SAMANTHA

AMONG THE BRETHREN. 

By

"Josiah Allen's Wife"

(Marietta Holley)

Part 4

CHAPTER XIII. 

Curius, hain't it? How folks will get to tellin' things, and finallytell 'em so much, that finally they will get to believin' of 'emthemselves--boastin' of bein' rich, etc. , or bad. Now I have seen folksboast over that, act real haughty because they had been bad and got overit. I've seen temperance lecturers and religious exhorters boast sightsand sights over how bad they had been. But they wuzn't tellin' thetruth, though they had told the same thing so much that probable theyhad got to thinkin' so. 

But in the case of one man in petickuler, I found out for myself, for Ididn't believe what he wuz a sayin' any of the time. 

Why, he made out in evenin' meetin's, protracted and otherwise, that hehad been a awful villain. Why no pirate wuz ever wickeder than he madehimself out to be, in the old times before he turned round and becomepious. 

[Illustration: "HIS FACE WUZ A GOOD MORAL FACE. "]

But I didn't believe it, for he had a good look to his face, all but thehigh headed look he had, and sort o' vain. 

But except this one look, his face wuz a good moral face, and I knewthat no man could cut up and act as he claimed that he had, withoutcarryin' some marks on the face of the cuttin' up, and also of theactin'. 

And so, as it happened, I went a visitin' (to Josiah's relations) to thevery place where he had claimed to do his deeds of wild badness, and Ifound that he had always been a pattern man--never had done a singlemean act, so fur as wuz known. 

Where wuz his boastin' then? As the Bible sez, why, it wuz all vaintalk. He had done it to get up a reputation. He had done it because hewuz big feelin' and vain. And he had got so haughty over it, and hadtold of it so much, that I spoze he believed in it himself. 

Curius! hain't it? But I am a eppisodin', and to resoom. Trueman's wifewould talk jest so, jest so haughty and high headed, about the worldcomin' to a end. 

She'd dispute with everybody right up and down if they disagreed withher--and specially about that religion of hern. How sot she wuz, howextremely sot. 

But then, it hain't in me, nor never wuz, to fight anybody for anypetickuler religion of theirn. There is sights and sights of differentreligions round amongst different friends of mine, and most all on 'emquite good ones. 

That is, they are agreeable to the ones who believe in 'em, and not overand above disagreeable to me. 

Now it seems to me that in most all of these different doctrines andbeliefs, there is a grain of truth, and if folks would only kinder holdonto that grain, and hold themselves stiddy while they held onto it, they would be better off. 

But most folks when they go to follerin' off a doctrine, they foller toofur, they hain't megum enough. 

Now, for instance, when you go to work and whip anybody, or hang 'em, orburn 'em up for not believin' as you do, that is goin' too fur. 

It has been done though, time and agin, in the world's history, andmebby will be agin. 

But it hain't reasonable. Now what good will doctrines o' any kind do toanybody after they are burnt up or choked to death?

You see such things hain't bein' megum. Because I can't believe jest assomebody else duz, it hain't for me to pitch at 'em and burn 'em up, oreven whip 'em. 

No, indeed! And most probable if I should study faithfully out theirbeliefs, I would find one grain, or mebby a grain and a half of realtruth in it. 

[Illustration: "EF I FELL ON A STUN. "]

Now, for instance, take the doctrines of Christian Healin', or MindCure. Now I can't exactly believe that if I fell down and hurt my headon a stun--I cannot believe as I am a layin' there, that I hain't fell, and there hain't no stun--and while I am a groanin' and a bathin' theachin' bruise in anarky and wormwood, I can't believe that there hain'tno such thing as pain, nor never wuz. 

No, I can't believe this with the present light I have got on thesubject. 

But yet, I have seen them that this mind cure religion had fairly rizright up, and made 'em nigher to heaven every way--so nigh to it thatseemin'ly a light out of some of its winders had lit up their faces withits glowin' repose, its sweet rapture. 

I've seen 'em, seen 'em as the Patent Medicine Maker observes sofrequently, "before and after takin'. "

Folks that wuz despondent and hopeless, and wretched actin', why, thisbelief made 'em jest blossom right out into a state of hopefulness, andcalmness, and joy--refreshin' indeed to contemplate. 

Wall now, the idee of whippin' anybody for believin' anything thatbrings such a good change to 'em, and fills them and them round 'em withso much peace and happiness. 

Why, I wouldn't do it for a dollar bill. And as for hangin' 'em, andbrilin' 'em on gridirons, etc. , why, that is entirely out of thequestion, or ort to be. 

