Argosy, Vol. 117, No. 3 — page 52: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

4 ) 362 the country, and while his cheap and noisy car chugged and rattled over the frozen roads, he had drawn from her a fair outline of her history. He was keen in his analysis of human nature, and by no means con- fined his healing arts to physical ills. On one of these rides Polly inquired the amount of her debt to him. She gasped at the apparent’ exorbitance of the sum the doctor assessed her. With shrewd wisdom he had determined upon a price that would strip her of any surplus resources, calculating that thus he might restrain her from a return to her former life, and watch the experiment of transplanting her to an utterly strange environment. “‘ Well, Doc, I'll have to pay you in ice,” promised Polly, and the physician did not sense her meaning until the next day, when she brought him a handful of rings, pins, sunbursts, and other adornments, all studded with jewels. The amazed doctor stared at the glitter- ing Mass. “My! What ’ll I ever do with them?” he ejaculated, “Put ’em in hock; that’s what I always done,” calmly replied Polly. ‘‘ You saved my life, an’ some way now it looks kind o’ though it was like them sparklers: ‘just made for show; an’ so it seems kind 0’ ’pro- priate that you get your pay in them rocks.” Dr. Benton, prone to prosy moralizing, studied the scintillant jewelry. “They do seem kind 0’ useless. But they’re beautiful, and beauty always has a use. I guess God must have made them for. some good purpose, like He does everything beautiful.” “Seems to me I’ve heard that some- where before,” smiled Polly. “‘ But you’re right about their bein’ useful. I seen times when they helped me over some tight places.” ‘“'They’re kind o’ like cut flowers,’ con- tinued the doctor. ‘“ Pretty, but not very practical.” “Don’t fool yourself about that, Doc. When they’re hocked, an’ you get a handful of dirty old dollar bills for ’em, they look pretty good.” “ Yes, that’s true: when beauty is turned THE ARGOSY. into good, practical dollar bills it can accomplish seme good.” ‘““A dirty old dollar bill ain’t got much beauty about it, but it can do a lot of good work,” commented Polly, quick to catch the drift of the fable the doctor had begun. ‘It’s kind o’ like that June-bug they used to have a joke about: it gets there just the same.’ ‘“Why don’t you try being a dollar bill for a while and see how you like it,’ Dr. Benton suggested. ‘‘ You know you can always trade back your working capital for beauty.” ‘“That’s just what I was thinkin’,” said Polly. “I ain’t much of a diamond for show now, but maybe I can pass for a dollar bill.” ‘Real money, and not counterfeit,” sently remarked the doctor. ‘ Vll keep the diamonds, and if you ever want. them back you can redeem them. How does that arrangement please you?” bargained Dr. Benton. ab- “Suits me all right. Just. at present them | rocks ain’t worth a lead dime to me. All I want is a chance to try this dollar-bill stunt.” ‘Another month of rest, and you shall have it,’’ promised the doctor. At the boarding-house the other girls, ex- pectant of some exhibition of Polly’s hyper- bolical talent, urged her. to sing for them. ‘She refused on the excuse that the opera- tion had robbed her of her voice, and smiled sardonically. With keen sensitive- ness, Lily and Minna did not urge her after that, and even refrained from their custom- ary jousts with the parlor organ lest the music awaken painful memories that would disturb her. : : Came Christmas with another enlighten- ing insight into the wonderfully sympa- thetic bond that held all the community of Reedbury in such intimate communion. Polly overheard secret whisperings in which plans for all sorts of gifts to all sorts of friends were made. She surprised Lily and Minna, and forced them to hide hastily the work they were doing. She absorbed the spirit of the time, was caught by the mys- ticism of it, and one day made a surrepti- tious shopping trip from which she re- (EO) 0) 6) nn) S (S@)