"'My,' says Mis' Holcomb to her, 'it's all going off nice so far, ain't it?'
"'They ain't a great deal the matter with it,' says Mis' Sykes, snappy.
"'Why, Mis' Sykes,' says Mis' Uppers, grieving, 'the parade an' the basket dinner seemed to me both just perfect.'
"'The parade done well enough,' says Mis' Sykes, not looking at her. 'I donno much about the dinner.'
"And all of a sudden we recollected that she hadn't been over to the grand basket dinner at all.
"'Why, Mis' Sykes,' says Mis' Toplady, blank, 'ain't you et nothin'?'
"'My niece,' says Mis' Sykes, dignified, 'didn't get here till now. Who was I to leave in the tent? I've et,' says she, cold, 'two dishes of ice-cream an' two chocolate nut-cakes.'
"Mis' Toplady just swoops over towards her. 'Why, my land,' she says, hearty, 'they's stuff an' to spare packed over there under the trees. You go right on over and get your dinner. Poke right into any of our baskets—ours is grouped around mine that's tied with a red bandanna to the handle. And leave us tend the marquee. What say, ladies?'
"And I don't think she even sensed she used that name.
"When she'd gone, I stood a minute in the marquee door looking off acrost the market square, hearing Miss Beryl Sessions and the men congratulating each other on the glorious Fourth they was a-having, and the City folks praising them both sky high.