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Can't you see don't you understand that you've helped kill that Essie Tisdale that blundering, ignorant Essie Tisdale who liked everybody and believed in everybody as she thought they liked and believed in her?" "Dear me! oh, dear me!" Mrs. Terriberry rubbed her forehead and groaned pathetically. Any consecutive line of thought outside the usual channels pulled Mrs.
Harpe knew from what she already had seen and from the curious glances cast at the windows of the Terriberry House, that the town was agog with Essie Tisdale's romantic story and her newly established relationship to the important looking stranger. Mrs. Terriberry could be trusted to attend to that and in her capable hands it was certain to lose nothing in the telling.
Symes descended the stairs of the Terriberry House in a frame of mind that was very different from the determined arrogance with which he had ascended them less than an hour before. He was filled with a humiliating sense of defeat, and of having acted weakly.
They had no criticism to make of the law's adaptability to Symes's needs; it was enough for them that Crowheart was in the limelight and the influx of settlers meant their individual prosperity. It soon became obvious from the sale of excursion tickets that the Terriberry House would not be able to accommodate the Homeseekers.
It was tawdry and cheap and offended her eye, but it was exclusively her own and she looked about her with a keen thrill of pleasure because of the condition which her occupancy of it represented. Somehow it seemed years ago that she had walked around the hole in the ingrain carpet in the bare room which looked out upon the heap of tin-cans and corrals of the Terriberry House.
Terriberry had engaged other help for the occasion and all the afternoon of the day set Essie Tisdale waited for the tardy invitation which she told herself was an oversight. She could not believe that Augusta Kunkel, who was indebted to her for more good times than she ever had had in her uneventful life, could find it in her heart to slight her.
"Not without one," she sneered significantly; "surely you don't mean that?" The peach-blow color rose in the girl's cheeks. "No," she answered with a touch of defiance, "not without one, or two when it comes to that." "And who is the other?" "I can count on Mrs. Terriberry. Even you have no influence with her, Dr. Harpe." "You are very sure of your two friends."
Terriberry sank upon the bed which sagged like a hammock with her weight. "What do you 'spose is the reason?" "I haven't the least idea in the world." Essie's chin quivered in spite of her. "For half a cent I wouldn't budge!" Mrs. Terriberry shook a warlike coiffure. "Folks like that ought to be learned something." "Oh, yes, you must go."
Terriberry, red and flustered, found herself engaged in a wrestling match with little Alva Jackson, which lasted all the way from the door of the dining-room to the long table at the end. Mr. Jackson in his panic was determined to take Mrs. Terriberry's arm, whereas she was equally determined that she would take his, having furtively observed her host gallantly offering support to Mrs. Starr.
Mrs. Terriberry viewed the damage with dismay. "I'm just so upset I don't know what I'm doin'. Essie, if you don't want to wait on 'em you needn't." "I won't mind much after the first. It will be hard at first. Thank you, though." "If I ever git me another pair of these 'pinch-ins'," panted Mrs. Terriberry, "you'll know it. Take holt and lay back on them strings, will you?
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