Ted and the Telephone Page 4

  CHAPTER III

  GOING TO HOUSEKEEPING

  Thus it came about that Ted Turner began the long, golden days of hissummer vacation at the great estates of the Fernalds, and soon he hadmade himself such an indispensable part of the farming staff that bothMr. Wharton and Mr. Stevens came to rely on him for many servicesoutside of those usually turned over to the men.

  "Just step over to the south lot at Pine Lea, Ted, and see if thosefellows are thinning the beets properly," Mr. Wharton would say. "Igave them their orders but they may not have taken them in. You knowhow the thing should be done. Sing out to them if they are not doingthe job right."

  Or:

  "Mr. Stevens and I shall be busy this morning checking up the pay roll.Suppose you have an eye on the hilling up of the potatoes, Ted. Showthe men how you want it done and start them at it. I'll be over laterto see how it's going."

  Frequently, instead of working, the boy was called in to give anopinion on some agricultural matter with which he had had experience.

  "We are finding white grubs in the corner of the Pine Lea garden. Theyare gnawing off the roots of the plants and making no end of trouble.What did you do to get rid of them when you were up in Vermont?"

  "Salt and wood ashes worked better than anything else," Ted would replymodestly. "It might not be any good here but we had luck with it athome."

  "We can try it, at least. You tell Mr. Stevens what the proportions areand how you applied it."

  And because the advice was followed by a successful extermination ofthe plague, the lad's prestige increased and he was summoned to futureconclaves when troublesome conditions arose.

  Now and then there was a morning when Mr. Stevens would remark to Mr.Wharton:

  "I've got to go to the Falls to-day to see about some freight. TedTurner will be round here, though, and I guess things will be allright. The men can ask him if they want anything."

  And so it went.

  First Ted filled one corner, then another. He did errands for Mr.Wharton, very special errands, that required thought and care, andwhich the manager would not have entrusted to every one. Sometimes heventured valuable suggestions which Mr. Stevens, who really had had farless farming experience than he, was only too grateful to follow.

  If the boy felt at all puffed up by the dependence placed upon him, hecertainly failed to show it. On the contrary he did his partenthusiastically, faithfully, generously, and without a thought ofpraise or reward. Although he was young to direct others, when he didgive orders to the men he was tactful and retiring enough to issue hiscommands in the form of wishes and immediately they were heeded withoutprotest. He never shirked the hard work he asked others to perform butwas always ready to roll up the sleeves of his blue jeans and pitchwith vigor into any task, no matter how menial it was. Had he beenarrogant and made an overbearing use of his authority, the men wouldquickly have rated him as a conceited little popinjay, the pet of theboss, and made his life miserable; but as he remained quite unspoiledby the preference shown him and exhibited toward every one heencountered a kindly sympathy and consideration, the workmen soonaccepted him as a matter of course and even began to turn to himwhenever a dilemma confronted them.

  Perhaps Ted was too genuinely interested in what he was doing to thinkmuch about himself or realize that the place he held was an unusualone. At home he and his father had threshed out many a problem togetherand each given to it the best his brain had to offer, without thoughtof the difference in their ages. Sometimes Ted's way proved the better,sometimes Mr. Turner's. Whichever plan promised to bring the moresuccessful results was followed without regard for the years of him whohad sponsored it. They were working together and for the same goal andwhat did it matter which of them had proposed the scheme they finallyfollowed? To get the work completed and lay low the obstacles in theirpath were the only issues of importance.

  So it was now. Things at Aldercliffe and Pine Lea must be done and donewell, and only what furthered that end counted. Nevertheless, Ted wouldnot have been a human boy had he not been pleased when some idea of hiswas adopted and found to be of use; this triumph, however, was lessbecause the programme followed was his own than because it put forwardthe enterprise in hand. There was a satisfaction in finding the key toa balking problem and see it cease to be a problem. It was fun, forexample, to think about the potatoes and then say to Mr. Wharton:

  "Do you know, Mr. Wharton, I believe if we tried a different spray onthat crop that isn't doing well it might help matters."

  And when the new concoction was tried and it did help matters, what aglow of happiness came with the success!

  What wonder that as the days passed, the niche awarded the lad grewbigger and bigger!

