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Show 103 built-in bowl-full-of-jelly and a real live "Ho! Ho! Ho! voice. The reconciliation was getting nowhere. Mama left the room for a long period of time on the pretext of fixing refreshments, but nothing had changed when she got back. Minnie was still cracking pine nuts and Ann was still eating them, both in silence. When the meeting was over Mama realized it had been a failure. "Tell Minnie good night, " said Ann. "Tell Ann good night, " said Minnie. Mama had a good suggestion though, which she offered the committee on peacemaking. If neither woman would speak first it would have to be arranged that they speak simultaneously. At the party the Crowd was divided equally and two rings formed, an outer and an inner, facing each other. They were to go around the hall counter-clockwise and each person was to greet the other in turn, announce their name and give an appropriate good wish. This, notwithstanding that every citizen not only knew every other citizen since birth, but his antecedents into the third and fourth generation. When Ann and Minnie came face to face, they spoke at once, in one voice, timed exactly to the split second, and the feud was over. The double ring broke up, having achieved its goal. Minnie and Ann fell on each others' necks and wept for joy and everybody started to dance. Everybody danced, of course, from the small children hippity-hopping like minnows in and out among the older couples, to Uncle Joe Parker, who never missed a dance although he was ninety. The older couples stuck to the style in vogue at the time of their respective marriages, so we had all types. |
