‘Gals is queer,’ the woman said. ‘Do you know a gal named Sallie Brown?’

‘Sallie Lou? I know her.’

‘Sallie comes here. She set in that-there very chair a many a time. I told her fortune yester. Umm-m, you ought to see what’s in her hand! I says, when I see in her hand, “There’s a pretty gal that’s got bright glossy hair all done up high and a blue ribbon around her neck. She’ll beat your time,” I says. I says, “You got no show, Sallie Brown.” Listen, I’ll sell them powders, two kinds, for a quarter.’

Ellen shook her head.

‘Don’t be so all-fired easy to give up. She’s not pretty like you. Catfish mouth, she’s got. Her hair ain’t near so dark and her style ain’t so handsome. A skinny little thing, runt-like. Buy the charm offen me and you’ll never be sorry. A quarter is all.’

‘I don’t want e’er charm.’

‘A quarter is all it takes, and she too close to spend it. Could have her man back for a quarter, and she too close. God knows!’

‘I don’t want e’er charm,’ Ellen said, ‘and I got no quarter.’ She held up empty hands.

‘In your pocket you got it.’

‘I got no pocket in this-here dress.’

‘In your petticoat then.’

‘I got no pocket in my petticoat.’

‘Le’s see. Got no pocket! Why ain’t you got a pocket? Le’s see.’

Ellen suffered dirty hands to fumble at her skirts and she shuddered while they felt for all the folds of her clothing.

‘Well, what you want then? What you come here for a-taken up my time?’

‘I guess I’ll go now,’ Ellen said.

‘Was it Prather you aimed to see there?’

‘Yes,’ Ellen said, speaking softly, looking at the woman’s face. ‘It was Jonas I aimed to see. Just a short spell I wanted to see him.’

‘Well, I’ll tell you, you couldn’t see Prather now. You couldn’t see him now and I’ll tell you for why. He’s gone two days back and he won’t come this way no more. He’s gone away to a place in the north, a long way past Cornishville. He went day afore yester. He married Sallie Brown and went off to live in a place far past Cornishville, away to the north.’

‘Do you know it?’ Ellen whispered, leaning against the door.

‘He left Sallie here while he went on to Barnet’s to fetch his things and pack up to go. They married in town. Sallie, she didn’t want to ride up to Barnet’s while he got his traps and she waited here. It was the same body I see go by here a heap with Prather. Say, did you have bad luck with your sweethearten?’

‘But maybe it’s some other Prather,’ Ellen said, ‘some folks I don’t even know.’

‘You feel fainty-sick, don’t you now? Prather, when he come back, he had so much plunder and truck they had to sort it over and leave some behind. Mrs Prather, she set in that-there chair and sorted out the truck and made up a bundle to leave behind till some of their folks is to pass and take it. It’s that-there sack behind the door. I’ll open it up and no harm to see inside. I’ll open it up and you can see for your own self.’