Oh, he did, ma'am,
honest! I read about it in one of them history books you lent me. He was
a tight-wad old gink, he was. Are you goin' to give these guys as much
every meal, ma'am?"
"I mean to, of course," declared Mrs. Barnes. "Nobody shall starve at my
table. And please, Imogene, don't call people ginks and guys. That ain't
nice talk for a young woman."
Imogene apologized and promised to be more careful. But she thought a
great deal and, at the end of the first week, she imparted her thoughts
to Captain Obed.
"Say, Captain Bangs," she said, "do you know what is the matter with
the name of this place? I tell you what I think is the matter. It hadn't
ought to be the HIGH Cliff House. The CHEAP Cliff House would be a sight
better. Givin' guys--folks, I mean--fifteen-dollar-a-week board for
seven dollars may be mighty nice for them, but it's plaguy poor business
for Mrs. Thankful."
The captain shook his head; he had been thinking, too, and his
conclusions were much the same.
"You mustn't find fault with Mrs. Barnes, Imogene," he said. "She's a
mighty fine woman."
"Fine woman! You bet she is! She's too plaguy fine, that's the trouble
with her. She's so afraid her boarders'll starve that she forgets all
about makin' money. She's the best woman there is in the world, but she
needs a mean partner. Then the two of them might average up all right, I
guess."
Captain Obed rubbed his chin. "Think she needs a business manager, eh?"
he observed.
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