"Well，Ihopethey’llneverhearanythingworse，"repliedherfather，flingingabucketofwateroverthelastofthewagonwheels。
"THEYCOULDN’T！"Thesewordswereneverspokenaloud，butoh！howPattylongedtoshoutthemwithaclarionvoiceasshewalkedawayinperfectsilence，hermajesticgaitshowing，shehoped，howsheresentedtheoutcomeoftheinterview。
I’vestooduptofather！"sheexclaimedtriumphantlyassheenteredthekitchenandsetdownheryellowbowlofeggsonthetable。"Istooduptohim，andansweredhimbackthreetimes！"
WaitstillwasbusywithherSaturdaymorningcooking，butsheturnedinalarm。
"Patty，whathaveyousaidanddone？Tellmequickly！"
"I’argyfied，’butitdidn’tdoanygood；hewon’tletmegotoEllen’sparty。"
Waitstillwipedherflouryhandsandputthemonhersister’sshoulders。
"HearwhatIsay，Patty：youmustnotarguewithfather，whateverhesays。Wedon’tlovehimandsothereisn’ttherightrespectinourhearts，butatleasttherecanberespectinourmanners。"
"Idon’tbelieveIcangoonforyears，holdingin，Waitstill！"
Pattywhimpered。
"Yes，youcan。Ihave！"
"You’redifferent，Waitstill。"
"Iwasn’tsodifferentatsixteen，butthat’sfiveyearsago，andI’vegotcontrolofmytongueandmytempersincethen。Sometime，perhaps，whenIhaveagrievancetoogreattoberightlyborne，sometimewhenyouareawayfromhereinahomeofyourown，I
shallspeakouttofather；justemptymyheartofallthedisappointmentandbitternessandrebellion。Somebodyoughttotellhimthetruth，andperhapsitwillbeme！"
"Iwishitcouldbeme，"exclaimedPattyvindictively，andwithanequaldisregardofgrammar。
"Youwouldspeakintemper，I’mafraid，Patty，andthatwouldspoilall。I’msorryyoucan’tgouptoEllen’s，"shesighed，turningbacktoherwork；"youdon’thavepleasureenoughforoneofyourage；still，don’tfret；somethingmayhappentochangethings，andanyhowtheweatherisgrowingwarmer，andyouandI
havesomanymoreoutingsinsummer—time。Smoothdownyourhair，child；therearestrawsinit，andit’sallroughwiththewind。
Idon’tlikeflyinghairaboutakitchen。"
"Iwishmyhairwasflyingsomewhereathousandmilesfromhere；
oratleastIshouldwishitifitdidnotmeanleavingyou；foroh。I’msomiserableanddisappointedandunhappy！"
Waitstillbentoverthegirlassheflungherselfdownbesidethetableandsmoothedhershouldergently。
"There，there，dear；itisn’tlikemygaylittlesistertocry。
Whatisthematterwithyouto—day，Patty？"
"Isupposeit’sthespring，"shesaid，wipinghereyeswithherapronandsmilingthroughhertears。"PerhapsIneedadoseofsulphurandmolasses。"
"Don’tyoufeelwellascommon？"
"Well？Ifeeltoowell！IfeelasifIwasayoungcoltshutupinanattic。Iwanttokickupmyheels，batterthedoordown，andgetoutintothepasture。It’snousetalking，Waity；——I
can’tgoonlivingwithoutabitofpleasureandIcan’tgoonbeingpatientevenforyoursake。Ifitweren’tforyou，I’drunawayasJobdid；andIneverbelievedMosesslippedonthelogs；
I’msurehethrewhimselfintotheriver，andsoshouldIifI
hadthecourage！"
"Stop，Patty，stop，dear！Youshallhaveyourbitofpasture，atleast。I’lldosomeofyourindoortasksforyou，andyoushallputonyoursunbonnetandgooutanddigthedandeliongreensfordinner。Takethebrokenknifeandamilkpananddon’tbringinsomuchearthwiththemasyoudidlasttime。Dryyoureyesandlookatthegreenthingsgrowing。Rememberhowyoungyouareandhowmanyyearsareaheadofyou！Goalong，dear！"
