Will felt desperate. If he was to secure Mary’s hand, he had to find a good job. For a few days Will had been working at the feed mill, helping Toonie Smith while he recovered from a bout with the gout, but Will knew it wouldn’t last long. He needed to find other work.
Will pushed his way into Bennie’s Bar. Bennie would know whether anyone needed a worker. Light from the single overhead bulb reflected off the counter, so bright that Will could read “In God We Trust” on the nickel he tossed onto the lacquered surface.
“What’ll it be, Will?”
“Pour me a glass of our hometown brew.”
“Mineral Springs?” Bennie tilted the schooner as he ran beer into it. Will watched the glass turn golden until it was almost full, then Bennie tipped it upright and added a fluffy white topper. “A beautiful brew and a bargain, too.” He set the beer in front of Will and dropped two pennies alongside.
Will sipped the brew. “Tastes good.” He drank longer.
“I see you in town a bit more often these days. What’s up?”
“I’m working nights at the feed mill until Toonie Smith returns.”
“I hear he’s got the gout. Bad stuff when you’re on your feet all day.”
“It adds a few dollars to the fifteen a month Dad pays, but it won’t last long.”
“Got plans, have you?”
“I can’t afford plans. Can’t stay home much longer though.”
“Your mother’s a good cook, I hear. You can’t beat a home-cooked meal. That’s worth something, isn’t it?”
“That, clean clothes, and a soft tick bed, but I… well, I’m not getting any younger, you know. I’ll be twenty-five this winter.”
“You’re thinking about that school teacher, are you?”
Will felt himself blush. “It’ll take more than fifteen dollars a month if I want her.”
Bennie reached for a stack of glasses that had dried on a soiled wash cloth, but he remained silent.
“Then there’s the other problem,” Will said.
“Oh?”
“All I know is farming. All I’ve ever wanted is a farm.”
“I know several farms on the market.”
“Where’d I get that kind of money?”
“It’s not so easy, I guess.”
“Someday I’ll have my own farm, Bennie.”
“It’s tough to get started these days. I’ve heard if you can afford to farm, you can afford not to.”
“My teachers said I was smart enough. Maybe I can learn a new trade. You don’t know of anyone looking for help, do you?”
Bennie shook his head. “Not right that Frank got your Grandpa’s farm. I never see him. I guess he doesn’t appreciate life’s finer things.”
“That’s another reason Grandpa liked Frank. A teetotaler, you know.” Will hoisted his half-full glass. “Grandpa thought I’d gone to hell when I left for school at Madison. He thought State Street was the devil’s lair. Just one more reason for not liking me.”
“I suppose some of my regulars got their initiation there. We should send more of our young to Madison.” Bennie sloshed a glass in the sink’s sudsy water, swiped it with a gray towel, and set it back on the shelf. “Problem is, most don’t come back.”
“Dad can’t afford to pay the money I need. He could do better, but he’s steeped in the old ways. Not open to new ideas.” Will tipped the schooner, sipped long, and set the empty glass on the bar.
“So you’ve got your pants all tied in a knot over that school marm. Better get a move on. Lotsa fellas eyeing her.” Bennie pushed Will’s empty glass aside and leaned over the counter. “Now I think about it, I remember hearing that Patterson needs help.” He lowered his voice. “His wife’s in a terrible way. She’s got consumption, you know.”
“The Ford man? Sells those god-awful, smelly machines? Must be someone else needs help.”
“I don’t know anyone else.”
“Beggars can’t be choosy, I suppose. Cars? Not sure I can do it, Bennie.”
Bennie snatched Will’s glass off the bar and turned back toward the keg. “Another one?”
“No more, Bennie. Gotta go.”
Will heard noises out back, so he moved in that direction. When he stuck his head through the garage door, he saw a pair of legs sticking out from under the Lizzie’s running board. Banging and curses emerged from underneath. Will bent to see the legs’ owner. “Is that you, Mr. Patterson?”
Will didn’t know Patterson well, but knew he turned his bicycle and wagon shop toward automobiles when Henry brought out his Model T. He must be doing okay, Will thought. Beside Fred Schmidt’s car, there must be a dozen Lizzies running around the county now. They scared the bejeebers outa his horses.
A small body twisted and turned as it squirmed from under the metal contraption. Will wasn’t sure he could do this work. He’d rather shoe a kicking horse.
