How could they have so many stores? Why!
There was one just for tobacco alone, and one (a lovely
one—the Art Shoppy it was) for pictures
and vases and stuff, with oh, the dandiest vase made
so it looked just like a tree trunk!
Bea stood on the corner of Main Street and Washington
Avenue. The roar of the city began to frighten
her. There were five automobiles on the street
all at the same time—and one of ’em
was a great big car that must of cost two thousand
dollars—and the ’bus was starting
for a train with five elegant-dressed fellows, and
a man was pasting up red bills with lovely pictures
of washing-machines on them, and the jeweler was laying
out bracelets and wrist-watches and everything
on real velvet.
What did she care if she got six dollars a week?
Or two! It was worth while working for nothing,
to be allowed to stay here. And think how it
would be in the evening, all lighted up—and
not with no lamps, but with electrics! And maybe
a gentleman friend taking you to the movies and buying
you a strawberry ice cream soda!
Bea trudged back.
“Vell? You lak it?” said Tina.
“Ya. Ay lak it. Ay t’ink maybe
Ay stay here,” said Bea.
The recently built house of Sam Clark, in which was
given the party to welcome Carol, was one of the largest
in Gopher Prairie. It had a clean sweep of clapboards,
a solid squareness, a small tower, and a large screened
porch. Inside, it was as shiny, as hard, and as
cheerful as a new oak upright piano.
Carol looked imploringly at Sam Clark as he rolled
to the door and shouted, “Welcome, little lady!
The keys of the city are yourn!”
Beyond him, in the hallway and the living-room, sitting
in a vast prim circle as though they were attending
a funeral, she saw the guests. They were waiting
so! They were waiting for her! The determination
to be all one pretty flowerlet of appreciation leaked
away. She begged of Sam, “I don’t
dare face them! They expect so much. They’ll
swallow me in one mouthful—glump!—like
that!”
“Why, sister, they’re going to love you—same
as I would if I didn’t think the doc here would
beat me up!”
“B-but——I don’t dare!
Faces to the right of me, faces in front of me, volley
and wonder!”
She sounded hysterical to herself; she fancied that
to Sam Clark she sounded insane. But he chuckled,
“Now you just cuddle under Sam’s wing,
and if anybody rubbers at you too long, I’ll
shoo ’em off. Here we go! Watch my
smoke—Sam’l, the ladies’ delight
and the bridegrooms’ terror!”
His arm about her, he led her in and bawled, “Ladies
and worser halves, the bride! We won’t
introduce her round yet, because she’ll never
get your bum names straight anyway. Now bust
up this star-chamber!”
They tittered politely, but they did not move from
the social security of their circle, and they did
not cease staring.
