The Irrepressible Marny T.

A cloud of dirt followed it and sometimes swallowed it. It clattered and clanked and stank. It was known to fart smoke and thunder a flame out of its rear end when it was in one of its more cantankerous moods. It was a temperamental beast that was grumpy enough to break your wrist when you woke it up by turning its crank. It was unusual in these parts but not unknown. Motorists did come this way on occasion. They were odd looking folks who hid themselves in long coats, hats and goggles. They usually carried a tool box and a spare can of gasoline. It was not like you could buy gasoline anywhere you happened to go. Most of the motorists were drummers hawking a variety of products. When their cars got stuck or broke down someone was bound to tell them to get a horse. If you were going to pull one of those salesmen out of the mud and expected to be paid for doing it, you were well advised to negotiate the price and get a shake of agreement while he was still stuck. Otherwise you would get a sales pitch or a catalog as your only reward.

The products they carried were for show. They did a mail order business. Of course they were more than happy to take your money and post the order for you. Most of them could be trusted to do that, but mind you, I did say most of them. A drummer was welcome at most farms. He was a fresh face in an isolated place. Folks normally bought something from him if he was selling anything of interest that was within their means. They even fed him if he was a good story teller. The men in the towns were not so kind. There were a lot of ribald jokes about traveling salesmen, and you could never be too sure that a bored woman would not find one of them a bit too attractive. The men did not have to worry about that with this one. This one was a she-male. People called Marny that because she drove a car and did other things women were not supposed to do. She was a drummer, a traveling salesperson, of all things. Like the female motorists in the more advanced parts of the country where there were female motorists, she wore a dress with a skirt that stopped above the ankles. The problem was that while the longer skirts got tangled up in the pedals of an automobile, the shorter skirts got tangled up in the morality of people who still thought exposed ankles were scandalous. The people who felt that way about exposed female ankles did not think that a woman should be operating a motor car anyhow, particularly when it was done at the expense of her virtue.

Marny’s face was too ordinary to be considered exceptionally beautiful, but men who gazed at her found it appealing. She was a blond, just under average height, and she was as thin as a girl just beginning to blossom into womanhood. Which is to say that although her curves were somewhat understated, they were there. Jasper found out how shapely her figure was when he went fishing on a remote part of the river. He walked through the bushes to a small beach in time to come face to face with her as she was stepping out of the water. She was stark naked. He thought she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her opinion about seeing him was less favorable. She let out a little shriek.

“Sorry ma’am. I didn’t know you were here. Honest!”

“Well, don’t just stand there gawking. Hand me my towel!”

“Yes, ma’am.” He removed the towel from a low tree branch and handed it to her.

“Now, if you’re a gentleman, you’ll turn your back while I dress.”

He turned his back to her.

“I’m too old for you.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“How old are you?”

“Eighteen.”

“There, you see. I’m four years older than you. I guess I’m close to being a spinster.”

“You looking to get hitched?”

“Not particularly. Did you come down here to see who owned the car?”

“I didn’t see the car. I was working my way down the river. Not much shore to walk on here so I cut in through the trees to get to this beach.”

She had now finished dressing. “You may turn around now.”

He turned to face her, only to see her holding a sawed off shotgun. He raised his hands.

“I know you’re probably upset about me seeing you naked, but you shouldn’t shoot a man over an honest mistake.”

“Is pointed at you?”

“No, ma’am.”

She looked at his fishing pole and creel. “Did you catch anything?”

“Three big trout.”

“Good luck on catching more. Now, if you’ll step aside, I’ll be on my way.”

He awkwardly moved aside. She was still looking at him as she started walking.

“I was only going to cast a few times before leaving. It’s a long hike home.”

She stopped walking. He seemed harmless enough. “Is the nearest farm on the way to your place?”

“If I take the road, it is.”

“I suppose I could give you a ride.”

“You really mean it?”

The excitement in his voice was genuine. He had never ridden in a car before. The sight of her beautiful body was also fresh in his mind. He would be riding in a car next to a goddess!

“Come on.” She started walking toward the road and he fell into step with her.

“Why do you carry a shotgun?”

