"Well, come in Honey; and you too, Carlia. Dinner is about ready, an' you'll stay."
By a little urging Carlia remained, and pretty soon, Dorian came stamping in to be surprised.
"Yes; we're all here," announced Carlia, as she tossed her black curls and laughed at his confusion.
"I see you are," he replied, as he shook hands with Mildred. After which ceremony, it did not just look right to slight the other girl, so he shook hands with her also, much to her amusement.
"How do you do, Mr. Trent" she said.
"Carlia is such a tease," explained the mother.
"For which I like her," added Mildred.
"We all do. Even Dorian here, who is usually afraid of girls, makes quite a chum of her."
"Well, we're neighbors," justified the girl.
After dinner Carlia took Mildred home with her. It was not far, just around the low ridge which hid the house from view. There Mildred met Pa Duke, Ma Duke and Will Duke, Carlia's older brother. Pa Duke was a hard-working farmer, Ma Duke was likewise a hard-working farmer's wife, and Will Duke should have been a hard-working farmer's boy, but he was somewhat a failure, especially regarding the hard work part. Carlia, though so young, was already a hardworking farmer girl, with no chance of escape, as far as she could see, from the hard-working part. The Duke house, though clean and roomy, lacked the dainty home touches which mean so much. There were no porch, no lawn, no trees. The home was bare inside and out.