  "There is no way you could come up here and live, is there, Ted?" Mr.Wharton inquired one day. "I'd give a good deal to have you here on thespot. Sometimes I want to talk with you outside working hours and Ican't for the life of me lay hands on you. It's the deuce of a way toFreeman's Falls and you have no telephone. If you were here----" Hepaused meditatively, then continued, "There's a little shack down bythe river which isn't in use. You may remember seeing it. It wasstarted years ago as a boathouse for Mr. Laurie's canoes andthen--well, it was never finished. It came to me the other day that wemight clean it up, get some furnishings, and let you have it. How wouldthe notion strike you?"

  Ted's eyes sparkled.

  "I'd like it of all things, sir!" returned he instantly.

  "You wouldn't be timid about sleeping off there by yourself?"

  "No, indeed!"

  "Well, well! I had no idea you would listen to such a plan, much lesslike it. Suppose you go down there to-day and overhaul the place. Findout what would be required to make you comfortable and we will see whatwe can do about it. I should want you fixed up so you would be allright, you know. While we could not afford to go into luxuries, therewould be no need for you to put up with makeshifts."

  "But I am quite used to roughing it," protested Ted. "I've often campedout."

  "Camping is all very well for a while but after a time it ceases to bea joke. No, if you move up here to accommodate us, you must have decentquarters. Both Mr. Fernald and Mr. Clarence would insist on that, I amcertain. So make sure that the cabin is tight and write down what youthink it would be necessary for you to have. Then we'll see aboutgetting the things for you."

  "You are mighty good, sir."

  "Nonsense! It is for our own convenience," Mr. Wharton replied gruffly.

  "Shall I--do you mean that I am to go over there after work to-night?"

  "No. Go now. Cut along right away."

  "But I was to help Mr. Stevens with the----"

  "Stevens will have to get on without you. Tell him so from me. You cansay I've set you at another job."

  With springing step Ted hurried away. He was not sorry to exchange thetedious task of hoeing corn for the delightful one of furnishing adomicile for himself. What sport it would be to have at last a placewhich he could call his own! He could bring his books from home, hisbox of electrical things--all his treasures--and settle down in hiskingdom like a young lord. He did not care at all if he had only ahammock to sleep in. The great satisfaction would be to be his ownmaster and monarch of his own realm, no matter how tiny it was. Likelightning his imagination sped from one dream to another. If only Mr.Wharton would let him run some wires from the barn to the shack, whatelectrical contrivances he could rig up! He could then light the roomand heat it, too; he could even cook by electricity.

  Probably, however, Mr. Wharton would consider such a notion out of thequestion and much too ambitious. Even though the Fernalds had anelectrical plant of their own, such a luxury was not to be thought of.A candle would do for lighting, of course.

  Soon he came within sight of the shack which stood atthe water's edge. _Page_ 27.]

  Busy with these thoughts and others like them he sped across the meadowand through the woods toward the river. He was not content to walk thedistance but like a child
leaped and ran with an impatience not to becurbed. Soon he came within sight of the shack which stood at thewater's edge, mid-way between Aldercliffe and Pine Lea, and wassheltered from view by a grove of thick pines. Its bare, boarded wallshad silvered from exposure to the weather until it was scarcelynoticeable against the gray tree trunks. Nevertheless, its crude, roughsides, its staring windows, and its tarred roof looked cheerless anddeserted enough. But for Ted Turner it possessed none of theseforbidding qualities. Instead of being a hermitage it seemed aparadise, a fairy kingdom, the castle of a knight's tale!

  Thrusting the key which Mr. Wharton had given him into the padlock, herolled open the sliding door and intermingled odors of cedar, tar, andpaint greeted him. The room was of good size and was neatly sheathed asan evident preparation for receiving a finish of stain which, however,had never been put on. There were four large windows closed in bylights of glass, a rough board floor, and a fireplace of field stone.Everywhere was dirt, cobwebs, sawdust, and shavings; and scatteredabout so closely there was scarcely space to step was a litter ofnails, fragments of boards, and a conglomeration of tin cans of varioussizes.

  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. Throughall its dinginess and confusion he saw that the roof was tight, thewindows whole, and the interior quite capable of being swept out,scrubbed and put in order. That was all he wanted to know. Why, theplace could be made into a little heaven! Already he could see ittransformed into a dwelling of the utmost comfort. He had remodelledmany a worse spot,--the barn loft in Vermont, for example, and made ithabitable. One had only to secure a table, a chair or two, build a bunkand 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 goingto work then and there. Fearing, however, that Mr. Wharton might beawaiting his report, he reluctantly closed the door again, turned thekey in it, and hurried back to the manager's office.

