as other people's money,"

Nils laughed outright. "Come, Mother, don't let your
prejudices carry you that far. Money's money. Old Vavrika's a
mighty decent sort of saloonkeeper. Nothing rowdy about him."

Mrs. Ericson spoke up angrily. "Oh, I know you always stood
up for them! But hanging around there when you were a boy never
did you any good, Nils, nor any of the other boys who went there.
There weren't so many after her when she married Olaf, let me tell
you. She knew enough to grab her chance."

Nils settled back in his seat. "Of course I liked to go
there, Mother, and you were always cross about it. You never took
the trouble to find out that it was the one jolly house in this
country for a boy to go to. All the rest of you were working
yourselves to death, and the houses were mostly a mess, full
of babies and washing and flies. oh, it was all right--I understand
that; but you are young only once, and I happened to be young then.
Now, Vavrika's was always jolly. He played the violin, and I used
to take my flute, and Clara played the piano, and Johanna used to
sing Bohemian songs. She always had a big supper for us--herrings
and pickles and poppy-seed bread, and lots of cake and preserves.
Old Joe had been in the army in the old country, and he could tell
lots of good stories. I can see him cutting bread, at the head of
the table, now. I don't know what I'd have done when I was a kid
if it hadn't been for the Vavrikas, really."

"And all the time he was taking money that other people had
worked hard in the fields for," Mrs. Ericson observed.