And now, it don't seem to me that I ever could make a tree walk off, bylookin' at it, and commandin' it to--or call some posys to fall downinto my lap, right through, the plasterin'--

Or send myself, or one of myselfs, off to Injy, while the other one ofme stayed to Jonesville. 

Now, honestly speakin', it don't seem to me that I ever could learn todo this, not at my age, any way, and most dead with rheumatiz a gooddeal of the time. 

I most know I couldn't. 

But then agin I have seen believers in Theosiphy that could do wonders, and seemed indeed to have got marvelous control over the forces ofNatur. 

And now the idee of my whippin' 'em for it. Why you wouldn't ketch me atit. 

And Spiritualism now! I spoze, and I about know that there are lotsof folks that won't ever see into any other world than this, till thebreath leaves their body. 

Yet i've seen them, pure sweet souls too, as I ever see, whose eyesbeheld blessed visions withheld from more material gaze. 

Yes, i've neighbored with about all sorts of religius believers, andnever disputed that they had a right to their own religion. 

And I've seen them too that didn't make a practice of goin' to anymeetin' houses much, who lived so near to God and his angels that theyfelt the touch of angel hands on their forwards every day of theirlives, and you could see the glow of the Fairer Land in their rapt eyes. 

They had outgrown the outward forms of religion that had helped themat first, jest as children outgrow the primers and ABC books of theirchildhood and advance into the higher learnin'. 

I've seen them folks i've neighbored with 'em. Human faults they had, or God would have taken them to His own land before now. Theirimperfections, I spoze sort o' anchored 'em here for a spell to aimperfect world. 

But you could see, if you got nigh enough to their souls to see anythingabout 'em--you could see that the anchor chains wuz slight after all, and when they wuz broke, oh how lightly and easily they would sail away, away to the land that their rapt souls inhabited even now. 

Yes, I've seen all sorts of religius believers and I wuzn't goin' to betoo hard on Tamer for her belief, though I couldn't believe as she did. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

He come to our house a visitin' along the first week in June, and thelast day in June wuz the day they had sot for the world to come to anend. I, myself, didn't believe she knew positive about it, and Josiahdidn't either. And I sez to her, "The Bible sez that it hain't agoin'to be revealed to angels even, or to the Son himself, but only to theFather when that great day shall be. " And sez I to Trueman's wife, sezI, "How should _you_ be expected to know it?"

Sez she, with that same collected together haughty look to her, "My namewuzn't mentioned, I believe, amongst them that _wuzn't_ to know it!"

And of course I had to own up that it wuzn't. But good land! I didn'tbelieve she knew a thing more about it than I did, but I didn't disputewith her much, because she wuz one of the relatives on his side--youknow you have to do different with 'em than you do with them on your ownside--you have to. And then agin, I felt that if it didn't come to anend she would be convinced that she wuz in the wrong on't, and if shedid we should both of us be pretty apt to know it, so there wuzn't muchuse in disputin' back and forth. 

But she wuz firm as iron in her belief. And she had come up visitin' toour home, so's to be nigh when Trueman riz. Trueman wuz buried in theold Risley deestrict, not half a mile from us on a back road. And shenaterally wanted to be round at the time. 

She said plain to me that Trueman never could seem to get along withouther. And though she didn't say it right out, she carried the idea (andJosiah resented it because Trueman was a favorite cousin of his'n onhis own side. ) She jest the same as said right out that Trueman, if shewuzn't by him to tend to him, would be jest as apt to come up wrong endup as any way. 

Josiah didn't like it at all. 

Wall, she had lived a widowed life for a number of years, and had saidright out, time and time agin, that she wouldn't marry agin. But Josiahthought, and I kinder mistrusted myself, that she wuz kinder on thelookout, and would marry agin if she got a chance--not fierce, you know, or anything of that kind, but kinder quietly lookin' out and standin'ready. That wuz when she first come; but before she went away she actedfierce. 

[Illustration: "BURIED IN THE OLD RISLEY DEESIRICT. "]

Wall, there wuz sights of Adventists up in the Risley deestrict, andamongst the rest wuz an old bachelder, Joe Charnick. 

And Joe Charnick wuz, I s'poze, of all Advents, the most Adventy. Hejest _knew_ the world wuz a comin' to a end that very day, the last dayof June, at four o'clock in the afternoon. And he got his robe all madeto go up in. It wuz made of a white book muslin, and Jenette Finstermade it. Cut it out by one of his mother's nightgowns--so she told me inconfidence, and of course I tell it jest the same; I want it kep. 

