My Antonia, Page 30

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  IT WAS AT THE Vannis' tent that Antonia was discovered. Hitherto shehad been looked upon more as a ward of the Harlings than as one of the'hired girls.' She had lived in their house and yard and garden; herthoughts never seemed to stray outside that little kingdom. But afterthe tent came to town she began to go about with Tiny and Lena and theirfriends. The Vannis often said that Antonia was the best dancer of themall. I sometimes heard murmurs in the crowd outside the pavilion thatMrs. Harling would soon have her hands full with that girl. The youngmen began to joke with each other about 'the Harlings' Tony' as they didabout 'the Marshalls' Anna' or 'the Gardeners' Tiny.'

  Antonia talked and thought of nothing but the tent. She hummed thedance tunes all day. When supper was late, she hurried with her dishes,dropped and smashed them in her excitement. At the first call of themusic, she became irresponsible. If she hadn't time to dress, she merelyflung off her apron and shot out of the kitchen door. Sometimes I wentwith her; the moment the lighted tent came into view she would breakinto a run, like a boy. There were always partners waiting for her; shebegan to dance before she got her breath.

  Antonia's success at the tent had its consequences. The icemanlingered too long now, when he came into the covered porch to fill therefrigerator. The delivery boys hung about the kitchen when they broughtthe groceries. Young farmers who were in town for Saturday came trampingthrough the yard to the back door to engage dances, or to invite Tony toparties and picnics. Lena and Norwegian Anna dropped in to help her withher work, so that she could get away early. The boys who brought herhome after the dances sometimes laughed at the back gate and wakened Mr.Harling from his first sleep. A crisis was inevitable.

  One Saturday night Mr. Harling had gone down to the cellar for beer. Ashe came up the stairs in the dark, he heard scuffling on the back porch,and then the sound of a vigorous slap. He looked out through the sidedoor in time to see a pair of long legs vaulting over the picket fence.Antonia was standing there, angry and excited. Young Harry Paine, whowas to marry his employer's daughter on Monday, had come to the tentwith a crowd of friends and danced all evening. Afterward, he beggedAntonia to let him walk home with her. She said she supposed he was anice young man, as he was one of Miss Frances's friends, and shedidn't mind. On the back porch he tried to kiss her, and when sheprotested--because he was going to be married on Monday--he caught herand kissed her until she got one hand free and slapped him.

  Mr. Harling put his beer-bottles down on the table. 'This is whatI've been expecting, Antonia. You've been going with girls who havea reputation for being free and easy, and now you've got the samereputation. I won't have this and that fellow tramping about my backyard all the time. This is the end of it, tonight. It stops, short. Youcan quit going to these dances, or you can hunt another place. Think itover.'

  The next morning when Mrs. Harling and Frances tried to reason withAntonia, they found her agitated but determined. 'Stop going to thetent?' she panted. 'I wouldn't think of it for a minute! My own fathercouldn't make me stop! Mr. Harling ain't my boss outside my work. Iwon't give up my friends, either. The boys I go with are nice fellows.I thought Mr. Paine was all right, too, because he used to come here. Iguess I gave him a red face for his wedding, all right!' she blazed outindignantly.

  'You'll have to do one thing or the other, Antonia,' Mrs. Harling toldher decidedly. 'I can't go back on what Mr. Harling has said. This ishis house.'

  'Then I'll just leave, Mrs. Harling. Lena's been wanting me to get aplace closer to her for a long while. Mary Svoboda's going away from theCutters' to work at the hotel, and I can have her place.'

  Mrs. Harling rose from her chair. 'Antonia, if you go to the Cutters' towork, you cannot come back to this house again. You know what that manis. It will be the ruin of you.'

  Tony snatched up the teakettle and began to pour boiling water over theglasses, laughing excitedly. 'Oh, I can take care of myself! I'm a lotstronger than Cutter is. They pay four dollars there, and there's nochildren. The work's nothing; I can have every evening, and be out a lotin the afternoons.'

  'I thought you liked children. Tony, what's come over you?'

  'I don't know, something has.' Antonia tossed her head and set her jaw.'A girl like me has got to take her good times when she can. Maybe therewon't be any tent next year. I guess I want to have my fling, like theother girls.'

  Mrs. Harling gave a short, harsh laugh. 'If you go to work for theCutters, you're likely to have a fling that you won't get up from in ahurry.'

  Frances said, when she told grandmother and me about this scene, thatevery pan and plate and cup on the shelves trembled when her motherwalked out of the kitchen. Mrs. Harling declared bitterly that shewished she had never let herself get fond of Antonia.