Waitstillwentaboutherworkwithratheraheavyheart。Waslifegoingtobemoreratherthanlessdifficult，nowthatPattywasgrowingup？Wouldsheheabletodoherdutybothbyfatherandsisterandkeeppeaceinthehousehold，asshehadvowed，inhersecretheart，alwaystodo？ShepausedeverynowandthentolookoutofthewindowandwaveanencouraginghandtoPatty。Thegirl’sbonnetwasoff，andheruncoveredheadblazedlikeredgoldinthesunlight。Theshortyounggrasswasdottedwithdandelionblooms，someofthemalreadygrowntohugedisksofyellow，andPattymovedhitherandthither，selectingtheyoungerweeds，deftlyputtingthebrokenknifeundertheirrootsandpoppingthemintothetinpan。Presently，forDeaconBaxterhadfinishedthewagonandgonedownthehilltorelieveCephasColeatthecounter，Patty’sshrillyoungwhistlefloatedintothekitchen，butwithamischievousglanceattheopenwindowshebrokeoffsuddenlyandbegantosingthewordsofthehymnwithrathermoreemphasisandgustothanstrictpietywarranted。
"There’llbeSOMEthinginheav—enforchil—drentodo，Noneareidleinthatbless—edland：
There’llbeWORKfortheheart。There’llbeWORKforthemind，AndemPLOYmentforEACHlittlehand。
"There’llbeSOME—thingtodo，There’llbeSOME—thingtodo，There’llbeSOME—thingforCHIL—drentodo！
Onthatbrightblessedshorewherethere’sjoyevermore，There’llbeSOME—thingforCHIL—DRENtodo。"
Patty’syoungexistencebeingfulltothebrimoflabor，thisviewofheavenneverintheleastappealedtoherandsherenderedthehymnwithlittlesympathy。Themainpartoftheversewasstronglyaccentedbyjabsattheunoffendingdandelionroots，butwhenthechoruscameshebroughtouttheemphaticsyllablesbyabeatofthebrokenknifeonthemilkpan。
ThisrenditionofaSabbath—SchoolclassicdidnotmeetWaitstill’sideasofperfectpropriety，butshesmiledandletitpass，planningsomesortofrecreationforastolenhalf—houroftheafternoon。Itwouldhavetobeawalkthroughthepastureintothewoodstoseewhathadgrownsincetheywentthereafortnightago。PattylovedpeoplebetterthanNature，butfailingtheoneshecouldputupwiththeother，forshehadasenseofbeautyandapaganloveofcolor。Therewouldbepale—huedinnocenceandblueandwhitevioletsinthemoistplaces，thoughtWaitstill，andtheywouldhavetheminachinacuponthesupper—table。No，thatwouldneverdo，forlasttimefatherhadknockedthemoverwhenhewasreachingforthebread，andinasilentprotestagainstsuchfoolishnessgotupfromthetableandemptiedtheirsintothekitchensink。
"There’saplaceforeverything，"hesaidwhenhecameback，"andtheplaceforflowersisoutdoors。"
Theninthepinewoodstherewouldbe，shewassure，StarofBethlehem，Solomon’sSeal，thewhitesprayofgroundnutsandbunchberries。PerhapstheycouldmakeabouquetandPattywouldtakeitacrossthefieldstoMrs。Boynton’sdoor。Sheneednotgoin，andthustheywouldnotbedisobeyingtheirfather’scommandnottovisitthat"crazyBoyntonwoman。"
HerePattycameinwithapanfullofgreensandthesisterssatdowninthesunnywindowtogetthemreadyforthepot。
