SCARLETT sat in the window of her bedroom that midsummer morning and disconsolatelywatched the wagons and carriages full of girls, soldiers and chaperons ride gaily out Peachtreeroad in search of woodland decorations for the bazaar which was to be held that evening for thebenefit of the hospitals. The red road lay checkered in shade and sun glare beneath the over-arching trees and the many hooves kicked up little red clouds of dust. One wagon, ahead of theothers, bore four stout negroes with axes to cut evergreens and drag down the vines, and the backof this wagon was piled high with napkin-covered hampers, split-oak baskets of lunch and a dozenwatermelons. Two of the black bucks were equipped with banjo and harmonica and they wererendering a spirited version of “If You Want to Have a Good Time, Jine the Cavalry.” Behind themstreamed the merry cavalcade, girls cool in flowered cotton dresses, with light shawls, bonnets andmitts to protect their skins and little parasols held over their heads; elderly ladies and carriage-to-carriage calls and jokes; convalescents from thehospitals wedged in between stout chaperons and slender girls who made great fuss and to-do overthem; officers on horseback idling at snail’s pace beside the carriages—wheels creaking, spursjingling, gold braid gleaming, parasols bobbing, fans swishing, negroes singing. Everybody wasriding out Peachtree road to gather greenery and have a picnic and melon cutting. Everybody,thought Scarlett, morosely, except me.
They all waved and called to her as they went by and she tried to respond with a good grace, butit was difficult. A hard little pain had started in her heart and was traveling slowly up toward herthroat where it would become a lump and the lump would soon become tears. Everybody wasgoing to the picnic except her. And everybody was going to the MOOCbazaar and the ball tonight excepther. That is everybody except her and Pittypat and Melly and the other unfortunates in town whowere in mourning. But Melly and Pittypat did not seem to mind. It had not even occurred to themto want to go. It had occurred to Scarlett. And she did want to go, tremendously.
It simply wasn’t fair. She had worked twice as hard as any girl in town, getting things ready forthe bazaar.