The Greenhorn
Cone, Marjorie
46$ THE COMMONWEAL September 22, 1926 THE...
...she did not know them...
...Maybe she won't brown, but the earth in which they were set had a notice...
...Wolff would kill her if she found out...
...She They were a queer family...
...she wanted everything to be especially nice...
...Wolff looking on...
...the table beamed like a star...
...Gretchen felt as was tapping her finger against her glass...
...That delayed her, but she ran all she laughed it was like the cow jumping over the moon...
...bridge tables in the parlor...
...Wolff...
...give it to the lady next to Mrs...
...When she came in with the glorious date cake, Mrs...
...When kitchen...
...she didn't have a moment what happened...
...Wolff...
...Her heart stopped beating...
...wasn't dry yet...
...the elevator banged open with the eleven o'clock mail Mrs...
...When she would be discovered...
...Wolff was too interested in what it that way...
...yelled all the way down in the elevator and Mr...
...that's over...
...was crying...
...in the closet and tried to forget about it...
...this afternoon...
...She set the plate in a corner to dry...
...she ran by the church she crossed herselff and panted "What's the matter with Gretchen...
...Wolff There were so many beautiful things in the Five September 22, 1926 THE COMMONWEAL 469 and Ten...
...so, Gretchen ?" She could not think while she served, and so she did "Oh, Mr...
...She was so cold again, no sunlight could warm Mrs...
...maybe by that time it would be dry...
...Wolff kept saying things that rattled But often she didn't laugh...
...there it had lain all around the knob...
...Not a sign...
...Teddy's room and stood a moment at the open was such a good cook that she could have thrown the window, dipping her arms in the sunlight until the plates, one by one, at Mrs...
...She had skeins of "Gretchen 1" It was at least the third time Mrs...
...Then she passed the cups went too...
...She wasn't sure about the tea-cups...
...She didn't forget a thing today...
...She brought one "Well, what've you got for the Old Man...
...more...
...Last time Gretchen had chipped one of the good hurt and astonished at Gretchen's negligence...
...Wolff found dust on the piano legs and was her...
...Gretchen had ceased to be...
...Vanderbilt ist ein Hund dagegen.' Isn't that were no part of her any more...
...They were the funnilots of glue on it and at last the plate and the chip est family...
...She just said ter from Germany only two weeks ago...
...he was fat and jolly, with bled when she saw it...
...Gretchen cast down her eyes in shame...
...Gretchen had come to was all out of breath when she saw the Five and Ten, them when she was a greenhorn and she had been a long way off, shining and red as a Christmas tree with them nine months...
...they were still dead and "Paste the chip on," said Mary...
...Gretchen cleared away the she was laughing about...
...While she stared, the lady "Oh," she stammered, "ist so schon grun...
...Volff...
...They came back together...
...Gretchen paid ten cents and held home...
...What was she going to do I the polish had worn the paint off and there was a halo Back in its corner lay the Secret...
...You know how refined fully on the bed...
...Mary said at Mr...
...Wolff, "I must tell you She was busy after lunch...
...At first it would not stick and her fingers teach her yet...
...Oh, Frank," said Mrs...
...Wolff saw and blushed crimson delight...
...laugh...
...Oh, Gretchen !" "Hullo, everybody," said Mrs...
...she wanted to be angry...
...Wolff had hid in back of his paper at the breakfast table laughed for a long time and she had engaged Gretchen...
...happy again...
...Even now a purple calendar almost stayed and her expression changed in a startling way...
...lovely smell when you bent to it...
...46$ THE COMMONWEAL September 22, 1926 THE GREENHORN By MARJORIE CONE E VERYBODY was cross this morning...
...Teddy was yelling...
...seemed to swell all over until she could scarcely stir At half past four Gretchen served tea and the plate for happiness...
...Wolff...
...On the window-sill there was a have happened to her...
...Wolff said, "Isn't that a late...
...She sang a gay song with Wolff and Mrs...
...He dived through them and ran into the the little package tight, tight in her hand...
...long as possible, and then she saw that she had to "Come on Father, come inside and look at my bulbs...
...They had to eat their salad first and "Well, I can see it was a grand party," said Mr...
...Teddy pulled the bulbs up to see if the roots were the Five and Ten...
...the voices of the ladies slid a note higher...
...it was a bad though the sun had come out suddenly and blessed sign...
...Mary to Mr...
...a prayer to the Blessed Virgin that the glue would Gretchen burst right out crying and Mr...
...Gretchen was so happy and relieved that she If only Mrs...
...Mr...
...She only knew that she was remains of the salad and brought in the dessert plates...
...Mary and Fraulein and Gretchen served the cake perfectly...
...a little...
...Didn't "Mother, what's the matter with Gretchen...
...After awhile they all settled down at the scream...
...As soon as Mrs...
...Her aunt had said to Mrs...
...Wolff did not notice...
...We'll all go to have a look at the bulbs...
...The cake slipped a bit to one side and "No, we'll all go," said Mr Wolff...
...Teddy came together forever...
...She brought It in last, so that the glue could dry as "Let's go inside, Father," Mr...
...But now It seemed as if terror quickened Gretchen...
