Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 7, 1922 — page 47: what you’re looking at

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

WANTED: A BANK PRESIDENT. tell Hez that’s the one drawback to farm- in’; it’s so lonesome. Anyhow, it is since the children grew up. Sometimes I wish the summer was twice as long, on account of having our grandchildren with us that much jonger.”’ “You don’t mean to say you have grand- children!” Mrs. Swift dimpled. She did look amaz- ingly young, standing there shoulder deep among the green corn stalks, her arms full of the feathery ears. “Indeed I have. One’s five years old, too. There—did you say a dozen and a half? Better take two dozen; there’s plenty.” Together they returned to the car. Beth produced a handful of change from a small pocketbook. “Now, you put your money right away,” said Mrs. Swift. “ Funny I’d have to charge you for a few measly ears 0’ sweet corn. No, not one single penny! Probably would of gone to seed, anyhow. Wish you would come in and have a dish of tea; it isn’t so late. Seems to me I'd relish a dish of tea real well. Land sakes! I don’t have any one to make tea for once in a dog’s age. Do come in.” Beth could find no excuse for refusal. She sat in Mrs. Swift’s quaint “ settin’ room,” with its rag rugs and reed bottom chairs and general air of thrift and neat- ness. “ What a wonderful piece of gingham,” she said, picking up a half-finished garment from the table. “Now, ain’t it?” agreed Mrs. Swift, poking purposefully at the stove and push- ing the teakettle forward. “ Do you know, I’ve had that gingham for over ten years? Fact! I saved it. Knew it would come in handy some day, and now I’m making it up into a dress for my daughter Nellie’s little girl. Making it a full size too big, too, so she'll grow to it. Maybe you know my daughter Nellie—her husband works for the lumber company. “ Well, of course, you couldn’t know every one in a town’s big’s Templeton. You like your tea strong or weak? I favor mine right strong. Folks say you hadn’t ought to drink too much strong tea, but 193 I don’t see’s it ever hurt me. My son Jim says— ‘There, that makes me think. My son Jim ‘ll be twenty-four years old come next Fhursday, and I’ve got to send him somethin’ for a present. I s’pose what- ever I send ‘ll be somethin’ he’s got. I declare I’d about as soon send him money and let him pick out what he wants. He lives ’way out in Idyho. Trouble is, I haven’t had no chance to go to the post office to buy a money order—” “Why not send him a check?” “ Well, I’d have to go into Templeton to the bank and get ’em to give me a check, and pay ’em for the accommodation. That is just as much trouble.” ‘““T don’t believe my father’s bank would charge you anything for the accommoda- tion,” said Beth. She didn’t know. It suddenly occurred. to her that if such a charge were made it would be in the nature of extortion. Here was a prosperous family, producing by the sweat of its conglomerate brow the subsist- ence for scores of people, supporting dozens of non-producers— Well, what was a bank for? What would her father think about it? “It would depend. on the bank,” she heard herself say. ‘“ My idea of a bank is an institution to serve people, to help them, .to do a lot of things for them to make life easier to live, to facilitate business—why, to help out in just such a situation as the one you speak of.” “‘ Banks was always kind of a mystery to me,” said Mrs. Swift. “Oh, I know you can put money into a savings bank and get four per cent for the use of it, and it’s kept safe for you, only you have to put it In a certain day and leave it in a certain length of time, or you don’t get interest. Banks are all right for folks with plenty of money, I suppose.” Banks a mystery to people! Was a dry goods store a mystery to Mrs. Swift? Of course not. Was there anything myste- rious about the big mail order house to which she sent frequently for household esupplies? Mrs. Swift knew that if she went to the hardware store or the jeweler in Templeton and bought a quantity of merchandise, it would be delivered to her comicboooks C©