“I lady traveling alone needs some protection. It was really careless of me not to put it under a bush closer to the river.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. You might’ve shot me.

“I’m cautious but not trigger happy.”

He saw the car as they approached the road. It was off on the shoulder. She had parked it beside a large bush so that it was difficult to see it from the road. Jasper could not wait to get a better look at it, and he ran ahead of her. He was sitting in it when she caught up with him.

“Can I start it?”

“You can crank it.”

He jumped out of the car and ran to the front of it.

“Wait until I tell you to crank.”

“Yes ma’am.”

She put the long coat on over her dress. She also covered her hair with a scarf. She then sat in the driver’s seat, moved the spark lever, and took the car out of gear.

“You ready?” he asked.

“Just about.” She got out of the car and walked around to the front to see how he was holding the crank.

“Don’t hold the crank with your thumb under it. Put your thumb on top of it with the rest of your fingers.”

“Why?”

“You want it to slide out of your hand so it doesn’t break your wrist if it kicks back on you.”

“Like this?”

“Yes.”

He turned the crank. The engine coughed once and then fired up. It was running rough. He climbed onto the seat next to Marny and watched in fascination as she moved the spark lever and adjusted the fuel. She waited until the engine smoothed out before she backed the car out of the bushes. They were now on the road and moving forward as quickly as a good horse in a canter.

Jasper shouted over the sound of the engine. “This thing’s fast and noisy.”

“Yes.”

He should not have said it, but the image of her emerging from the water was still fresh in his mind. “Do you skinny dip often?”

“Wasn’t skinny dipping; I was bathing. It’s not easy to find a place to bathe. The hotels that have tubs charge a lot to fill them, and most places do not have good locks on the doors. I don’t like it when men walk in on me bathing.”

“You mean like I did?”

She laughed and so did he. She turned off onto an access road to a farm. She took advantage of the slope of the road by shutting off the engine and coasting down to the house. She knew that scaring the chickens scratching in the yard around the house was likely to upset the farmer, and she wanted to avoid that.

Mrs. Carter stepped out on her front porch. She had heard the engine before Marny shut it off.

“Jasper, what in tar-nation are you doing? Your pa will skin you if you’re playing hooky on him to ride in that thing.”

“I’m not playing hooky. I was walking home from fishing, and she offered me a ride.”

Marny had removed her scarf and goggles. She stepped off the running board and was now removing her coat.

“Well, I’ll be… You are a woman! What’s a mere slip of a thing like you doing with such a complicated machine?”

“Don’t let men fool you. It doesn’t take much strength to operate it.”

Mrs. Carter smiled. “All right, but what brings you here?”

“I’m here to give you an opportunity to own some wonderful books.”

“You’re a drummer, a lady salesman! If that don’t beat all. Sorry child, but books are a luxury we can’t afford.”

“They’re not as expensive as you might think.”

“I’m afraid my husband will say anything at all is too much right now.”

“Are you sure? I have a terrific cook book and a book on manners that’s as good as sending your daughters to finishing school.”

Mrs. Carter started laughing. “And a lot of good it would them here. Go on with you now. Get Jasper home before his fish rots.”

Marny put on her coat and prepared to start the car. Jasper turned the crank and they drove off.

“I should’ve warned you about old man Carter. The misses is all right, but he’s a real tightwad.”

“So I gathered. You’ll notice that I didn’t leave her a list of books and an order form. I usually leave those things even when people say they’re not interested.”

“Does leaving that stuff do any good?”

“Yes, women are more competitive than you think. If a lady at their church buys a book, particularly the etiquette book, other ladies at that church will also buy it. They can’t stand the idea that their neighbors’ daughters might become more refined and attractive to the right sort of man than their daughters are.”

Jasper smiled. “I can see it. It would sure make Mrs. Abbot buy it. She really puts on airs. If you tell her the book is as good as finishing school, she’ll dispute it. And she’ll tell you she’s sending her daughters to finishing school even though she isn’t.”

“Thank you, that’s useful information. I’ll tell her it’s the book most finishing schools use, and her daughters will have a head start if she buys it now.”

They now came to another farm and Marny started to pull in there.

