Ted and the Telephone | Page 9

however,
had never been put on. There were four large windows closed in by
lights of glass, a rough board floor, and a fireplace of field stone.
Everywhere was dirt, cobwebs, sawdust, and shavings; and scattered
about so closely there was scarcely space to step was a litter of nails,
fragments of boards, and a conglomeration of tin cans of various sizes.
Almost any one who beheld the chaos would have turned away
discouraged. But not so Ted! The disorder was of no consequence in

his eyes. Through all its dinginess and confusion he saw that the roof
was tight, the windows whole, and the interior quite capable of being
swept out, scrubbed and put in order. That was all he wanted to know.
Why, the place could be made into a little heaven! Already he could see
it transformed into a dwelling of the utmost comfort. He had
remodelled many a worse spot,--the barn loft in Vermont, for example,
and made it habitable. One had only to secure a table, a chair or two,
build a bunk and get a mattress, and the trick was turned.
How proud he should be to have such a dwelling for his own!
He could hardly restrain himself from rolling up his sleeves and going
to work then and there. Fearing, however, that Mr. Wharton might be
awaiting his report, he reluctantly closed the door again, turned the key
in it, and hurried back to the manager's office.
"Well," inquired the elder man, spinning around in his desk chair as the
boy entered and noting the glow in the youthful face, "how did you find
things at the shack? Any hope in the place?"
"Hope!" repeated Ted. "Why, sir, the house is corking! Of course, it is
dirty now but I could clean it up and put it in bully shape. All I'd need
would be to build a bunk, get a few pieces of furniture, and the place
would be cosy as anything. If you'll say the word, I'll start right in
to-night after work and----"
"Why wait until to-night?" came drily from the manager.
"Why--er--I thought perhaps--you see there is the corn----"
"Never mind the corn," Mr. Wharton interrupted.
"You mean I could go right ahead now?" asked Ted eagerly.
"Certainly. You are doing this for our accommodation, not for your
own, and there is no earthly reason why you should perform the work
outside your regular hours."

"But it is for my accommodation, too," put in the lad with characteristic
candor.
"I am very glad if it happens to be," nodded Mr. Wharton. "So much
the better. But at any rate, you are not going to take your recreation
time for the job. Now before you go, tell me your ideas as to
furnishings. You will need some things, of course."
"Not much," Ted answered quickly. "As I said, I can knock together a
bunk and rough table myself. If I could just have a couple of chairs----"
Mr. Wharton smiled at the modesty of the request.
"Suppose we leave the furnishing until later," said he, turning back to
his desk with a gesture of dismissal. "I may drop round there some time
to-day while you're working. We can then decide more fully upon what
is necessary. You'll find brooms, mops, rags, and water in the barn, you
know. Now be off. I'm busy."
Away went Ted, only too eager to obey. In no time he was laden with
all the paraphernalia he desired. He stopped at Stevens' cottage only
long enough to add to his equipment a pail of steaming water and then,
staggering under the weight of his burden of implements, made his way
to the shack. Once there he threw off his coat, removed his collar and
tie, rolled up his sleeves, and went to work. First he cleared the bulk of
rubbish from the room and set it outside; then he swept up the floor and
mopped it with hot suds; afterwards he washed the windows and
rubbed them until they shone. Often he had watched his mother and
sisters, who were well trained New England housekeepers, perform
similar offices and therefore he knew exactly how such things should
be done. It took him a solid morning to render the interior spotless and
just as he was pausing to view his handiwork with weary satisfaction
Mr. Wharton came striding in at the door.
"Mercy on us!" gasped the newcomer with amazement. "You have been
busy! Why, I had no idea there were such possibilities in this place.
The room is actually a pretty one, isn't it? We shall be able to fix you
up snug as a bug in a rug here." He ran his eye quickly about. "If you

put your bunk between the windows, you will get