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158
Adventures in Contentment
·
David Grayson
66
"That's
so,"
said
John
Starkweather:
"if
I
could
only
get
workmen
that
believed
it."
By
that
time
I
could
see
that
he
was
beginning
to
be
interested.
I
put
back
the
wheel,
gave
it
a
light
turn
and
screwed
on
the
nut.
He
helped
me
with
the
other
end
of
the
axle
with
all
good
humour.
"Perhaps,"
I
said,
as
engagingly
as
I
knew
how,
"you'd
like
to
try
the
art
yourself?
You
take
the
grease
this
time
and
I'll
steady
the
wagon."
"All
right!"
he
said,
laughing,
"I'm
in
for
anything."
He
took
the
grease
box
and
the
paddle--less
gingerly
than
I
thought
he
would.
"Is
that
right?"
he
demanded,
and
so
he
put
on
the
grease.
And
oh,
it
was
good
to
see
Harriet
in
the
doorway!
"Steady
there,"
I
said,
"not
so
much
at
the
end:
now
put
the
box
down
on
the
reach."
And
so
together
we
greased
the
wagon,
talking
all
the
time
in
the
friendliest
way.
I
actually
believe
that
he
was
having
a
pretty
good
time.
At
least
it
had
the
virtue
of
unexpectedness.
He
wasn't
bored!
When
he
had
finished
we
both
straightened
our
backs
and
looked
at
each
other.
There
was
a
twinkle
in
his
eye:
then
we
both
laughed.
"He's
all
right,"
I
said
to
myself.
I
held
up
my
hands,
then
he
held
up
his:
it
was
hardly
necessary
to
prove
that
wagon-greasing
was
not
a
delicate
operation.
"It's
a
good
wholesome
sign,"
I
said,
"but
it'll
come
off.
Do
you
happen
to
remember
a
story
of
Tolstoi's
called
Ivan
the
Fool'?"
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