"Why, Friendship Village was no more than a great big ball-room with these young folks leaving the main floor and setting in the alcoves, to unseen music. If the alcoves had been all palms and expense and dressed-up chaperons on the edges, everything would of seemed right. As it was, it was all a danger that made my heart ache for them, and for us all. And yet it come from their same longing for fun, for joy--and where was they to get it? "'Oh, ladies!' I says, out of the fulness of the lump in my throat, 'if only we had some place to invite 'em to!' "'They wouldn't come if we had,' says Mis' Sykes, final. "'Not come!' I says. 'With candy making and pictures and music and mebbe dancin'? Not come!' "'Dancin'!' says Mis' Toplady, low. 'Oh, Calliope, I donno as I'd go that far.' "'We've went farther than that long ago,' I says, reckless. 'We've went so far that the dangers of dancin' would be safe beside the dangers of what is.' "'But we ain't responsible for that,' says Mis' Sykes. "'Ain't we--_ain't we?_' I says, like Mis' Toplady had. 'Mis' Sykes, how much does Silas rent the post-office hall for, a night?' "'Ten dollars, if he makes something; and five dollars at cost,' she says. "'That's it,' I says, groaning. 'We never could afford that, even to ask them in once a week. Oh, we'd ought to have some place open every night for them, and us ladies take turns doing the refreshments; but they ain't no place in town that belongs to young folks--' "And all of a sudden I stopped, like an idee had took me from all four sides of my head at once. "'Why, ladies,' I says, 'look at the schoolhouse, doing nothing every night out of the year and _built_ for the young folks!' "'Oh, well,' says Mis' Sykes, superior, 'you know the Board'd never allow 'em to use the schoolhouse _that_ way. The Board wouldn't think of it!' "'_Whose_ Board?' says I, stern. 'Ain't they our Board? Yours and mine and Friendship Village's? Come on--come on and put it to 'em,' I says, kind o' wild. "I was climbing down the steps while I spoke. And we all went down, me talking on, and Mis' Toplady catching fire on the minute, an' Mis' Sykes holding out like she does unless so be she's thought of an idea herself. But oh, Mis' Toplady, she's differ'nt. "'Goodness alive!' she said, 'why ain't some of us thought o' that before? Ain't it the funniest thing, the way folks can have a way out right under their noses, an' not sense it?' "I had never had a new-born notion come into my head so ready-made. I could hardly talk it fast enough, and Mis' Toplady same way, and we hurried back to the post-office store, Mis' Sykes not convinced but keeping still because us two talked it so hard. "Silas and Timothy and Eppleby Holcomb was setting in the back part of the post-office store waiting for us, and Mis' Toplady and I hurried right up to them. "'You tell, Calliope,' says Mis' Toplady. 'It's your idee.'