...The ladies talked rather loud and she thinks she is-well-" she whispered the rest and said, "My dear, am I early...
...She put Mr...
...Gretchen So they all went...
...You never could tell...
...Wolff and Fraulein all scolded him and a sudden wild yell at the end of each verse...
...She must be right...
...ran out to him...
...Gretchen opened the door to Mr...
...when way, of course...
...Frank, did you get something to eat...
...Teddy wouldn't eat his Gretchen pulled the blankets from the bed and cereal and that almost saved the day, because Mr...
...The good dessert plates were banded Wolff said that she was having friends in to tea and in heavy gold and they were used only for company...
...Wolff told Gretchen to take down the good she was already polishing the handle of the front door...
...Wolff came in and Gretchen reached for a She put down another...
...That'll do, now," said everybody...
...swung the mattress around...
...She put such a noise she couldn't hear...
...place...
...She did not By the time she stopped she had quite forgotten what make a single mistake...
...Wolff went out to get butter and cream, and "Oh, Mr...
...the way to Lexington Avenue to make up for it...
...yellow hair which she wore twisted around in back, Wolff had called her, because each time she grew a and the knot was so heavy that it pulled her head back little louder and angrier...
...Teddy I" If any of the family happened Gretchen went out right after her, but down the back to be around they stared at her, fascinated...
...said in and looked at Mrs...
...Be good...
...You'll die laughing...
...Wolff stood there while a great full-blown moustache...
...Can't you remember anything, Gretchen...
...Gretchen was so cold she shuddered...
...Wolff...
...Shut up, now, you wild Indian, you," said Mr...
...Mary wasn't much interested...
...She had to do someThere was no letter for her, but she had had a let- thing...
...of tea without slopping even one saucer...
...At home she had braided her hair and bound "Mrs...
...Volff !" glue showed...
...I'll together...
...Every once in awhile Where was she going to find paste...
...Gretchen always laughed at that and said Mrs...
...Mrs...
...at her uncomfortably...
...through the Times...
...you never knew when they were going to stayed together...
...Wolff...
...She went that Mrs...
...Martin knew 1 Gretchen told Mary about it...
...didn't crack anything...
...I vill," said Gretchen, blushing like a geranium...
...Mrs...
...or, "My dear, am I Mr...
...And when she got to the lady with the plate, them...
...he asked...
...Wolff would find out saw what she had done...
...Mrs...
...She had put the plate back the Secret...
...Gretchen ran around forgotten the Secret and she did not know she was hoping she wouldn't forget anything, and her flat singing...
...Gretchen Gretchen's heart had turned sick inside her when she froze where she stood...
...Nothing happened...
...Teddy "Oh, yae, Mrs...
...One of the bulbs in the bowl was growing...
...Wolff didn't like This time Mrs...
...Gretchen wiped the gold-edged glasses but Gretchen "Good morning, young lady," he said...
...I want to tell you about let him...
...not become confused, as she usually did...
...I'm glad A cup wobbled in its saucer...
...dessert plates...
...bowl with three bulbs in it...
...Gretchen could have spent a happy life there, took the chip out of her mouth, in the most refined wandering from counter to counter, lost in wonder and way, on a fork...
...Wolff went out of the kitchen If Mr...
...one down in an off-hand way...
...Wolff shouted and Mrs...
...Teddy stared stick...
...Yaes...
...Gretchen Gretchen set the table with Mrs...
...could not hold the chip straight...
...Volff !" Gretchen laughed and laughed...
...did not look at them, for shame...
...She you have the cups at my place last time...
...Teddy wanted to run back for a last look at "Gretchen, when you've finished Mr...
...Wolff...
...Wolff, and nothing would chill left her bones...
...Wolff there was a tiny hard green point...
...Wolff whistled from the hall and Mr...
...Mother, what's the matter with Gretchen...
...the place where it Gretchen's heart began to beat again and it made had been was white against the gold band...
...She had If she could only have hidden somewhere ! not remembered...
...Volff...
...growing...
...dish she could not see...
...She had became quite friendly doing it...
...The ladies came and she had to control myself...
...Gretchen's hands Wolff...
...I could hardly to mend the plate...
...peasant face annoyed them all...
...Teddy right...
...Tears her, and a toy cow stabbed her heart with the thought covered Gretchen's eyes and each plate and glass on of home...
...Her aunt had found her the ornament...
...dishes and wipe them off...
...Wolff was looking at the shining little rim where the "Oh, Mr...
...Wolff had not come in yet, so that was all Mr...
...and Mrs...
...Wolff "This looks like a clean house...
...the time, with the chip on top of it...
...That Smith woman nearly swallowed help them off with their coats and lay the coats care- a chip from a dessert plate...
...The girl said that the glue would stick anything The ladies were leaving when Mr...
...Gretchen tremMartin, the elevator man...
...She did fine...
...Teddy's room his bulbs before he left for school and nobody would come out into the kitchen...
...Gretchen got down the Secret and tried to glue it "Nothing," said Mrs...
...the chip had disappeared...
...Wolff Gretchen finished the room but she did not sing any rumbled...
...the braids about her head, but Mrs...
Vol. 4 • September 1926 • No. 20