"I’mcalmer，"thelittlerebelallowed。"That’sgenerallythewayitturnsoutwithme。Igetintoarage，butIcangenerallysingitoff！"
"Youcertainlymusthavegotridofagooddealoftemperthismorning，bythewayyourvoicesounded。"
"Nobodycanhearusinthisout—of—the—wayplace。It’seasyenoughtoseethatthewomenweren’taskedtosayanythingwhenthemensettledwherethehousesshouldbebuilt！Themenweren’tcontenttostickthemonthetopofahighhill，orhalfamilefromthestores，butputthembacktothemainroad，takingduecaretocutthesink—windowwheretheirwivescouldn’tseeanythingevenwhentheywerewashingdishes。"
"Idon’tknowthatIeverthoughtaboutitinthatway"；andWaitstilllookedoutofthewindowinabrownstudywhileherhandsworkedwiththedandeliongreens。"I’venoticedit，butI
neversupposedthemendiditintentionally。"
"No，youwouldn’t，"saidPattywiththepessimismofawomanofninety，asshestoleanadmiringglanceathersister。Patty’sownface，irregular，piquant，tantalizing，haditspeculiarcharm，andherbrilliantskinandhairsodazzledthemasculinebeholderthathetooknoteofnosmalldefects；butWaitstillwasbeautiful；beautifuleveninherworkingdressofpurplecalico。
Hersinglebraidofhair，theFoxwellhair，thatinherwasbronzeandinPattypaleauburn，waswoundoncearoundherfineheadandmadetostandalittleasitwentacrossthefront。Itwasasimple，easy，unconsciousfashionofherown，quitedifferentfromanythingdonebyotherwomeninhertimeandplace，anditjustsuitedherdignityandserenity。Itlookedlikeacoronet，butitwasthewayshecarriedherheadthatgaveyouthefancy，therewassuchspiritandprideinthepoiseofitonthelonggracefulneck。Hereyeswereasclearasmountainpoolsshadedbyrushes，andthestrengthofthefacewassoftenedbythesweetnessofthemouth。
Pattyneverlettheconversationdieoutformanysecondsatatimeandnowshebeganagain。"Mysuddenragesdon’tmatchmynameverywell，but，ofcourse，motherdidn’tknowhowIwasgoingtoturnoutwhenshecalledmePatience，forIwasnothingbutasquirminglittlebald，redbaby；butmynamereallyistooridiculouswhenyouthinkaboutit。"
Waitstilllaughedasshesaid："Itdidn’ttakeyoulongtochangeit！PerhapsPatiencewasahardwordforababytosay，butthemomentyoucouldtalkyousaid，’Pattywantsthis’and’Pattywantsthat。"’
"DidPattyevergetit？Sheneverhassince，that’scertain！Andlookatyourname：it’s’Waitstill，’yetyouneverstopamoment。
Whenyou’renotintheshedorbarn，orchicken—house，orkitchenorattic，orgarden—patch，youareworkingintheSundaySchoolorthechoir。"
ItseemedasifWaitstilldidnotintendtoanswerthisarraignmentofheractivities。Sheroseandcrossedtheroomtoputthepanofgreensinthesink，preparingtowashthem。
Takingthelong—handleddipperfromthenail，shepausedamomentbeforeplungingitintothewaterpail；paused，andleaningherelbowonacorneroftheshelfoverthesink，lookedsteadfastlyoutintotheorchard。
PattywatchedhercuriouslyandwasjustgoingtoofferapennyforherthoughtswhenWaitstillsuddenlybrokethebriefsilencebysaying："Yes，Iamalwaysbusy；it’sbetterso，butallthesame，Patty，I’mwaiting，——inside！Idon’tknowforwhat，butI
alwaysfeelthatIamwaiting！"
VI
AKISS
