THE AM ERIC AN-SC AN DIN A VI AN REVIEW 
727 
All the livelong day the women were alone in their cabins; for 
even where one had a husband and children, the man went off to his 
work every morning and the children went to school. A few T among 
the older women had grown sons and daughters, but they had gone to 
America. And some there were witli little children, who were always 
around, of course; hut these could hardly be regarded as company. 
Being so much alone, it was really necessary that they should 
meet sometimes over the coffee cups. Not that they got on so very 
well together, nor had any great love for each other; but some liked 
to keep posted on what the others were doing, and some grew de¬ 
spondent living like that, in the shadow of the mountain, unless they 
met people now and then. And there were those, too, who needed to 
unburden their hearts, and talk about the last letter from America, 
and those who were naturally talkative and jocular, and who longed 
for opportunity to make use of these happy God-given talents. 
Nor was it any trouble at all to prepare for a little party. Coffee¬ 
pot and coffee cups they all had of course, and cream could be got at 
the manor, if one had no cow r of one’s own to milk; fancy biscuits and 
small cakes one could, at a pinch, get the dairyman’s driver to fetch 
from the municipal bakery, and country merchants who sold coffee 
and sugar were to be found everywhere. So, to get up a coffee party 
was the easiest thing imaginable. The difficulty lay in finding an 
occasion. 
For Stina of Ridgecote, Lina of Birdsong, Kajsa of Littlemarsh, 
Maja of Skypeak, Beda of Finn-darkness, and Elin, the new wife at 
the old soldier’s, were all agreed that it would never do for them to 
celebrate in the midst of the common everyday life. Were they to be 
that wasteful of the precious hours which never return, they might get 
a bad name. And to hold coffee parties on Sundays or great Holy 
Days was out of the question; for then the married women had hus¬ 
band and children at home, which was quite company enough. As 
for the rest,—some liked to attend church, some wished to visit rela¬ 
tives, while a few preferred to spend the day at home, in perfect peace 
and stillness, that they might really feel it was a Holy Day. 
Therefore they were all the more eager to take advantage of 
every possible opportunity. Most of them gave parties on their name- 
days, though some celebrated the great event when the wee little one 
cut its first tooth, or when it took its first steps. For those who re¬ 
ceived money-letters from America that was always a convenient ex¬ 
cuse, and it was also in order to invite all the women of the neighbor¬ 
hood to come and help tack a quilt or stretch a web just off the loom. 
All the same, there were not nearly as many occasions to meet 
as were needed. One year one of the women was at her wits’ end. It 
was her turn to give a party, and she had no objection to carrying out 
what was expected of her; but she could not seem to hit upon anything 
