But the boys and girls got scattered about during the war, and now they dance the fox-trot by a brand new piano. They do waltz and two-step still, but no one now considers it good form to lock his chin over his partner’s shoulder and stick out behind. One night just for fun and to humor the old folks, they danced, that is, they grand marched, but everyone picked up their feet. _Bah!!_ XII +The Head of the Nail+ Daisy Taylor was the town vamp. Not that she was pretty. But sirens were all but non-existent in the town. Perhaps she was forced to it by circumstances. She was quite dark, with little brushy patches of hair squatting over her head. These were held down by shingle-nails often. No one knows whether she did this for artistic effect or for lack of hair-pins, but there they were shining in the little patches of hair when she got all dressed for the afternoon and came up to Clarke’s store to see if there was any mail for her. It was seldom that anyone wrote to Daisy, but she knew that the men of the town would be assembled there by five o’clock, and some one could usually be induced to buy her some soda water or peanuts. Daisy flirted with married men. There were only two single men in town. Lum Boger, who was engaged to the assistant school-teacher, and Hiram Lester, who had been off to school at Tuskegee and wouldn’t look at a person like Daisy. In addition to other drawbacks, she was pigeon-toed and her petticoat was always showing so perhaps he was justified. There was nothing else to do except flirt with married men. This went on for a long time. First one wife then another complained of her, or drove her from the preserves by threat. But the affair with Crooms was the most prolonged and serious. He was even known to have bought her a pair of shoes. Mrs. Laura Crooms was a meek little woman who took all of her troubles crying, and talked a great deal of leaving things in the hands of God. The affair came to a head one night in orange picking time. Crooms was over at Oneido picking oranges. Many fruit pickers move from one town to the other during the season. The _town_ was collected at the store-postoffice as is customary on Saturday nights. The _town_ has had its bath and with its week’s pay in pocket fares forth to be merry. The men tell stories and treat the ladies to soda-water, peanuts and peppermint candy. Daisy was trying to get treats, but the porch was cold to her that night. “Ah don’t keer if you don’t treat me. What’s a dirty lil nickel?” She flung this at Walter Thomas. “The everloving Mister Crooms will gimme anything atall Ah wants.” “You better shet up yo’ mouf talking ’bout Albert Crooms. Heah his wife comes right now.” Daisy went akimbo. “Who? Me! Ah don’t keer whut Laura Crooms think. If she ain’t a heavy hip-ted Mama enough to keep him, she don’t need to come crying to me.”