"SHALLwehaveourwalkinthewoodsontheEdgewoodsideoftheriver，justforachange，Patty？"suggestedhersister。"Thewaterissohighthisyearthattheriverwillbesplendid。Wecangatherourflowersinthehillpastureandthenyou’llbequitenearMrs。Boynton’sandcancarrythenosegaytherewhileI
comehomeaheadofyouandgetsupper。I’lltaketo—day’seggstofather’sstoreonthewayandaskhimifhemindsourhavingalittlewalk。I’veanerrandatAuntAbby’sthatwouldtakemedowntothebridgeanyway。"
"Verywell，"saidPatty，somewhatapathetically。"Ialwayslikeawalkwithyou，butIdon’tcarewhatbecomesofmethisafternoonifIcan’tgotoEllen’sparty。"
TheexcursiontookplaceaccordingtoWaitstill’splan，andatfouro’clockshespedbacktohernightworkandpreparationsforsupper，leavingPattywithagreatbunchofearlywildflowersforIvory’smother。PattyhadleftthemattheBoyntons’doorwithRodman，whowaspickingupchipsandvolunteeredtotakethenosegayintothehouseatonce。
"Won’tyoustepinside？"theboyaskedshyly，wishingtobepolite，butconsciousthatvisitors，fromthevillageveryseldomcrossedthethreshold。
"I’dliketo，butIcan’tthisafternoon，thankyou。Imustrunallthewaydownthehillnow，orIshan’tbeintimetosupper。"
"Doyoueatmealstogetherovertoyourhouse？"askedtheboy。
"We’reallthreeatthetableifthatmeanstogether。"
"Weneverare。Ivorygoesoffearlyandtakeslunchinapail。SodoIwhenIgotoschool。AuntBoyntonneversitsdowntoeat；
shejuststandsatthewindowandtakesabiteofsomethingnow’andthen。Youhaven’tgotanymother，haveyou？"
"No，Rodman。"
"NeitherhaveI，noranyfather，noranyrelationsbutAuntBoyntonandIvory。Ivoryisverygoodtome，andwhenhe’sathomeI’mneverlonesome。"
"Iwishyoucouldcomeoverandeatwithsisterandme，"saidPattygently。"Perhapssometime，whenmyfatherisawaybuyinggoodsandweareleftalone，youcouldjoinusinthewoods，andwewouldhaveapicnic？Wewouldbringenoughforyou；allsortsofgoodthings；hard—boiledeggs，doughnuts，apple—turnovers，andbreadspreadwithjelly。"
"I’dlikeitfine！"exclaimedRodman，hisbigdarkeyessparklingwithanticipation。"Idon’thavemanyboystoplaywith，andI
neverwenttoapicnicAuntBoyntonwatchesforuncle’mostallthetime；shedoesn’tknowhehasbeenawayforyearsandyears。
Whenshedoesn’twatch，sheprays。Sometimesshewantsmetopraywithher，butprayingdon’tcomeeasytome。"
"Neitherdoesittome，"saidPatty。
"I’mgoodatmarblesandcheckersandback—gammonandjack—straws，though。"
"SoamI，"saidPatty，laughing，"soweshouldbegoodfriends。
I’lltrytogetachancetoseeyousoonagain，butperhapsI
can’t；I’magooddealtiedathome。"
"Yourfatherdoesn’tlikeyoutogoany—wheres，Iguess，"
interposedRodman。"I’veheardIvorytellAuntBoyntonthings，butIwouldn’trepeatthem。Ivory’strainedmeyearsandyearsnottotellanything，soIdon’t。"
"That’sagoodboy！"approvedPatty。Thenassheregardedhimmoreclosely，shecontinued，"I’msorryyou’relonesome，Rodman，I’dliketoseeyoulookbrighter。"
"YouthinkI’vebeencrying，"theboysaidshrewdly。"SoIhave，butnotbecauseI’vebeenpunished。ThereasonmyeyesaresoswollenupisbecauseIkilledouroldtoadbymistakethismorning。IwastryingtoseeifIcouldswingthescytheso’stohelpIvoryinhaying—time。I’veonly’rakedafter’andIwanttobeginonmowingsoon’sIcan。Thensomehoworothertheoldtoadcameoutfromunderthesteps；Ididn’tseehim，andthescythehithimsquare。Icriedforanhour，that’swhatIdid，andI
