urse, 'Tana
could not know and Mrs. Huzzard did not, but Lyster had at least been very
thoughtless.

The fact was that the well-ordered establishment of Mrs. Huzzard was a
grievance and a thorn in the side of certain womankind, who dwelt along
the main street and kept open drinking saloons seven days in the week.
They would have bought ribbons and feathers from her, and as a milliner
thought no more about her, or even if she had opened a hotel, with a bar
attached, they would have been willing to greet her as a fellow worker,
and all would have had even chances. But her effrontery in opening an
eating house, where only water--pure or adulterated with tea or
coffee--was drunk--Well, her immaculate pretensions, to use the vernacular
of one of the disgusted, "made them sick."

It may have been their dislike was made more pronounced because of the
fact that the more sober-minded men turned gladly to the irreproachable
abode of Mrs. Huzzard, and the "bosses" of several "gangs" of workmen had
arranged with her for their meals. Besides, the river men directed any
strangers to her house; whereas, before, the saloons had been the first
point of view from which travelers or miners had seen Sinna Ferry. All
these grievances had accumulated through the weeks, until the climax was
capped when the report went abroad that a dance was to take place at the
sickeningly correct restaurant, and that only the _elite_ of the
settlement were expected to attend.

Thereupon some oaths had been exchanged in a desultory fashion over the
bars at Mustang Kate's and Dutch Lena's; and derisive comments made as to
Mrs. Huzzard and her late charge, the girl in the Indian dress. Some of
the boys, who owned musical instruments--a banjo and a mouth organ--were
openly approached by bribery to keep away from the all too perfect
gathering, so that there might be a dearth of music. But the boys with the
musical instruments evaded the bribes, and even hinted aloud their
desire to dance once anyway with the new girl of the curly hair and the
Indian dress.

This decision increased somewhat the muttering of the storm brewing; and
when Dutch Lena's own man indiscreetly observed that he would have to drop
in line, too, if all the good boys were going, then indeed did the cyclone
of woman's wrath break over that particular branch of Hades. Lena's man
was scratched a little with a knife before quiet was restored, and there
had been some articles of furniture flun