Patterson straightened and brushed grime off his coveralls. “I can’t get that durned bearing off. Soaked it with oil. Maybe that’ll loosen it.” He threw a greasy rag into a barrel. “What can I do for you, young man? Looking to buy a new Lizzie?” He moved toward his office. “O’Shaughnessy, isn’t it?”
“I’m looking for work, Mr. Patterson. It’s Will. Will O’Shaughnessy.”
“You farm, don’t you?”
“Dad can’t pay enough. Need more than fifteen dollars a month. I want to get married.”
“Maybe you heard. My Matilda’s real sick. Has TB. I may have to leave Ashley Springs. Doctor says she won’t last much longer in this climate. He says I should go west to where the air is dry.”
“That’s awful. What’ll you do with the business?”
“That’s the problem. I should unload it. Too bad. I’m starting to do well. I can use a worker, but a buyer would be better.”
Will shrugged and turned toward the door. “I sure hope your wife gets better. I’ve heard dry air does wonders. There was a professor at Madison who went to Twenty Nine Palms, in California, for his TB. I didn’t know him, but Professor Babcock said he was doing real well. I hope you find someone.” Will grasped the garage doorknob.
“Not so fast, young man. I said I need a worker.”
* * *
Will avoided town for a week. He helped his father cut corn and haul the ears to the granary, but Jesse wasn’t around much, and when he was, he slept late. Will knew it was a hangover. His father did, too, but he didn’t say much. It wouldn’t do no good.
Will was thankful for the late October warm spell. With the corn picked now, and most of the cows dried up and out to pasture, his father could handle the milking until spring when the cows freshened again. Will had been reluctant to tell his father about Patterson’s offer so soon after Frank’s leaving, but he’d decided to tell him tonight.
The six cows they still milked produced little, so milking didn’t take long. Supper over, Will’s mother went to bed early, sick with a headache, and Will sat alone with Thomas in the parlor.
Will licked his lips and stared at his boots. “Dad, we’ve gotta talk.”
Thomas removed his wire-rimmed glasses and looked up from the Ashley Springs’ Weekly Democrat. “Yes, son?”
“You know that I’m fond of Mary Tregonning.” Will fidgeted in his chair.
“You’re lucky to have so fine a lady, yes you are.” He gazed at Will and smiled a broad smile. Small creases in his pudgy face danced between his upturned lips and eyes. “As pretty a lass as there is in the county. Smart, too, they say.”
“That she is.” Will leaned forward. “And I want — ”
“It’s getting serious, is it, now?” The smile faded. “You’re thinking of marriage?”
Will’s cheeks warmed. “I can’t get married. Not yet. Not without money.” He stood and faced his dad. “I know you can’t afford more.”
“More than fifteen dollars? Farm’s not big enough. I can’t get ahead as it is.”
Will wanted to suggest they farm on shares, change some things, get modern, but he had preached modern for years and got nowhere.
The newspaper slid from Thomas’s lap as he rose off his chair, stared across the room. “I wish I could help. You know I do.”
Will noticed the tremor in his voice and felt sorry for him. He felt guilty that he thought to leave, but he had to tell him. “I have a chance to work for Mr. Patterson.”
Thomas jerked his head toward Will. “You plan to leave? This soon? How can I get by? You’d leave me now?”
“Dad, there’s no other way. You said you can’t afford more money.”
“But Frank’s gone, too. Maybe you could bring your lady here. She could help mother. We’d give you both room and board.”
“Dad. She’s a teacher. Besides, it could never work out. You know that. She and mother — ”
“S’pose not.” Thomas slumped back into his chair. “Bound to happen sooner or later. But with Frank gone, and Jesse…”
“You don’t need us through winter.”
“But Fords?” Thomas frowned. “I thought you didn’t like motor cars.”
“It’s opportunity. The only one I’ve got. Patterson wants to teach me the business. I hate to leave. I’d never do it at harvest time.” Will stood over his dad and flashed a wan smile. “Besides, maybe this won’t work out. Maybe I’m not cut out for it. Maybe I’ll be back soon.”
“Maybe Jesse’ll have straightened out by spring,” Thomas said.
“Little chance of that.”
“Probably not.” Thomas rose, walked to the secretary, and rolled the top up. “There are plenty of neighbor kids who’ll work for a few dollars, so don’t you worry ’bout that.” He removed his pipe and a pouch of tobacco, slid the rolltop down, and leaned back against the desk.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay, Dad?”
Thomas lit his pipe, took a long draw, and blew a puff of smoke toward the ceiling. “Son, you’ve dated a few fillies, so you know your way ’round the paddock. If you’ve decided on Mary, you’d better grab her. You know what Aunt Net said about her nephew Joe, don’t you?”