don’tcarewhoknowsitexceptIwouldn’tliketheboysatschooltohectorme。I’veburiedthetoadoutbehindthebarn，andI
hopeIvory’llletmekeepthenewsfromAuntBoynton。Shecriesenoughnowwithoutmytellingherthere’sbeenadeathinthefamily。Shesetgreatstorebytheoldtoad，andsodidallofus。"
"It’stoobad；I’msorry，butafterallyoucouldn’thelpit。"
"No，butweshouldalwayslookroundevery—whereswhenwe’recutting；that’swhatIvorysays。Hesaysfolksshouldn’tuseedgedtoolstillthey’reoldenoughnottofoolwith’em。"
AndRodmanlookedsowiseandold—fashionedforhisyearsthatPattydidnotknowwhethertokisshimorcryoverhim，asshesaid："Ivory’salwaysright，andnowgood—bye；Imustgothisveryminute。Don’tforgetthepicnic。"
"Iwon’t！"criedtheboy，gazingafterher，whollyentrancedwithherbrightbeautyandherkindness。"Say，I’llbringsomething，too，——white—oakacorns，ifyoulike’em；I’vegotabigbagfulupattic！"
Pattyspeddownthelonglane，creptunderthebars，andflewlikealapwingoverthehigh—road。
"Iffatherwasonlylikeanyoneelse，thingsmightbesodifferent！"shesighed，herthoughtsrunningalongwithherfeet。
"NobodytomakeahomeforthatpoorlonesomelittleboyandthatpoorlonesomebigIvory……IamsurethatheisinlovewithWaitstill。Hedoesn’tknowit；shedoesn’tknowit；nobodydoesbutme，butI’mcleveratguessing。IwastheonlyonethatsurmisedJedMorrillwasgoingtomarryagain……IshouldalmostlikeIvoryformyself，heissotallandhandsome，butofcoursehecannevermarryanybody；heistoopoorandhashismothertolookafter。Iwouldn’twanttotakehimfromWaity，though，andthenperhapsIcouldn’tgethim，anyway……IfI
couldn’t，he’dbetheonlyone！I’venevertriedyet，butIfeelinmybones，somehow，thatIcouldhaveanyboyinEdgewoodorRiverboro，byjustcrookingmyforefingerandbeckoningtohim……Iwish——Iwish——theyweredifferent！Theydon’tmakemewanttobeckontothem！Myforefingerjuststaysstraightanddoesn’tfeellikecrooking！……There’sCephasCole，buthe’sasstupidasanowl。Idon’twantahusbandthatkeepshismouthwideopenwheneverI’mtalking，nomatterwhetherit’ssenseornonsense。
There’sPhilPerry，buthelikesEllen，andbesideshe’stooseriousforme；andthere’sMarkWilson；he’sthebestdressed，andtheonlyonethat’sbeentocollege。Helooksatmeallthetimeinmeeting，andaskedmeifIwouldn’ttakeawalksomeSundayafternoon。IknowheplannedEllen’spartyhopingI’dbethere！——Goodnessgracious，Idobelievethatishishorsecomingbehindme！There’snootherinthevillagethatgoesatsuchagait！"
Itwas，indeed，MarkWilson，whoalwaysdrove，accordingtoAuntAbbyCole，"asifhewasgoin’foradoctor。"HecaughtupwithPattyalmostinthetwinklingofaneye，butshewasreadyforhim。Shehadtakenoffhersunbonnetjusttotwirlitbythestring，shewassowarmwithwalking，andinajiffyshehadliftedtheclusteringcurlsfromherears，tuckedthembackwithasingleexpertmovement，anddisclosedtwocoralpendantsjustthecolorofherear—tipsandherglowingcheeks。
"Hello，Patty！"theyoungmancalled，inbrusquecountryfashion，ashereinedupbesideher。"Whatareyoudoingoverhere？Whyaren’tyouonyourwaytotheparty？I’vebeenovertoLimingtonandambreakingmynecktogethomeintimemyself。"
