Free The Recycled Citizen by Charlotte MacLeod Page B

ballroom into an indoor skating rink? That will be the perfect place to hold the auction. Is the room in usable condition, I hope?”
    “It’s clean and empty, if that’s what you mean,” said Mary. “Nobody ever goes in there except to brush down the cobwebs. I don’t think it’s been used much since Dolph’s Aunt Matilda gave up fencing.”
    “That was after she speared Uncle Samuel straight through the brisket,” Dolph reminisced fondly. “Remember, Jem? You and I were hiding behind the draperies and made the mistake of yelling touché! Uncle Fred thrashed us both with that rattan flyswatter he brought back from Tierra del Fuego.”
    “Who cared?” said Jem. “It was worth every welt. Ah, the golden memories of a misspent childhood.”
    “You did a damn sight more misspending than I ever got a chance to. All right, Sarah, have it your own way. I daresay if we spread the word around and send out plenty of invitations, we’ll get enough customers to make the evening worthwhile, even if it is awfully short notice. Do we have to ask Appie?”
    “Why not? She’s wallowing in money, and I can’t think who else would be likely to buy those seaweed mottoes.”
    “Darling Sarah,” cooed Theonia, “always so ready to see the best in everyone. I shall be delighted to help with the addressing. Shall I also make myself responsible for the decorations and the buffet? Perhaps I might also choose the costumes for the models and plan the fashion show. Brooks would love to pitch in, too, I’m sure. He can arrange the merchandise for the auction and set up the chairs.”
    “I’ll send Egbert to help,” said Jem, nobly making his ultimate sacrifice for the cause.
    “You will not,” said Mary. “We’ve got Genevieve and Henrietta to clean the house and fix the food. Once we get some kind of idea how many chairs we’re going to need, we’ll call the rental place and get their men to set them up. Theonia, you can do some flower arrangements and help me hostess on the night and pick out the clothes for the fashion show if you want. We can get plenty of people from the center to lend a hand. Harry Burr would, I know.”
    “Is he that nice-looking man who was reading the church magazine?” Sarah asked her. “I noticed him at the center.”
    “Must have been. I can’t think who else would. And that sidekick of his.”
    “Billy Joe McAllister?” Dolph shook his head. “I wouldn’t trust that bird within two hundred feet of a bottle.”
    “Who said anything about bottles? Billy Joe can lug the knickknacks downstairs, can’t he?”
    “I don’t know that I’d trust him with a knickknack, either, not if he thought he could pawn it for the price of a drink. What about that new feller, Ted Ashe? He looks husky enough.”
    “What you can see of him for dirt,” Mary sniffed. “Ted would be fine if you could get him to take a bath first. We do have a shower at the center,” Mary explained to the others, “but some of the members don’t seem to have any clear idea what it’s for.”
    “Bad as those whelps of Lionel’s,” Dolph grunted.
    “Worse, because our folks have had a heck of a lot longer to get dirty in,” Mary agreed cheerfully. “I’ll leave it to you, dear. If Ted shows up too ripe, we can always keep him outdoors to park the cars. I’ll grant you Ted would be better than Billy Joe. He’s a lot younger, for one thing, or looks to be. I’ve been wondering why he comes to the center at all. If Ted would clean himself up, I should think he could get a steady job as a night watchman or something. Oh well, no use trying to arrange other people’s lives for them. We gave that up the week after we opened the center. Now, dear, don’t you think we’d better head for home and let Sarah start her dinner?”

Chapter
 8
    M AX SAT DOWN ON the edge of the bed and began admiring Sarah’s nightgown. “Morning, angela mia. How’s it going?”
    “Mother and child are doing nicely, thank you.”