“Stop here! This is our place, and pa won’t take kindly to me riding around with you.”

Marny stopped the car. “Well, I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble.”

“Pa won’t let ma buy a book anyhow.”

“Why not?”

“He says there’s only three things a person needs to read: the bible, the almanac, and the Sears Catalog.”

“I hope you have more sources for knowledge than that.”

“I read whatever I can find. It isn’t easy because pa gives me a hard time about it.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Ma says we all have our own cross to bear. I hope you don’t have to camp out tonight.”

“That’s a cross I won’t have to bear tonight. I wired Miss Pringle before I came here, and she agreed to put me up.”

“She’s new. My teacher wasn’t nearly as pretty.”

“Oh, so she’s pretty.”

“I can’t tell you more than that. I’ve seen her, but I had no reason to talk to her.”

Marny smiled. She resisted the temptation to tell Jasper that most men would have found Miss Pringle’s beauty more than enough reason to talk to her.

“Goodbye,” she said.

He watched her drive away. She sold three books that day. Mrs. Abbot even bought a copy of the etiquette book. Marny drove to the schoolhouse rather than Miss Pringle’s home. The children had just left. Miss Pringle’s back was facing the car as she latched the schoolhouse door. She smiled when she turned around and saw Marny. She was a tall, graceful brunet. Jasper was right about her being pretty. She was also very young, no more than seventeen or eighteen years old. If Jasper was going to be infatuated with someone, it should be Miss Pringle. Miss Pringle walked over to the car.

“Good afternoon, Miss Pringle.”

“Good afternoon, Miss Terry. Please call me Anne.”

“Please call me Marny, Marny T. to my associates. I’d like to tell you the T is because of my surname, but it’s really a matter of people teasing me about driving a model T.”

“I wouldn’t want to start out by teasing you, Marny.”

Marny leaned over the seat and opened the door for Anne. Anne accepted the unstated invitation and got in the car.

“I don’t mind. I consider being a female motorist a mark of distinction.”

“I admire your courage.” Anne removed her hat and held it in her lap to keep the wind from blowing it away.

“And I admire what you do,” Marny said. “I sure didn’t last long when I tried it.”

“What happened?”

“People were giving the men who wanted to court me a hard time. It’s not that I wanted to get married, but I really resented the rule against it.”

Anne smiled. “I know what you mean. I don’t think anyone wants to become the spinster school marm.”

“And it takes a surprisingly short time for people to start thinking of you as that. Fortunately, I was able to tell them I got a better job.”

“What you do is unusual. How did you convince someone to hire you?”

“I talked one of the salesmen into giving me the name of the man who owns the publishing firm. I wrote a letter saying that most of the teachers are now women and that other women would prefer to buy cook books and such from a woman.”

“You made a good argument, but I still think he must be an extraordinary man to take the chance of hiring a female salesperson.”

“I believe it was his wife who actually hired me. She’s a suffragette, and she plays an active role in the publishing business.”

“They must be quite a couple. Do you like what you do?”

“I like the freedom. It’s difficult at times, but the challenges are part of what makes it exciting.”

Anne’s home was a single room cabin. The cot Anne had borrowed for Marny made the small space inside seem even smaller. Anne and Marny had a very pleasant discussion over what turned out to be the surprisingly good meal Anne cooked on a wood burning stove. Anne was obviously a very accomplished young lady. Marny gave her a ride to school the next morning.

“Thank you for the hospitality.”

“You’re welcome.” Anne stepped off of the running board and closed the door. “I hope you visit me again.”

“Thank you, I will.”

When Marny turned the car around to leave Jasper was in her path. He had come out of nowhere.

“Jasper! What are you doing here?”

“I want to go with you.”

She looked at the tote bag slung over his shoulder, and she shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“You might as well say yes. My brothers give pa more than enough help. I already told him I’m going.”

“How did he react to that?”

“He was madder than a wet hen. He said he knew no good would come from those books I was sneaking off to read. He said they filled me with crazy ideas about seeing the world and such. Maybe he’s right about that. I don’t know. What I know is that I don’t want to be a farmer. I want to see more than this tiny part of the world, and I want improve my education.”