"Iamnotgoing；therearenopartiesforme！"saidPattyplaintively。
"Notgoing！Oh！Isay，what’sthematter？Itwon’tbeabitoffunwithoutyou！EllenandImadeitupexpresslyforyou，thinkingyourfathercouldn’tobjecttoacandy—pull！"
"Ican’thelpit；IdidthebestIcould。Wait—stillalwaysasksfatherforme，butIwouldn’ttakeanychancesto—day，andI
spoketohimmyself；indeedIalmostcoaxedhim！"
"He’saregularoldskinflint！"criedMark，gettingoutofthewagonandwalkingbesideher。
"Youmustn’tcallhimnames，"Pattyinterposedwithsomedignity。
"Icallhimagoodmanymyself，butI’mhisdaughter。"
"Youdon’tlookit，"saidMarkadmiringly。"Comeandhavealittleride，Won’tyou？"
"Oh，Icouldn’tpossibly，thankyou。Someonewouldbesuretoseeus，andfather’ssostrict。"
"Thereisn’tabuildingforhalfamile！Justjumpinandhaveaspintillwecometothefirsthouse；thenI’llletyououtandyoucanwalktherestofthewayhome。Come，do，andmakeuptomealittleformydisappointment。I’llskipthecandy—pullifyousaytheword。"
Itwasanincrediblybriefdrive，atMark’srateofspeed；andasexcitingandblissfulasitwasbriefanddangerous，Pattythought。Didsheimagineit，ordidMarkhelpherintothewagondifferentlyfrom——oldDr。Perry，forinstance？
Thefreshbreezeliftedthegoldthreadofhercurlsandgavehercheeksabrightercolor，whileherbreathcamefastthroughherpartedlipsandhereyessparkledattheunexpected，unaccustomedpleasure。Shefeltsogrownup，soconsciousofanewpowerasshesatenthronedonthelittlewagonseat（MarkWilsonalwayslikedhisbuggies"courtin’size"sotheneighborssaid），thatshewasalmostcourageousenoughtoagreetomakearoyalprogressthroughthevillage；almost，butnotquite。
"Comeon，let’sshaketheoldtabbiesupandstart’emtalking，shallwe？"Marksuggested。"I’llgiveyouthereinsandletNerohaveaflickofthewhip。"
"No，I’drathernotdrive，"shesaid。"I’dbeafraidofthishorse，and，anyway，Imustgetoutthisveryminute；yes，I
reallymust。IfyouholdNeroIcanjustslipdownbetweenthewheels；youneedn’thelpme。"
Markalightednotwithstandingherobjections，sayinggallantly，"Idon’tmissthispleasure，notbyajugful！Comealong！Jump！"
Pattystretchedoutherhandstobehelped，butMarkforestalledherbyputtinghisarmsaroundherandliftingherdown。Asecondoftimeonlywasinvolved，butinthatsecondheheld；hercloseandkissedherwarmcheek，hercheekthathadneverfeltthetouchofanylipsbutthoseofWaitstill。Shepulledhersunbonnetoverherflamingface，whileMark，withagaysmileoffarewell，sprangintothewagonandgavehishorseafreerein。
Pattyneverlookedupfromtheroad，butwalkedfasterandfaster，herheartbeatingatbreakneckspeed。Itwasachangedworldthatspunpasther；fright，triumph，shame，delight，agratifiedvanityswamoverherinturn。
Afewminuteslatersheheardoncemoretherumbleofwheelsontheroad。ItwasCephasColedrivingtowardsheroverthebrowofSacoHill。"He’llhaveseenMark，"shethought，"buthecan’tknowI’vetalkedanddrivenwithhim。Ugh！howstupidandcommonhelooks！"
"Iheardyourfatherblowin’thesupper—hornjestasIcomeoverthebridge，"remarkedCephas，drawingupintheroad。"Hestoodinthedoor—yardblowin’likeBedlam。Iguessyou’relatetosupper。"
