My Ántonia

by Willa Cather

  X

  IT was at the Vannis' tent that Antonia was discovered. Hitherto she hadbeen looked upon more as a ward of the Harlings than as one of the "hiredgirls." She had lived in their house and yard and garden; her thoughtsnever seemed to stray outside that little kingdom. But after the tent cameto town she began to go about with Tiny and Lena and their friends. TheVannis often said that Antonia was the best dancer of them all. Isometimes heard murmurs in the crowd outside the pavilion that Mrs.Harling would soon have her hands full with that girl. The young men beganto joke with each other about "the Harlings' Tony" as they did about "theMarshalls' Anna" or "the Gardeners' Tiny."

  Antonia talked and thought of nothing but the tent. She hummed the dancetunes all day. When supper was late, she hurried with her dishes, droppedand smashed them in her excitement. At the first call of the music, shebecame irresponsible. If she had n't time to dress, she merely flung offher apron and shot out of the kitchen door. Sometimes I went with her; themoment the lighted tent came into view she would break into a run, like aboy. There were always partners waiting for her; she began to dance beforeshe got her breath.

  Antonia's success at the tent had its consequences. The iceman lingeredtoo 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 her homeafter 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. As hecame up the stairs in the dark, he heard scuffling on the back porch, andthen the sound of a vigorous slap. He looked out through the side door intime to see a pair of long legs vaulting over the picket fence. Antoniawas standing there, angry and excited. Young Harry Paine, who was to marryhis employer's daughter on Monday, had come to the tent with a crowd offriends and danced all evening. Afterward, he begged Antonia to let himwalk home with her. She said she supposed he was a nice young man, as hewas one of Miss Frances's friends, and she did n't mind. On the back porchhe tried to kiss her, and when she protested,--because he was going to bemarried on Monday,--he caught her and kissed her until she got one handfree and slapped him.

  Mr. Harling put his beer bottles down on the table. "This is what I'vebeen expecting, Antonia. You've been going with girls who have areputation for being free and easy, and now you've got the samereputation. I won't have this and that fellow tramping about my back yardall the time. This is the end of it, to-night. It stops, short. You canquit going to these dances, or you can hunt another place. Think it over."

  The next morning when Mrs. Harling and Frances tried to reason withAntonia, they found her agitated but determined. "Stop going to the tent?"she panted. "I would n't think of it for a minute! My own father could n'tmake me stop! Mr. Harling ain't my boss outside my work. I won't give upmy friends, either. The boys I go with are nice fellows. I thought Mr.Paine was all right, too, because he used to come here. I guess I gave hima red face for his wedding, all right!" she blazed out indignantly.

  "You'll have to do one thing or the other, Antonia," Mrs. Harling told herdecidedly. "I can't go back on what Mr. Harling has said. This is hishouse."

  "Then I'll just leave, Mrs. Harling. Lena's been wanting me to get a placecloser 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 man is.It will be the ruin of you."

  Tony snatched up the tea-kettle 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. "Agirl 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 mother walkedout of the kitchen. Mrs. Harling declared bitterly that she wished she hadnever let herself get fond of Antonia.