and fill themselves with a fine dinner, and then sneak off.
One would throw another's hat out of the window, and
both would go out to get it, and neither would be seen
again. Or now and then half a dozen of them would get
together and march out openly, staring at you, and mak~
ing fun of you to your face. Still others, worse yet,
would crowd about the bar, and at the expense of the host
drink themselves sodden, paying not the least attention
to any one, and leaving it to be thought that either they
had danced with the bride already, or meant to later on.

All these things were going on now, and the family
was helpless with dismay. So long they had toiled, and
such an outlay they had made! Ona stood by, her eyes
wide with terror. Those frightful bills -- how they had
haunted her, each item gnawing at her soul all day and
spoiling her rest at night. How often she had named
them over one by one and figured on them as she went to
work -- fifteen dollars for the hall, twenty-two dollars
and a quarter for the ducks, twelve dollars for the musi~
cians, five dollars at the church, and a blessing of the
Virgin besides -- and so on without an end! Worst of
all was the frightful bill that was still to come from Graic~
zunas for the beer and liquor that might be consumed.
One could never get in advance more than a guess as to
this from a saloon-keeper -- and then, when the time came
he always came to you scratching his head and saying
that he had guessed too low, but that he had done his
best -- your guests had gotten so very drunk. By him
you were sure to be cheated unmercifully, and that even
though you thought yourself the dearest of the hundreds
of friends he had. He would begin to serve your guests
out of a keg that was half full, and finish with one that
was half empty, and then you would be charged for two
kegs of beer. He would agree to serve a certain quality
at a certain price, and when the time came you and your
friends would be drinking some horrible poison that could
not be described. You might complain, but you would
get nothing for your pains but a ruined evening; while,
as for going to law about it, you might as well go to

[[17]]

p016 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p017w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p018

v?