She was afraid Joe wouldn't like it, if he knew she took the nightgownfor a guide, wantin' it, as he did, for a religious purpose. 

But, good land! as I told her, religion or not, anybody couldn't cutanything to look anyhow without sumpthin' fora guide, and she bein' anold maiden felt a little delicate about measurin' him. 

His mother wuz as big round as he wuz, her weight bein' 230 by thesteelyards, and she allowed 2 fingers and a half extra length--Joe istall. She gathered it in full round the neck, and the sleeves (at hisrequest) hung down like wings, a breadth for each wing wuz what sheallowed. Jenette owned up to me (though she wouldn't want it told offor the world, for it had been sposed for years, that he and she had alikin' for each other, and mebby would make a match some time, thoughwhat they had been a-waitin' for for the last 10 years nobody knew). Butshe allowed to me that when he got his robe on, he wuz the worst lookin'human bein' that she ever laid eyes on, and sez she, for she likes ajoke, Jenette duz: "I should think if Joe looked in the glass after hegot it on, his religion would be a comfort to him; I should think hewould be glad the world _wuz_ comin' to a end. "

But he _didn't_ look at the glass, Jenette said he didn't; he wanted tosee if it wuz the right size round the neck. Joe hain't handsome, buthe is kinder good-lookin', and he is a good feller and got plenty to dowith, but bein' kinder big-featured, and tall, and hefty, he musthave looked like fury in the robe. But he is liked by everybody, andeverybody is glad to see him so prosperous and well off. 

He has got 300 acres of good land, "be it more or less, " as the deedreads; 30 head of cows, and 7 head of horses (and the hull bodies of'em). And a big sugar bush, over 1100 trees, and a nice little sugarhouse way up on a pretty side hill amongst the maple trees. A good, big, handsome dwellin' house, a sort of cream color, with green blinds; bigbarn, and carriage house, etc. , etc. , and everything in the very best oforder. He is a pattern farmer and a pattern son--yes, Joe couldn't be amore pattern son if he acted every day from a pattern. 

He treats his mother dretful pretty, from day to day. She thinks thatthere hain't nobody like Joe; and it wuz s'pozed that Jenette thought sotoo. 

But Jenette is, and always wuz, runnin' over with common sense, and shealways made fun and laughed at Joe when he got to talkin' about hisreligion, and about settin' a time for the world to come to a end. Andsome thought that that wuz one reason why the match didn't go off, forJoe likes her, everybody could see that, for he wuz jest such a great, honest, open-hearted feller, that he never made any secret of it. And Jenette liked Joe _I_ knew, though she fooled a good many on thesubject. But she wuz always a great case to confide in me, and thoughshe didn't say so right out, which wouldn't have been her way, for, asthe poet sez, she wuzn't one "to wear her heart on the sleeves of herbask waist, " still, I knew as well es I wanted to, that she thought hereyes of him. And old Miss Charnick jest about worshipped Jenette, wouldhave her with her, sewin' for her, and takin' care of her--she wuz sicka good deal, Mother Charnick wuz. And she would have been tickled mostto death to have had Joe marry her and bring her right home there. 

And Jenette wuz a smart little creeter, "smart as lightnin', " as Josiahalways said. 

She had got along in years, Jenette had, without marryin', for she staidto hum and took care of her old father and mother and Tom. The othergirls married off, and left her to hum, and she had chances, so it wuzsaid, good ones, but she wouldn't leave her father and mother, who wuzgettin' old, and kinder bed-rid, and needed her. Her father, specially, said he couldn't live, and wouldn't try to, if Jenette left 'em, but hesaid, the old gentleman did, that Jenette should be richly paid for hergoodness to 'em. 

That wuzn't what made Jenette good, no, indeed; she did it out of thepure tenderness and sweetness of her nature and lovin'heart. But I usedto love to hear the old gentleman talk that way, for he wuz well off, and I felt that so far as money could pay for the hull devotion of alife, why, Jenette would be looked out for, and have a good home, andenough to do with. So she staid to hum, as I say, and took care of'emnight and day; sights of watching and wearisome care she had, poorlittle creeter; but she took the best of care of 'em, and kep 'em kindercomforted up, and clean, and brought up Tom, the youngest boy, by hand, and thought her eyes on him. 