“What was that?”
“‘He jumped over many a pretty flower and landed on a pissablossom.’ That’s what she said. S’pose you better take Aunt Net’s advice and pluck that pretty flower.”
* * *
Will was excited but apprehensive, too. He didn’t much like mechanical things, but this promised more income than he could ever make at home. Will was to report Monday morning. Patterson said he’d start him at twenty dollars but pay forty a month if he panned out. And he could stay in the spare room above the shop for free. Even though he didn’t like cars, he was eager to begin.
Patterson started by teaching Will to service the cars and do the most common repair work. Then, after they closed the shop, he took Will out for driving lessons. Before month’s end Will began to feel comfortable around the Tin Lizzies. How they ever got that name, he wasn’t sure. Patterson couldn’t help him there, but he helped with most everything else. He was a patient and fair man. And best of all, he said that Will had learned the repairs so fast that he paid him forty dollars the first month. But Will felt a sinking feeling when, at the end of the second month, Patterson handed him the paycheck and said, “I’ve decided to sell. I’ve gotta get my wife out West. But I’ll give you the first chance.”
He might as well be offered the Taj Mahal. How could he ever get that money? He wanted to save enough to get married and maybe return to the farm some day. But would a new boss keep him on? At first Will hesitated, but soon Patterson insisted.
“I’ve gotta move on this, Will. I hate to push, but see what you can do.”
Will was excited but doubtful as he approached the bank. Would they give him the money? George Tyler, the bank president, had always loaned his dad money for seed and livestock.
“So you want to buy a business?” Tyler said. “That’s pretty ambitious for a farm boy. What do you know about automobiles? I can’t lend money unless there’s reason to believe you’ll succeed. The directors wouldn’t approve, you know.”
“I’ve learned a lot the last two months, and Patterson says I’m ready.”
“How much does he want for the business?”
“Two thousand dollars, sir. I don’t have anywhere near that.” Will forced a smile. “The fact is, I don’t have but a hundred dollars.”
Tyler shook his head. “You must know that I can’t loan it all. There’ll have to be a down payment.” He pressed his hands into his desk and leaned toward Will. “I want to help, Will. Your father’s been a good customer. I know you’re a good worker and that you were a good student, so I’m inclined to take a chance, but my directors will decide. And you’ll have to find twenty percent.” He folded his hands and sat back in his oversized chair. “I can’t act with any less. See what you can do, then get back to me.”
Will pained over it for a week. Four hundred dollars. He had two hundred dollars once, but he spent it on school. He thought short courses would help him become a better farmer. But where could he ever find another three hundred now?
Through the window he saw Patterson on the phone. Will hesitated with his hand on the knob. Patterson’s face was drawn, and he paced back and forth at the end of the telephone cord like a tethered lamb. At first Will stayed outside because he didn’t want to intrude, but Patterson lowered the phone and waved him in. Then he pointed to the hard backed chair beside his desk as he placed the phone back in its cradle. “I’m getting desperate. That was Dr. Ruggles. He says he’ll have to put Matilda in the sanitarium until we go west. Have you decided, Will? Can you do it?”
Will explained the banker’s requirements, and that he needed four hundred dollars but only had a hundred.
“I’d help, but every cent of profit goes to the doctor, and I’ll need my savings to start out West. But I’ll tell you what. If you’ll agree to work for another two months while I get my affairs in order, I’ll pay you the eighty dollars up front. You can apply that money to the down payment.”
Will wanted to agree, but he would still be two hundred twenty short with nothing left to entertain Mary. He knew that Fred could smother her in dollar bills, and if given the opening, he’d do just that. Will was glad he hadn’t been in this fix a year earlier, before he felt secure in his relationship with Mary. But he was still uneasy. And where could he get two hundred twenty dollars? Will could think of one possibility, but he was hesitant to do it.
* * *
Will wasn’t sure where to turn. Then on Saturday afternoon, when he was replacing a broken board on his father’s calf pen, Thomas called him to the house. “Telephone.”
Will startled, and his misplaced swing sent the nail into the manager, but he was half way to the house before the thought struck him that he should look for it. A chunk of metal could kill a calf. He’d expected a return call from Mary, an answer to his request that she accompany him to the hay ride, so he stretched his stride and slammed into Thomas as he raced through the door. “Sorry, Dad.”