If Jasper was looking for an argument to convince Marny to take him with her, he could not have picked a better one. She believed provincialism and the anti-intellectual attitude she encountered in this country were largely responsible for the absurd notion about what role women should play in society. She believed it was ignorance as well as the male ego that kept women down.

“If you come with me, we’ll have to split up soon after-wards.”

“How do you figure?”

“You’re going to have to find work and make your own way if you’re going to keep your self-respect.”

He realized she was right. He could not let her support him. He almost asked how she would feel about him supporting her, but he was afraid she would leave him behind if he posed the question.

“I’m a hard worker,” he said. “I’ll find a way to provide for myself.”

“Then you want to go even though you know we won’t be together long?”

“Yes ma’am.”

It was against her better judgment but she told him to get in the car. “You may call me Marny.”

“Thank you, Marny.”

She had only driven a short distance when he asked, “What do you do when the car breaks down?”

“I fix it.”

“And when it gets stuck in the mud?”

“Someone always pulls me out. Men are much quicker to help a lady.”

“No doubt about that.”

He had now run out of small talk, and there was a long lapse in the conversation before he thought of another topic.

“What did you think of Miss Pringle?”

“I like her. You were right when you said she’s pretty. I’m surprised you haven’t made an effort to get to know her.”

“I thought about it, but I didn’t know how to go about it. It’s not like when you’re a kid playing in the schoolyard. I guess I don’t know enough about women.”

“What do you want to know?”

“I’m afraid you’ll get mad at me if I tell you.”

“I might not answer you, but I won’t get mad at you.”

“Well… It’s going to sound dirty. The thing is that it’s something only a woman can answer.”

“Oh?”

This was as much encouragement as she willing to give him about a subject that could prove embarrassing. There was a long pause. He finally decided that telling her it was going to sound dirty was enough of a warning. She could have told him not to ask.

“Why don’t women like sex?”

Marny had to struggle to keep from laughing. “It’s not that women don’t like sex; it just has to be with the right man. What a woman really wants is love. The right man is the one she loves. He is also the one who loves her and tells her he does.”

The sun was going down and she stopped at a diner. The conversation ended until they ordered their hamburgers.

“How do I know I won’t be making a fool out of myself by telling her I love her?”

“Well, the surest way to make a fool out of yourself is to say it when you don’t mean it. Take the time to get to know her. Women have to be subtle. If you’re sitting with her on the porch and you take her hand, she might lean against you to let you know she likes to feel you next to her. If you take her hand when you’re walking, she’ll look at your face and smile. If you hug her, she will hug you, and if you kiss her, she will kiss you. She’ll find ways to encourage you and let you know how she feels.”

“It would sure be easier if she would just say it.”

“There are times when a woman feels the same way, but the rules won’t let her tell you.” She giggled. “Believe me, she’ll have plenty to say after you’re married. Many men say married women express themselves too much.”

“My pa is one of them.”

They were soon on the road again. It was getting quite dark and they had not found lodging. The dim lamps on the car made driving over the rough road dangerous. They found a place where they could camp, and she parked the car well off the road. She handed him two blankets and a small carpet bag. She then lit an oil lamp and picked up the shotgun.

“I know you’ll protect me, but I feel safer with it by my side.”

She set the oil lamp on a large rock. She then put one of the blankets over a tree branch so that it hung down like a drape.

“Hand me the carpet bag.”

She took the bag and the shotgun to other side of the blanket where the lamp was.

“I apologize for making you sit in the dark, but it’s only until I change my clothes.”

“I’ll build us a fire.”

“No. You build fires in camp grounds where there are other people. You don’t build one in a secluded area.”

She pulled the blanket off the branch. She was wearing a pair of trousers, probably designed for a boy, and a large shirt that she did not tuck into her trousers. Her dress was neatly folded on top of the carpet bag. She handed him the lamp before spreading her blanket on the ground.

“Good night,” she said.

He saw her lie down and fold the blanket around her body. She looked tiny and helpless, but he knew the shotgun was at her side beneath the blanket. She was one tough, cautious woman.

Marny was up with the first rays of the sun. Jasper woke up to the smell of a small fire and coffee.