  "Well," inquired the elder man, spinning around in his desk chair asthe boy entered and noting the glow in the youthful face, "how did youfind things at the shack? Any hope in the place?"

  "Hope!" repeated Ted. "Why, sir, the house is corking! Of course, it isdirty now but I could clean it up and put it in bully shape. All I'dneed would be to build a bunk, get a few pieces of furniture, and theplace would be cosy as anything. If you'll say the word, I'll startright 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 outsideyour regular hours."

  "But it is for my accommodation, too," put in the lad withcharacteristic candor.

  "I am very glad if it happens to be," nodded Mr. Wharton. "So much thebetter. But at any rate, you are not going to take your recreation timefor 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 abunk and rough table myself. If I could just have a couple ofchairs----"

  Mr. Wharton smiled at the modesty of the request.

  "Suppose we leave the furnishing until later," said he, turning back tohis desk with a gesture of dismissal. "I may drop round there some timeto-day while you're working. We can then decide more fully upon what isnecessary. You'll find brooms, mops, rags, and water in the barn, youknow. Now be off. I'm busy."

  Away went Ted, only too eager to obey. In no time he was laden with allthe paraphernalia he desired. He stopped at Stevens' cottage only longenough to add to his equipment a pail of steaming water and then,staggering under the weight of his burden of implements, made his wayto the shack. Once there he threw off his coat, removed his collar andtie, rolled up his sleeves, and went to work. First he cleared the bulkof rubbish from the room and set it outside; then he swept up the floorand mopped it with hot suds; afterwards he washed the windows andrubbed them until they shone. Often he had watched his mother andsisters, who were well trained New England housekeepers, performsimilar offices and therefore he knew exactly how such things should bedone. It took him a solid morning to render the interior spotless andjust as he was pausing to view his handiwork with weary satisfactionMr. 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. Theroom is actually a pretty one, isn't it? We shall be able to fix you upsnug as a bug in a rug here." He ran his eye quickly about. "If you putyour bunk between the windows, you will get plenty of air. You'll needwindow shades, some comfortable chairs, a bureau, a table----"

  "I think I can make a table myself," Ted put in timidly. "That is, if Ican have some boards."

  "No, no, no! There are boards enough. But you don't want a makeshiftthing like that. If you are going to have books and perhaps read orstudy, you must have something that will stand solidly on four legs. Imay be able to root a table out of some corner. Then there will bebedding----"

  "I can bring that from home."

  "All right. We'll count on you to supply that if you are sure you haveit to spare. I'll be responsible for the rest." He stopped an instantto glance into the boy's face then added kindly, "So you think you aregoing to like your new quarters, eh?"

  "You bet I am!"

  "That's good! And by the by, I have arranged for you to have your mealswith Stevens and his wife. They like you and were glad to take you in.Only you must be prompt and not make them wait for you. Should youprove yourself a bother they might turn you out."

  "I'll be on hand, sir."

  "See that you are. They have breakfast at seven, dinner at twelve, andsupper at six. Whenever you decide to spend Sunday with your family, ortake any meals elsewhere, you must, of course, be thoughtful enough toannounce beforehand that you are to be away."

  "Yes, sir."

  Ted waited a few moments and then, as Mr. Wharton appeared to be on thepoint of leaving, he asked with hesitancy:

  "How--how--much will my meals cost?"

  An intonation of anxiety rang in the question.

  "Your meals are our hunt," Mr. Wharton replied instantly. "We shall seeto those."

  "But--but----"

  "You'll be worth your board to the Fernald estates, never fear, my lad;so put it all out of your mind and don't think of it any more. All is,should we ask of you some little extra service now and then, I am sureyou will willingly perform it, won't you?"

  "Sure!" came with emphatic heartiness.

  "Then I don't see but everything is settled," the manager declared, ashe started back through the grove of pines. "I gave orders up at thetoolhouse that you were to have whatever boards, nails, and tools youwanted, so don't hesitate to sail in and hunt up anything you need."

  "You are mighty kind, sir."

  "Pooh, pooh. Nonsense! Aren't you improving the Fernald property, I'dlike to know?" Mr. Wharton laughed. "This boathouse has been an eyesorefor years. We shall be glad enough to have it fixed up and used forsomething."