Where Theres a Will | Page 7

had a good cry. There was a man named Thoburn who was crazy
for the property as a summer hotel, and every time I shut my eyes I
could see "Thoburn House" over the veranda and children sailing paper
boats in the mineral spring.
Sure enough, the next afternoon Mr. Thoburn drove out from
Finleyville with a suit case, and before he'd taken off his overcoat he
came out to the spring-house.
"Hello, Minnie," he exclaimed. "Does the old man's ghost come back to
dope the spring, or do you do it?"
"I don't know what you are talking about, Mr. Thoburn," I retorted
sharply. "If you don't know that this spring has its origin in--"
"In Schmidt's drug store down in Finleyville!" he finished for me. "Oh,
I know all about that spring, Minnie! Don't forget that my father's cows

used to drink that water and liked it. I leave it to you," he said, sniffing,
"if a self-respecting cow wouldn't die of thirst before she drank that
stuff as it is now."
I'd been filling him a glass--it being a matter of habit with me--and he
took it to the window and held it to the light.
"You're getting careless, Minnie," he said, squinting at it. "Some of
those drugs ought to be dissolved first in hot water. There's a lump of
lithia there that has Schmidt's pharmacy label on it."
"Where?" I demanded, and started for it. He laughed at that, and putting
the glass down, he came over and stood smiling at me.
"As ingenuous as a child," he said in his mocking way, "a nice, little
red-haired child! Minnie, how old is this young Carter?"
"Twenty-three."
"An--er--earnest youth? Willing to buckle down to work and make the
old place go? Ready to pat the old ladies on the shoulder and squeeze
the young ones' hands?"
"He's young," I said, "but if you're counting on his being a fool--"
"Not at all," he broke in hastily. "If he hasn't too much character he'll
probably succeed. I hope he isn't a fool. If he isn't, oh, friend Minnie,
he'll stand the atmosphere of this Garden of Souls for about a week, and
then he'll kill some of them and escape. Where is he now?"
"He's been sick," I said. "Mumps!"
"Mumps! Oh, my aunt!" he exclaimed, and fell to laughing. He was
still laughing when he got to the door.
"Mumps!" he repeated, with his hand on the knob. "Minnie, the old
place will be under the hammer in three weeks, and if you know what's
good for you, you'll sign in under the new management while there's a
vacancy. You've been the whole show here for so long that it will be

hard for you to line up in the back row of the chorus."
"If I were you," I said, looking him straight in the eye, "I wouldn't pick
out any new carpets yet, Mr. Thoburn. I promised the old doctor I'd
help Mr. Dick, and I will."
"So you're actually going to fight it out," he said, grinning. "Well, the
odds are in your favor. You are two to my one."
"I think it's pretty even," I retorted. "We will be hindered, so to speak,
by having certain principles of honor and honesty. You have no
handicap."
He tried to think of a retort, and not finding one he slammed out of the
spring-house in a rage.
Mr. Van Alstyne and his wife came in that same day, just before dinner,
and we played three-handed bridge for half an hour. As I've said, they'd
been on their honeymoon, and they were both sulky at having to stay at
the Springs. It was particularly hard on Mrs. Van Alstyne, because,
with seven trunks of trousseau with her, she had to put on black. But
she used to shut herself up in her room in the evenings and deck out for
Mr. Sam in her best things. We found it out one evening when Mrs.
Biggs set fire to her bureau cover with her alcohol curling-iron heater,
and Mrs. Sam, who had been going around in a black crepe dress all
day, rushed out in pink satin with crystal trimming, and slippers with
cut-glass heels.
After the first rubber Mrs. Van Alstyne threw her cards on the floor and
said another day like this would finish her.
"Surely Dick is able to come now," she said, like a peevish child.
"Didn't he say the swelling was all gone?"
"Do you expect me to pick up those cards?" Mr. Sam asked angrily,
looking at her.
Mrs. Sam yawned and looked up at him.

"Of course I do," she answered. "If it wasn't for you I'd not have stayed
a moment after the funeral. Isn't it bad enough to have seven