“I thought you didn’t build fires in secluded areas”

“You don’t want to draw attention to yourself by lighting up the night. It’s all right to build a fire in the morning. Coffee?”

“Please.”

“I also have bread. It’s a bit stale but it’s not bad.”

That was their breakfast, Coffee and bread. I was really meager when compared to the ones his mother made, but it was enough to take the edge off his hunger. After breakfast Marny draped the blanket over the tree branch and changed into her dress.

“Where are we headed?” Jasper asked as he climbed into the car.

“Cooper’s town.”

“Do you sell many books there?”

“A few, but it’s the gasoline that makes it a necessary stop.”

It was three in the afternoon when they reached Cooper’s town, and they had not eaten since their skimpy breakfast. Perhaps that is why Marny got careless enough to speed. She was eager to get to the diner. She parked her car in front of the restaurant and turned off the engine. A sheriff’s deputy walked over to the car.

“You were going awfully fast there, buddy.”

Marny removed her goggles and scarf. “I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“Oh, it’s you.”

She tried to charm him with a smile.

“Not this time,” he said. “You’re going to have tell it to a judge this time.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He wrote her one of those recently created citations and handed it to her. “Be at the court house at nine tomorrow morning. And don’t try to leave town.”

She and Jasper were too hungry to let the citation spoil their meal. They ate half the food on the table before either of them paused long enough to say anything.

“What do you think the judge will do?”

“He’s going to fine me, the brute. It won’t be a small fine, either. I’d better wire my employer and ask for an advance.”

“That has to be embarrassing. Let me pay for the meal.”

“You have money?”

“Just enough to cover our food. After that I’m tapped out.”

“Then you might want to save what you have for lodging.”

“Oh?”

“I’m staying at a place that houses many of the girls working at the wool factory. They don’t allow men in there.”

“I still want to pay for the meal. And don’t worry about me. There’s enough day left for me to get in a few hours of work somewhere before I’ll need a place to stay.”

“Are you sure? I’d hate to see you get arrested for vagrancy.”

“I’m positive.”

That was when they parted. She bought the gasoline and went to the Western Union office. The message she wrote on the form was: “Foolish me cited for speeding Stop Amount of fine not yet determined Stop Request advance on pay Stop Marny T.”

She did not have to say where she was because the name of the town was on the form and was routinely sent along with the date and time.

Jasper found the man at the livery stable congenial. “With those danged automobiles, my business has really dropped off. I could use some help, but I can’t pay for it.”

“All I need is a meal and a place to sleep tonight.”

“My misses can fix you up with supper and breakfast, but you’ll have to sleep on the straw here.”

“Good enough.”

“Let me show you what to do.”

Marny waited at Western Union for a reply. The reply said: “Wiring court clerk a small fee to tell us amount of fine Stop Will wire that amount Stop Will discuss your actions when you return.”

That said it all. She felt confident that everything would be taken care of. The next morning when she exited the boarding house on her way to court two burly deputies blocked her path.

“Miss Marny Terry?”

“Yes.”

“You’re under arrest.”

“What?”

“I said you’re under arrest!”

“But I’m due in court at nine o’clock.”

“You’ll see the judge soon enough.”

“What’s this about?”

“Come along, Miss.”

“I have a right to know why I’m being arrested!” she shouted.

“You’re creating a disturbance. If you don’t stop shouting and come along quietly, we’ll have to restrain you.”

One of the deputies grabbed her right arm, and the other grabbed her left arm. She tried to keep her voice calm.

“I’m cooperating. There’s no need to manhandle me.”

They walked her down to the sheriff’s station without further comment. The only good thing she could say about them is that they did not parade her through the town in handcuffs. She was thrown in jail without anyone telling her why.

Jasper was then arrested for vagrancy. “I’m no vagrant,” Jasper said. “The owner let me stay at the livery in return for the work I did for him.”

“We’ll check out your story after we get you to the station.”

They did not put him in jail. Instead he was taken to an interrogation room where two detectives grilled him about his relationship with Marny. They were trying to get him to say she had promised him sex if he would go with her and that he had sex with her. He refused to say any of those things. He told them the truth and would not waiver from it. There was little doubt in his mind that his pa had sicked the sheriff on him and Marny.