“Whoa, son. In a mighty hurry to trade Fanny for that Lizzie, now aren’t you? It’s Patterson.”
“Hello, Mr. Patterson?”
“Have you decided yet, Will? I need to know.”
“Right now?”
“John Elder’s son wants to buy. John has the money, but I don’t want him.”
“Serge?”
“I can’t wait much longer. I’ve gotta know soon. Matilda’s desperate to get outa that place.”
“I understand.”
Will walked toward the loft, to where his father pitched hay down the chute. “Dad,” Will hollered through the dust. “Patterson says I’ve got to decide now. Serge Elder wants to buy the business. His father’ll grubstake him.”
“Serge Elder couldn’t sell a two dollar gold piece for a plug nickel. He beats Jesse to the bars.”
“Patterson doesn’t like him either, but his wife’s pushing hard to get out of that sanitarium.” Will flopped onto a feed bag. “How’ll I ever get enough money?”
“Did you try Frank?”
Will had considered Frank. He’d mulled it over every night since he talked to George Tyler. He didn’t want to do it, but he had no choice. He would have to approach his brother.
Fanny nuzzled his shoulder and nickered when Will pulled her from the barn. He hadn’t told her about his plan to leave the farm for good and supposed now was as good a time as any. “Fanny, I’m thinking about going to town.”
When Fanny pulled away at the pronouncement, Will knew she understood. “Don’t you worry now. You’ll go along, too.”
Fanny resisted his tugs on the halter.
“You don’t want to leave. I understand. Not sure I do either, but it’s the only way. You’ll like Mary, yes you will.”
But Fanny wasn’t appeased. She continued to resist his urging.
“Now don’t you worry, old girl. It probably won’t even work out. I don’t have the money yet.”
Fanny refused to budge.
“It won’t be forever. Only until I earn enough to get married. I promise, Fanny, I’ll get you back to the farm before you grow old.”
But what about Mary? Would she want to honor this promise? Will didn’t mention these doubts to Fanny.
Fanny moved to the traces, but ever so slowly. Will knew she wasn’t convinced either.
He hadn’t been there since he pulled his grandpa from the hog pen, and he hadn’t planned to return, not so soon anyway. He and Frank were never close. Even at school they had different friends, and Frank was never interested in books and new ideas. But he worked hard at home. Will had to give him that. They were both conscientious, but in their own ways. Life takes strange twists. Will had been closer to Jesse, even though Jesse didn’t give a hoot about anything after he dropped out of school and ran with a bad crowd. He was always fond of liquor, but he fell off the edge when everyone around him boozed the night through. But Frank took Walter’s ways from the time he was little. He never crossed Grandpa. That’s why he had the farm now, Will supposed.
He heard Frank in the barn as he reined Fanny and tied her to his grandpa’s cast-iron hitching post. Will looked across the farmstead. Walter Duffy may have been a hard man, but he earned his conceit. Not a rotted or loose board on any building, no mud holes in his yards. Will didn’t know another farmer in the county who’d shoveled his barnyard so cows wouldn’t wallow in muck and manure. Will supposed he shouldn’t blame him for having been particular about its future.
Will avoided the hog pens as he made his way around the building toward the milk house. Frank saw him coming and lowered the pails he washed. “Hello, Will. I didn’t expect to see you.”
“I didn’t expect to come.”
“Well?” Frank said.
“Frank. Uh — ” Will felt weak. “This is hard, but I have to ask a favor. I need money.”
With no hint of his intent, Frank stared at Will as if he were sorting cows for keeping or market.
“I need two hundred twenty dollars. I don’t even know if you have it, but I have no choice.”
“I have the two twenty, but why should I give it to you?”
“I have a chance to buy Patterson’s Ford dealership. I can have my own business.” Will shifted his feet. “I’d rather be anywhere but here asking for money.”
“Why do you think you’re a businessman? Grandpa didn’t think so.”
“He wasn’t fair.” Will felt his neck warm. “You must know that.” Will wanted to bash Frank, but he held back. “He had no reason. I always did well. I worked hard and was the top student in my class. Doesn’t that count for something?”
“Maybe.”
“But I’ve got to let the man know. He won’t wait. I’ve gotta know now, Frank.”
“Come back next week.”
“I don’t have a week.”
Frank grinned but remained silent.
Will knew that Frank was extolling his pound of flesh. And there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.
Frank turned toward the wash tub and grabbed a brush, but turned back before he touched it to the pail. “I’ve got the money, and I’ll decide if and when it goes to work. I’ll think about it.”