Page:Frank Owen - Woman Without Love (1949 reprint).djvu/53

 to push her down into the soil, but the soil was unwilling to receive her.

For weeks an idea had been formulating in her mind and now she spoke to Yekial Meigs about it.

"We've got several empty rooms upstairs," she began.

"I know it," he said curtly, "but a man needs elbow room. I've always had a dread of closed-in places."

"I was thinking," she said slowly, "that we might be able to take in a few boarders. We never use those rooms and I wouldn't mind the extra work. Besides it would be less lonesome."

"It is never lonesome on a farm," he said sullenly.

"Perhaps not to you."

"How could it be when there is so much life, so many growing things on every side?"

"Corn and cabbages," she sheered, "without souls."

"For that matter," said he, "how many of your fine city folks have souls?"

"At least they can laugh."

"Bah! Laughter is only the grimaces of monkeys."

Mary knew how covetous Yekial was and therefore she decided to gain his consent in the only possible manner.

"Think how much money you are losing," she said, "by having those rooms empty. If we had a few boarders it wouldn't cost you a penny to run the place. You grow all the vegetables and fruit. What they paid in each week would more than cover the incidentals."

Yekial rubbed his unshaven chin reflectively. "There is something in what you say," he admitted. "Of course it would be a lot of extra work for you."

"You needn't worry about that," she said. "Work is good for women. Have you changed your creed? Besides it would be a*change for me, give me something different to do."

"How would you go about getting boarders?"

"Advertise in the Fort Wayne papers."

"Wouldn't that cost money?"

"It usually does but you'd get it all back again with considerable interest."