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been killed in battle also。 A long time ago。
Tm going to take this down for the party。 I think it looks
common。 Don't you？'
'I don't know；' Bubber said。/Are we common； Mick？' 'I'm not。'
She put the picture underneath the hatrack。 The decoration
was O。K。 Mister Singer would be pleased when he came
home。 The rooms seemed very empty and quiet。 The90
table was set for supper。 And then after supper it would be
time for the party。 She went into the kitchen to see about the
refreshments。
'You think everything will be all right？' she asked Portia。
Portia was making biscuits。 The refreshments were on top of
the stove。 There were peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and
chocolate snaps and punch。 The sandwiches were covered
with a damp dishcloth。 She peeped at them but didn't take one。
'I done told you forty times that everthing going to be all
right；' Portia said。 'Just soon as I come back from fixing supper
at home I going to put on that white apron and serve the food
real nice。 Then I going to push off from here by nine…thirty。
This here is Saturday night and Highboy and Willie and me
haves our plans； too。'
'Sure；' Mick said。 'I just want you to help out till things sort of
get started—you know。'
She gave in and took one of the sandwiches。 Then she made
Bubber stay with Portia and went into the middle room。 The
dress she would wear was laying out on the bed。 Hazel and
Etta had both been good about lending her their best clothes—
considering that they weren't supposed to come to the party。
There was Etta's long blue crepe de chine evening dress and
some white pumps and a rhine…stone tiara for her hair。 These
clothes were really gorgeous。 It was hard to imagine how she
would look in them。
The late afternoon had come and the sun made long； yellow
slants through the window。 If she took two hours over
dressing for the party it was time to begin now。 When she
thought about putting on the fine clothes she couldn't just sit
around and wait。 Very slowly she went into the bathroom and
shucked off her old shorts and shirt and turned on the water。
She scrubbed the rough parts of her heels and her knees and
especially her elbows。 She made the bath take a long time。
She ran naked into the middle room and began to dress。 Silk
teddies she put on； and silk stockings。 She even wore one of
Etta's brassieres just for the heck of it。 Then very carefully she
put on the dress and stepped into the pumps。 This was the first
time she had ever worn an evening dress。 She stood for a long
time before the mirror。 She was
91
so tall that the dress came up two or three inches above her
ankles—and the shoes were so short they hurt her。 She stood
in front of the mirror a long tune； and finally decided she
either looked like a sap or else she looked very beautiful。 One
or the other。
Six different ways she tried out her hair。 The cowlicks were a
little trouble； so she wet her bangs and made three spit curls。
Last of all she stuck the rhinestones in her hair and put on
plenty of lipstick and paint。 When she finished she lifted up
her chin and half…closed eyes like a movie star。 Slowly she
turned her face from one side to the other。 It was beautiful she
looked—just beautiful。
' She didn't feel like herself at all。 She was somebody different
from Mick Kelly entirely。 Two hours had to pass before the
party would begin； and she was ashamed^ for any of the
family to see her dressed so far ahead of time。 She went into
the bathroom again and locked the door。 She couldn't mess up
her dress by sitting down； so she stood in the middle of the
floor。 The close walls around her seemed to press hi all the
excitement。 She felt so different from the old Mick Kelly that
she knew this would be better than anything else in all her
whole life—this party。
。Yippee！ The punch！'
'The cutest dress'
'Say！ You solve that one about the triangle forty…six by
twen'
'Lemme by！ Move out my way！'
The front door slammed every second as the people swarmed
into the house。 Sharp voices and soft voices sounded together
until there was just one roaring noise。 Girls stood in bunches
in their long； fine evening dresses； and the boys roamed
around in clean duck pants or R。O。T。C。 uniforms or new dark
fall suite。 There was so much commotion that Mick couldn't
notice any separate face or person。 She stood by the hatrack
and stared around at the party as a whole。
'Everybody get a prom card and start signing up。'
At first the room was too loud for anyone to hear and pay
attention。 The boys were so thick around the punch bowl that
the table and the vines didn't show at alL Only91
her Dad's face rose up above the boys' heads as he smiled and
dished up the punch into the little paper cups。 On the seat of
the hatrack beside her were a jar of candy and two
handkerchiefs。 A couple of girls thought it was her birthday；
and she had thanked them and unwrapped the presents without
telling them she wouldn't be fourteen for eight more months。
Every person was as clean and fresh and dressed up as she
was。 They smelled good。 The boys had their hair plastered
down wet and slick。 The girls with their different…colored long
dresses stood together； and they were like a bright hunk of
flowers。 The start was marvelous。 The beginning of this party
was O。K。
'I'm part Scotch Irish and French and'
*I got German blood'
She hollered about the prom cards one more time before she
went into the dining…room。 Soon they began to pile in from the
hall。 Every person took a prom card and they lined up in
bunches against the walls of the room。 This was the real start
now。
It came all of a sudden in a very queer way—this quietness。
The boys stood together on one side of the room and the girls
were across from them。 For some reason every person quit
making noise at once。 The boys held their cards and looked at
the girls and the room was very still。 None of the boys started
asking for proms like they were supposed to do。 The awful
quietness got worse and she had not been to enough parties to
know what she should do。 Then the boys started punching
each other and talking。 The girls giggled—but even if they
didn't look at the boys you could tell they only had their minds
on whether they were going to be popular or not。 The awful
quietness was gone now； but there was something jittery about
the
room。
After a while a boy went up to a girl named Delores Brown。
As soon as he had signed her up the other boys all began to
rush Delores at once。 When her whole card was full they
started on another girl； named Mary。 After that everything
suddenly stopped again。 One or two extra girls got a couple of
proms—and because she was giving the party three boys came
up to her。 That was all。
The people just hung around in the dining…room and the hall。
The boys mostly flocked around the punch bowl
93
and tried to show off with each other。 The girls bunched
together and did a lot of laughing to pretend like they were
having a good time。 The boys thought about the girls and the
girls thought about the boys。 But all that came of it was a
queer feeling in the room。
It was then she began to notice Harry Minowitz。 He lived in
the house next door and she had known him all her life。
Although he was two years older she had grown faster than
him； and in the summer…time they used to wrestle and fight out
on the plot of grass by the street。 Harry was a Jew boy； but he
did not look so much like one。 His hair was light brown and
straight。 Tonight he was dressed very neat； and when he came
in the door he had hung a grown man's panama hat with a
feather in it
on the hatrack。
It wasn't his clothes that made her notice him。 There was
something changed about his face because he was without the
horn…rimmed specs he usually wore。 A red； droppy sty had
come out on one of his eyes and he had to cock his head
sideways like a bird in order to see。 His long； thin hands kept
touching around his sty as though it hurt him。 When he asked
for punch he stuck the paper cup right into her Dad's face。 She
could tell he needed his glasses very bad。 He was nervous and
kept bumping into people。 He didn't ask any girl to prom
except her—and that was because it was her party。
All the punch had been drunk。 Her Dad was afraid she would
be embarrassed； so he and her Mama had gone back to the
kitchen to make lemonade。 Some of the people were on the
front porch and the sidewalk。 She was glad to get out in the
cool night air。 After the hot； bright house she could smell the
new autumn in the darkness。
Then she saw something she hadn't expected。 Along the edge
of the sidewalk and in the dark street there was a bunch of
nighborhood kids。 Pete and Sucker Wells and Baby and
Spareribs—the whole gang that started at below Bubber's age
and went on up to over twelve。 There were even kids she
didn't know at all who had somehow smelled a party and come
to hang around。 And there were kids her age and older that she
hadn't invited either because they had done something mean to
her or