d and
made Katy take it down. Katy, though rebellious, dared not oppose her
hostess openly. She contented herself with taking a handful of hair pins
along and putting it up after she reached Mamie's. To be sure the heavy
braids piled upon her small head looked rather queer, especially with
her short skirts, which she could not contrive to lengthen. But Katy
made up for this defect by an unwonted dignity, and actually persuaded a
majority of the people she met that she was sixteen at the very least.

Country folk gather early and they found the fun well started when they
arrived. The Jenkins family had come to the neighborhood about a year
before from Iowa.

The farmhouse was new and rather more pretentious than most on the
creek. Lace curtains with robust patterns draped the windows in
fresh-starched folds. A green and red ingrain carpet covered the floor,
while the entire Jenkins family--there were four olive branches--done in
crayon by a local photographer, adorned the walls. It would be more
truthful to say, adorned three walls. The fourth was sacred to a real
oil painting in an unlimited gilt frame, which had come as a prize for
extra subscriptions to the St. Louis _Globe-Democrat_. Mrs. Jenkins
regarded this treasure almost with reverence. "I do think it is real
uplifting to have a work of art in the house, don't you, Mrs. Brown?"
she had been heard to remark to a neighbor who failed to notice this
gem. The family bible and a red plush photograph album rested on the
marble-topped table, usually placed in the exact center of the room.
To-night, it was pushed back against the wall to make more room for the
games.

Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins were rigid Methodists and would not tolerate any
such worldly amusement as dancing. Kissing games were substituted, and
if, as the Jenkins believed, these were more elevating, they were
certainly coarser and rougher than the dancing would have been.

Mamie had attended the Garland High School for one year and had acquired
different ideas. She would have much preferred the dancing, but her
parents were firm. Mamie deemed herself a full-fledged young lady at
fifteen. Her highest ambitions were to have "style" and plenty of beaux.

Ernest and Sherm had to find a place to tie the horses. They lingered
also a moment at the pump to wash the leathery smell of the harness from
their hands--a fastidious touch that would have subjected them to much
guying if the other boys had seen them.