"I’llbehomeinafewminutes，"saidPatty，"Igotdelayedandamalittlebehindhand。"
"I’11turnrightroundifyou’11gitinandlemmetakeyouback—alongapiece；it’llsaveyouagoodfiveminutes，"beggedCephas，abjectly。
"Allright；muchobliged；butit’sagainsttherulesandyoumustdropmeatthefootofourhillandletmewalkup。"
"Certain；IknowtheDeacon’n’Iain’thuntin’fortroubleanymore’nyoube；thoughI’dtakeitquickenoughifyoujestgivemeleave！Iain’tnocowardan’IcouldtackletheDeaconto—morrowifsobeIhadanythingtoaskhim。"
ThisseemedtoPattyalineofconversationdistinctlytobediscouragedunderallthecircumstances，andshetriedtokeepCephasonthesubjectofhisdailytasksandhismother’srheumatismuntilshecouldescapefromhisover—appreciativesociety。
"Howdoyoulikemylastjob？"heinquiredastheypassedhisfather’shouse。"SomethinkI’vegottheellalittleditetooyaller。Folksthatain’tneverhandledabrushallersthinktheycanmixpaintbetter’nthemthatknowstheirtrade。"
"Ifyourobjectwastohaveeverybodyseetheellamileaway，you’vesucceeded，"saidPattycruelly。Sheneverflungthepoorboyacivilwordforfearofgettingsomethingwarmerthancivilityinreturn。
"It’lltonedown，"Cephasresponded，rathercrestfallen。"I
wantedagoodbrightlastin’shade。’Twon’tlooksoyallerwhenfatherletsmepaintthehousetomatch，butthatwon’tbetillnextyear。Hemakesfunoftheyallercolorsameasyou；saysahome’ssomethingyouwanttoforgetwhenyou’reawayfromit。
Mothersaysthetworoomsoftheellarebigenoughforsomebodytosetuphousekeepin’in。Whatdoyouthink？"
"Ineverthink，"returnedPattywithatantalizinglaugh。
"Good—night，Cephas；thankyouforgivingmealift！"
VII
"WHATDREAMSMAYCOME
SUPPERwasoverandtheworkdoneatlast；thedisheswashed，thebeansputinsoak，thehensshutupforthenight，themilkstrainedandcarrieddowncellar。PattywentuptoherlittleroomwiththeonewindowandtheslantingwallsandWaitstillfollowedandsaidgood—night。Herfatherputoutthelights，lockedthedoors，andcameupthecreakingstairs。Therewasneveranytalkbetweenthesistersbeforegoingtobed，saveonnightswhentheirfatherwaslateatthestore，usuallyonSaturdaysonly，forthegoodtalkersofthevillage，aswellasthegossipsandloafers，preferredanyotherplacetoswapstoriesthanthebleakatmosphereprovidedbyoldFoxyathisplaceofbusiness。
Pattycouldthinkinthedark；herhealthyyoungbodylyingnotuncomfortablyonthebedofcornhusks，andthepatchworkcomforterdrawnupunderherchin。Shecouldthink，butforthefirsttimeshecouldnottellherthoughtstoWaitstill。Shehadasecret；adazzlingsecret，justlikeEllenWilsonandsomeoftheothergirlswhowereseveralyearsolder。Herafternoon’sexperienceloomedaslargeinherinnocentmindasifithadbeenanelopement。
"IhopeI’mnotengagedtobemarriedtohim，EVENIFHEDID——"
Thesentencewastootremendoustobefinished，eveninthought。
"Idon’tthinkIcanbe；menmustsurelysaysomething，andnottakeitforgrantedyouareinlovewiththemandwanttomarrythem。ItiswhattheysaywhentheyaskthatIshouldlikemuchbetterthanbeingmarried，whenI’monlyjustpastseventeen。I
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