Carmella Commands
“Well, of course we haven’t any too much money. But I think we could pay you fifteen dollars a week.”
Mentally, Carmella tumbled from her chair. Mentally, she turned a handspring. Mentally, she fainted. Fifteen dollars a week! For bossing a few kids!
“I’ll come,” she said.
“Splendid! And when can you begin?”
“Now.”
“That’s nice! This is Tuesday. Could you come this evening?”
“Sure! That is, I suppose I can. If dad will let me. I’ll have to ask him, of course. What time will I begin?”
“About seven-thirty. Now suppose you go in and talk with Miss Sargle about the work.”
It proved that Miss Sargle didn’t know exactly what she wanted Carmella to do. She wanted results, but the methods she couldn’t describe. She rambled in her discussion of the problem till Carmella cut her short:
“What you really want, Miss Sargle, is more kids, more interest, and better behaved. Is that right?”
“Well—yes!”
“All right! You’ll get ’em, all three. I may have to beat up a few kids, but they’ll be here and they’ll mind.
“You see, Miss Sargle, the trouble with you is you don’t know kids and you don’t know wops. All you know is what you learned out of a book. That’s the bunk. You gotta get down to cases and know folks.
[274]
