The house rocked—it continued to rock. The floor above shook. A dish rattled down from the dresser shelf and was broken on the floor. Janice jumped up with an exclamation and whisked upstairs. The two men followed her.
Mrs. Day’s chamber door had jarred open. The bed and other furniture had been moved back and there the unhappy lady was rolling on the floor, puffing and blowing, red of face and perspiring, but determined to follow the directions in her book for attaining “a sylph-like form.”
“What in all tarnation be yeou wallerin’ there for?” demanded Mr. Day. “Fust yeou know, Almiry, ye’ll hev the poller ornymints down off’n the what-not.”
At any rate, Aunt ’Mira was going to the dance. Marty wanted to go, too; and as he still worshiped at the shrine of Mr. Bowman, he asked if that young man could not occupy the fourth seat.
“But how do you suppose Mr. Haley will get over?” Janice asked doubtfully.
“Shucks!” said her cousin. “Teacher’ll have a dozen chances to go; but Frank Bowman was sayin’ to me yesterday that he didn’t suppose he’d be able to hire a horse and sleigh anywhere in town.”
So Frank was invited—as he expected to be. Nelson Haley went with Walky Dexter in his big pung, that seated a dozen people. Hopewell Drugg and Miss ’Rill, with little Lottie, crowded into a one-horse sleigh and went off to the dance to the tune of “Jingle Bells” in very truth. It had been many and many a long year since the little old maid and the storekeeper had been to any social affair together. Of course, Mrs. Scattergood had her comment to make:
“I sh’d think you was makin’ enough of a fule of yourself, Amarilla, by marryin’ that Drugg, an’ him a widderer with an unfortinit child, without your flirtin’ abeout the country with him to dances, and sech. And you air dressed scanderlous, too!”
Janice had picked out the dress Miss ’Rill wore—and she saw to it that it was a pretty one. With her cheeks pink with excitement, her hair fluffed up prettily, and the soft, lacy gown clinging to her arms and neck, ’Rill Scattergood was far more attractive than many younger women at the ball.
When the Slaters did anything in this line, they did it well. The Judge, who was a politician, as has been pointed out, could not afford to skimp anything. There was supper for an army—and an army came!