"'Oh, ladies!' I says, out of the fulness of the lump in my throat, 'if only we had some place to invite 'em to!'
"'They wouldn't come if we had,' says Mis' Sykes, final.
"'Not come!' I says. 'With candy making and pictures and music and mebbe dancin'? Not come!'
"'Dancin'!' says Mis' Toplady, low. 'Oh, Calliope, I donno as I'd go that far.'
"'We've went farther than that long ago,' I says, reckless. 'We've went so far that the dangers of dancin' would be safe beside the dangers of what is.'
"'But we ain't responsible for that,' says Mis' Sykes.
"'Ain't we—ain't we?' I says, like Mis' Toplady had. 'Mis' Sykes, how much does Silas rent the post-office hall for, a night?'
"'Ten dollars, if he makes something; and five dollars at cost,' she says.
"'That's it,' I says, groaning. 'We never could afford that, even to ask them in once a week. Oh, we'd ought to have some place open every night for them, and us ladies take turns doing the refreshments; but they ain't no place in town that belongs to young folks—'