of mail was heaped
on the Principals desk. Mr.. Dew
ey dropped his hat on the floor
and sank heavily into a chair;
Timothy put out his hand to sort
the letters. The one they were
looking for was at once visible to
Mr.. Dewey. Timothy handed it
across to the old man.
Timothy was still looking down
at letter from Leila Barney
when Mr.. Dewey said surprising
ly, We'll, the dirty skunk" and
laid the letter on the table. Read
it. Read it, T. c." he murmured,
dropping his head YEARLY back
and closing his eyes till Timothy
had finished.
1t did not take long; the words,
entirely legible in very black let
tiers on white, leaped out to say
that Mr. Wheaton had long ago
and more than once told Hume
, to get rid of that incompetent old
janitor, Melville Griffith, and
now was the time to do it. Any
body could see that he was the
one who had left the faucet turn
ed on. Here was the talking point
for dismiSsing him him which Mr..
Wheaton had long been waiting.
Look around and locate a fami-
ly man with young children who
has been out of a job for some
time-there must be lots of them
in Ashley since the shutting down
of the chair factory-you could
probably get him actually for less
wages than Griffin. He wouldn't
dare hold out for more anyhow,
no matter what he had been earn
ing"
The two men looked at each
other in a long silence. Finally
Mr.. Dewey remarked in a CONVEX
sational tone. "Wa-al, guess
mebbe could get couple O. hun
dred for the oak on the Tyler lot.
'T'ain't really big enough to cut
yet, but
"Oh, never mind. I've got near
ly two hundred and fifty in the
bank l could spare" said limo
thy.
He laid the letter down. Mr..
Dewey silently reached for it and
dropped it into the Wastepaper
basket. AS he turned his head to
do this, he caught sight through
the open window of someone on
the far corner of the level ground
in front of the Academy, and
looked to see who it was. Timothy
followed the direction of his eyes
and saw a tall, red-headed boy
pushing a bicycle up the hill
from the village.
The boy left his bicycle collaps-
ed in tangle of glittering wires
and started across the empty ten