Fortunately, the court clerk informed the publisher of what was transpiring. The publisher’s wife, Mrs. Van Allen, received the telegram. As a suffragette she was quick to take offense whenever she thought a sister was being mistreated.

“I smell a rat,” she said, “a big fat, rotten rat! Marny would not have done that. They’re persecuting her because she won’t conform.”

Mrs. Van Allen sent telegrams until she reached an attorney in Cooper’s Town. The attorney then went to the sheriff’s station.

Marny was escorted to a small room. A tall man was sitting at the table in the center of the room. He was too well dressed to be a cop. He looked like he was in his mid-thirties. He stood up to greet her.

“Miss Terry, I’m Mr. Holder. Mrs. Van Allen retained me to represent you.”

“Bless her. I’m glad to meet you, Mr. Holder. Why did they arrest me?”

“You’re being charged with reckless driving, disturbing the peace, failure to appear in court, and prostitution.”

“You’ve got to be kidding. Who’s the evil minded bastard accusing me of prostitution?”

Mr. Holder smiled. “I don’t know, but I’d hate to have to defend him against the charges you just made.”

Marny smiled. “Sorry about the unladylike language.”

“That’s all right. Tell me what really happened.”

The prostitution charge told her this must be about Jasper so she told Mr. Holder the whole story about her relationship with Jasper.

“I have to honest with you,” Mr. Holder said. “You’re not a conventional lady, and many people want to think the worst of you. This doesn’t look good, particularly the part about you spending night alone with him in the woods. I don’t think they can get prostitution to stick, but they might be able to get you on some other morals charge. I think we should start by trying to eliminate the things that would be most damaging to your reputation.”

“Absolutely.”

“Let me talk to the District Attorney and see how many of the charges we can get dismissed without a trial. I’ll get back to you this afternoon.”

At two in the afternoon she was escorted into the small room to meet with Mr. Holder.

“Here’s the deal,” he said. “They’ll drop the prostitution and failure to appear charges if you’ll plead guilty to reckless driving and disturbing the peace.”

“But I’m not guilty of disturbing the peace.”

“This is a strict and very quiet town. What folks around here consider disturbing the peace can seem awfully tame to people from a city.”

She rolled her eyes. “So what’s the penalty for disturbing the peace?”

“They’re going to hold you overnight anyhow, and the penalty is a day in jail. You will have already served that by the time we go to court tomorrow.”

“And reckless driving?”

“A hundred dollars.”

“A hundred dollars! Do they think I’m J.P. Morgan?”

“Mrs. Van Allen said she’d pay it.”

“I guess I have no choice.”

“No good choice. Oh, there’s one more thing. You have to leave town and agree that you’ll never come back.”

“Are they delusional enough to think I’d ever want to?”

Jasper watched from a side street, hoping he would not be visible from Main Street. He wanted to go with Marny, but he had caused her too much grief as it was. He was too embarrassed about the tears streaming down his cheeks to meet face to face with her and say goodbye. She drove by with her head held high. There was no way she was going to display any emotion that might give them the satisfaction of thinking they had hurt her.

When Marny returned to the publisher’s office Mrs. Van Allen gave her a new job. Marny then became a paid organizer for a women’s suffrage group. She traveled to the states that had not given women the right to vote, and she helped the women in those states organize their campaigns and demonstrations. She was arrested at some of those demonstrations. She did not care. She said she was always in good company.

Jasper refused to go home. He made his way to a city and eventually became a newspaper reporter. He used his sources as a reporter to keep track of Marny. He hated to think about what he would be doing now if she had not taken him with her that day. She changed his life for the better. She had told him that what a woman wanted was love. It was a pity that she would never know how much he loved her. It was a different love than he had for his wife, but it was still love.

After months of courting, Marny finally agreed to marry one of the attorney’s who represented the suffragettes. This does not mean she settled down and lived happily ever after; she was Marny. She kept her husband busy defending her for violating and trying to change inequitable conventions and laws.

First published in macsbackporch.foxtail-farms.com on Jun 2, 2010