by Willa Cather
XII
AFTER Antonia went to live with the Cutters, she seemed to care aboutnothing but picnics and parties and having a good time. When she was notgoing to a dance, she sewed until midnight. Her new clothes were thesubject of caustic comment. Under Lena's direction she copied Mrs.Gardener's new party dress and Mrs. Smith's street costume so ingeniouslyin cheap materials that those ladies were greatly annoyed, and Mrs.Cutter, who was jealous of them, was secretly pleased.
Tony wore gloves now, and high-heeled shoes and feathered bonnets, and shewent downtown nearly every afternoon with Tiny and Lena and the Marshalls'Norwegian Anna. We High-School boys used to linger on the playground atthe afternoon recess to watch them as they came tripping down the hillalong the board sidewalk, two and two. They were growing prettier everyday, but as they passed us, I used to think with pride that Antonia, likeSnow-White in the fairy tale, was still "fairest of them all."
Being a Senior now, I got away from school early. Sometimes I overtook thegirls downtown and coaxed them into the ice-cream parlor, where they wouldsit chattering and laughing, telling me all the news from the country. Iremember how angry Tiny Soderball made me one afternoon. She declared shehad heard grandmother was going to make a Baptist preacher of me. "I guessyou'll have to stop dancing and wear a white necktie then. Won't he lookfunny, girls?"
Lena laughed. "You'll have to hurry up, Jim. If you're going to be apreacher, I want you to marry me. You must promise to marry us all, andthen baptize the babies."
Norwegian Anna, always dignified, looked at her reprovingly.
"Baptists don't believe in christening babies, do they, Jim?"
I told her I did n't know what they believed, and did n't care, and that Icertainly was n't going to be a preacher.
"That's too bad," Tiny simpered. She was in a teasing mood. "You'd makesuch a good one. You're so studious. Maybe you'd like to be a professor.You used to teach Tony, did n't you?"
Antonia broke in. "I've set my heart on Jim being a doctor. You'd be goodwith sick people, Jim. Your grandmother's trained you up so nice. My papaalways said you were an awful smart boy."
I said I was going to be whatever I pleased. "Won't you be surprised, MissTiny, if I turn out to be a regular devil of a fellow?"
They laughed until a glance from Norwegian Anna checked them; theHigh-School Principal had just come into the front part of the shop to buybread for supper. Anna knew the whisper was going about that I was a slyone. People said there must be something queer about a boy who showed nointerest in girls of his own age, but who could be lively enough when hewas with Tony and Lena or the three Marys.