were considered as dangerous as high explo-
sives to have about the kitchen, yet they were
such good cooks and such admirable house-
keepers that they never had to look for a place.

The Vannis' tent brought the town boys and
the country girls together on neutral ground.
Sylvester Lovett, who was cashier in his fath-
er's bank, always found his way to the tent on
Saturday night. He took all the dances Lena
Lingard would give him, and even grew bold
enough to walk home with her. If his sisters
or their friends happened to be among the
onlookers on "popular nights," Sylvester
stood back in the shadow under the cotton-
wood trees, smoking and watching Lena with
a harassed expression. Several times I stum-
bled upon him there in the dark, and I felt
rather sorry for him. He reminded me of Ole
Benson, who used to sit on the draw-side and
watch Lena herd her cattle. Later in the sum-
mer, when Lena went home for a week to
visit her mother, I heard from Antonia that
young Lovett drove all the way out there to
see her, and took her buggy-riding. In my in-
genuousness I hoped that Sylvester would
marry Lena, and thus give all the country
girls a better position in the town.

[[231]]

p230 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p231w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p232

v?