signature sheet out to him.
“Save Mendolay Mountain?” he said, signing it. “Sure, sure. You know that’s on the agenda for the council meeting.”
“Are you going tonight? Ked and I are.”
“If I can get away from business. Right now, between the restaurant and a bunch of irons in the fire down island, I’m working sixteen-hour days,” he said. “Hey, you and Ked haven’t borrowed any change out of the change jar the last couple of weeks, have you?”
“No, I would have told you,” I said.
“I know, I know,” said Uncle Jack. He sounded tired and discouraged. “Maybe I’m mistaken but I could swear about a third of it is missing.”
“Wow. Who would take all your change?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to think one of the hockey players is stealing. It’s not the change. It’s feeling taken advantage of after I trusted them with the open door. I’d hate to tell them they can’t use the gym anymore unless I’m around to open and close. I guess I’ll have to talk to them. I don’t want to make any accusations when I don’t know anything for sure.”
“What if no one comes forward?”
“I don’t know,” said Uncle Jack, and there were huge bangs from the back room. “Hey, watch it back there!”
“Miss Bowzer wouldn’t sign the petition. She
wants
them to log the mountain!” I said. It was as well he knew what a pretty pass things had come to since he had neglected his courtship of her.
“Of course she’ll sign the petition,” said Uncle Jack, who was busy writing something on a clipboard.
“No, she won’t. I just talked to her.”
“She’ll sign. She’ll find somewhere to sign where it won’t get back to us she signed.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would she do that?” I argued.
“There’s more here than meets the eye, Primrose,” said Uncle Jack, and he winked at me. “But don’t worry. I’ve got plans and I’m sticking to them.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. By plans, did he mean his restaurant? Did he mean he was going to keep building it even if it drove Miss Bowzer into the arms ofDan Sneild? Didn’t he see that she was worth more than a business enterprise?
I decided to try another tack. “Have you noticed that Dan Sneild is always eating at The Girl on the Red Swing?”
“People have to eat somewhere. I imagine he gets tired of the haute cuisine up at Miss Clarice’s.”
“She likes him.”
“Miss Clarice?”
“NO,
MISS BOWZER
!”
“So I hear.”
“They knew each other in high school.”
“I knew a lot of people in high school, Primrose, what’s your point?”
“Yes, but this is romantic.”
“Is
it
romantic, or are
you
?”
“Well, somebody better be,” I said meaningly. “Did you know tonight was
pierogi night
? Miss Bowzer never had pierogi night before.”
“So?” said Uncle Jack, tapping on timbers and writing on his clipboard. It was getting on my nerves.
“Dan Sneild is
UKRAINIAN
.”
“It’s a free country,” said Uncle Jack, laughing.
“You’ll be laughing out of the other side of your mouth when Miss Bowzer starts dressing in dirndls and making great vats of sauerkraut.”
“I think you’re confusing the Ukraine with Bavaria,” said Uncle Jack, still scribbling away.
“Miss Bowzer thinks Dan Sneild might be here to buy the B and B. When they were younger it was their dream to own it.”
Now he stopped writing.
“Miss Clarice’s B and B?”
“Well, of course it wasn’t Miss Clarice’s then. Miss Bowzer has always wanted it. It’s her dream.”
“I thought The Girl on the Red Swing was Miss Bowzer’s dream. She certainly gets prickly if she thinks it’s been insulted.”
“She’s
proud of
The Girl on the Red Swing, she
created
The Girl on the Red Swing, but her heart’s desire is the B and B! All her life she has wanted to live there. She spends all her free time decorating it in her head.”
Uncle Jack put down his clipboard and looked at me
“Save Mendolay Mountain?” he said, signing it. “Sure, sure. You know that’s on the agenda for the council meeting.”
“Are you going tonight? Ked and I are.”
“If I can get away from business. Right now, between the restaurant and a bunch of irons in the fire down island, I’m working sixteen-hour days,” he said. “Hey, you and Ked haven’t borrowed any change out of the change jar the last couple of weeks, have you?”
“No, I would have told you,” I said.
“I know, I know,” said Uncle Jack. He sounded tired and discouraged. “Maybe I’m mistaken but I could swear about a third of it is missing.”
“Wow. Who would take all your change?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to think one of the hockey players is stealing. It’s not the change. It’s feeling taken advantage of after I trusted them with the open door. I’d hate to tell them they can’t use the gym anymore unless I’m around to open and close. I guess I’ll have to talk to them. I don’t want to make any accusations when I don’t know anything for sure.”
“What if no one comes forward?”
“I don’t know,” said Uncle Jack, and there were huge bangs from the back room. “Hey, watch it back there!”
“Miss Bowzer wouldn’t sign the petition. She
wants
them to log the mountain!” I said. It was as well he knew what a pretty pass things had come to since he had neglected his courtship of her.
“Of course she’ll sign the petition,” said Uncle Jack, who was busy writing something on a clipboard.
“No, she won’t. I just talked to her.”
“She’ll sign. She’ll find somewhere to sign where it won’t get back to us she signed.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would she do that?” I argued.
“There’s more here than meets the eye, Primrose,” said Uncle Jack, and he winked at me. “But don’t worry. I’ve got plans and I’m sticking to them.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. By plans, did he mean his restaurant? Did he mean he was going to keep building it even if it drove Miss Bowzer into the arms ofDan Sneild? Didn’t he see that she was worth more than a business enterprise?
I decided to try another tack. “Have you noticed that Dan Sneild is always eating at The Girl on the Red Swing?”
“People have to eat somewhere. I imagine he gets tired of the haute cuisine up at Miss Clarice’s.”
“She likes him.”
“Miss Clarice?”
“NO,
MISS BOWZER
!”
“So I hear.”
“They knew each other in high school.”
“I knew a lot of people in high school, Primrose, what’s your point?”
“Yes, but this is romantic.”
“Is
it
romantic, or are
you
?”
“Well, somebody better be,” I said meaningly. “Did you know tonight was
pierogi night
? Miss Bowzer never had pierogi night before.”
“So?” said Uncle Jack, tapping on timbers and writing on his clipboard. It was getting on my nerves.
“Dan Sneild is
UKRAINIAN
.”
“It’s a free country,” said Uncle Jack, laughing.
“You’ll be laughing out of the other side of your mouth when Miss Bowzer starts dressing in dirndls and making great vats of sauerkraut.”
“I think you’re confusing the Ukraine with Bavaria,” said Uncle Jack, still scribbling away.
“Miss Bowzer thinks Dan Sneild might be here to buy the B and B. When they were younger it was their dream to own it.”
Now he stopped writing.
“Miss Clarice’s B and B?”
“Well, of course it wasn’t Miss Clarice’s then. Miss Bowzer has always wanted it. It’s her dream.”
“I thought The Girl on the Red Swing was Miss Bowzer’s dream. She certainly gets prickly if she thinks it’s been insulted.”
“She’s
proud of
The Girl on the Red Swing, she
created
The Girl on the Red Swing, but her heart’s desire is the B and B! All her life she has wanted to live there. She spends all her free time decorating it in her head.”
Uncle Jack put down his clipboard and looked at me
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