d I began to take on flesh, and ran
short of breath like."

"Oh, there's mor'l dances as well as immor'l dances," William confessed,
not knowing the history of the opposition every dance has encountered in
its younger days. "The waltz now, or the lancers or the Virginia reel.
Even the two-step was all right. But this turkey-trot-tango
business--it's goin' to be the ruination of the home. It isn't fit for
decent folks to look at, let alone let their daughters do. I want you
should quit it, Prue. If you need exercise help your mother with the
housework. You go and tango round with a broom awhile. I don't see why
you don't try to help your sister, too, and make something useful of
yourself. I tell you, in these days a woman ought to be able to earn her
own living same's a man. You could get a good position in Shillaber's
dry-goods store if you only would."

Prue wriggled her shoulders impatiently and said: "I guess I'm one of
those Shiloh girls. I'll just dance round awhile, and maybe some rich
Benjamin gent'man will grab me and take me off your hands."

VIII

One evening Prue came home late to supper after a session at Bertha
Appleby's. An informal gathering had convened under the disguise of a
church-society meeting, only to degenerate into a dancing-bee after a
few perfunctory formalities.

Prue had just time to seize a bite before she went to dress for a
frankly confessed dancing-bout at Eliza Erf's. As she ate with angry
voracity she complained:

"I guess I'll just quit going to dances. I don't have a bit of fun any
more."

Her father started from his chair to embrace the returned prodigal, but
he dropped into Ollie's place as Prue exclaimed:

"Everybody is always at me for help. 'Prue, is this right?' 'Prue, teach
me that.' 'Oh, what did you do then?' 'Is it the inside foot or the
outside you start on?' 'Do you drop on the front knee or the hind?' 'Do
you do the Innovation?' Why, it's worse than teaching school!"

"Why don't you teach school?" said William, feebly. "There's going to be
a vacancy in the kindergarten."

Prue sniffed. "I see myself!" And went to her room to dress.

Her father sank back discouraged. What ailed the girl? She simply would
not take life seriously. She would not lift her hand to help. When they
were so poor and the future so dour, how could she keep from earning a
little money? Was she condemned to be altogether useless, shiftless,
unprofitable? A weight about her father's ne