And he wuz a smart chap--awful smart, as it proved in the end; for hemarried when he wuz 21, and brought his wife (a disagreeable creeter)home to the old homestead, and Jenette, before they had been there 2weeks, wuz made to feel that her room wuz better than her company. 

That wuz the year the old gentleman died; her mother had died 3 monthsprior and beforehand. 

Her brother, as I said, wur smart, and he and his wife got round the oldman in some way and sot him against Jenette, and got everything he had. 

He wuz childish, the old man wuz; used to try to put his pantaloons onover his head, and get his feet into his coat sleeves, etc. , etc. 

And he changed his will, that had gi'n Jenette half the property, a goodproperty, too, and gi'n it all to Tom, every mite of it, all but onedollar, which Jenette never took by my advice. 

For I wuz burnin' indignant at old Mr. Finster and at Tom. Curius, tothink such a girl as Jenette had been--such a patient, good creeter, andsuch a good-tempered one, and everything--to think her pa should haveforgot all she had done, and suffered, and gi'n up for 'em, and givethe property all to that boy, who had never done anything only to spendtheir money and make Jenette trouble. 

But then, I s'poze it wuz old Mr. Finster's mind, or the lack on't, andI had to stand it, likewise so did Jenette. 

But I never sot a foot into Tom Finster's house, not a foot after thatday that Jenette left it. I wouldn't. But I took her right to my house, and kep her for 9 weeks right along, and wuz glad to. 

That wuz some 10 years prior and before this, and she had gone roundsewin' ever sense. And she wuz beloved by everybody, and had gone roundhighly respected, and at seventy-five cents a day. 

Her troubles, and everybody that knew her, knew how many she had of 'em, but she kep 'em all to herself, and met the world and her neighbors witha bright face. 

If she took her skeletons out of the closet to air 'em, and I s'poze shedid, everybody duz; they have to at times, to see if their bones are ingood order, if for nothin' else. But if she ever did take 'em out anddust 'em, she did it all by herself. The closet door wuz shet up andlocked when anybody wuz round. And you would think, by her bright, laughin' face, that she never heard the word skeleton, or ever listenedto the rattle of a bone. 

And she kep up such a happy, cheerful look on the outside, that I s'pozeit ended by her bein' cheerful and happy on the inside. 

The stiddy, good-natured, happy spirit that she cultivated at firstby hard work, so I s'poze; but at last it got to be second nater, the qualities kinder struck in and she _wuz_ happy, and she _wuz_contented--that is, I s'poze so. 

Though I, who knew Jenette better than anybody else, almost, knew howtuff, how fearful tuff it must have come on her, to go round from hometo home--not bein' settled down at home anywhere. I knew jest what alovin' little home body she wuz. And how her sweet nater, like the sun, would love to light up one bright lovin' home, and shine kinder stiddythere, instead of glancin' and changin' about from one place to another, like a meteor. 

Some would have liked it; some like change and constant goin' about, andmovin' constantly through space--but I knew Jenette wuzn't made on themeteor plan. I felt sorry for Jenette, down deep in my heart, I did; butI didn't tell her so; no, she wouldn't have liked it; she kep a braveface to the world. And as I said, her comin' wuz looked for weeks andweeks ahead, in any home where she wuz engaged to sew by the day. 

Everybody in the house used to feel the presence of a sunshiny, cheerfulspirit. One that wuz determined to turn her back onto troubles shecouldn't help and keep her face sot towards the Sun of Happiness. Onewho felt good and pleasant towards everybody, wished everybody well. One who could look upon other folks'es good fortune without a miteof jealousy or spite. One who loved to hear her friends praised andadmired, loved to see 'em happy. And if they had a hundred times thegood things she had, why, she was glad for their sakes, that they had'em, she loved to see 'em enjoy 'em, if she couldn't. 

And she wuz dretful kinder cunnin' and cute, Jenette wuz. She would makethe oddest little speeches; keep everybody laughin' round her, when shegot to goin'. 

[Illustration: "Dretful kinder cunnin' and cute, Jenette wuz. "]

Yes, she wuz liked dretful well, Jenette wuz. Her face has a kind of apert look on to it, her black eyes snap, a good-natured snap, though, and her nose turns up jest enough to look kinder cunnin', and her haircurls all over her head. 

Smart round the house she is, and Mother Charnick likes that, for she isa master good housekeeper. Smart to answer back and joke. Joe is slow ofspeech, and his big blue eyes won't fairly get sot onto anything, beforeJenette has looked it all through, and turned it over, and examined iton the other side, and got through with it. 

Wall, she wuz to work to Mother Charnick's makin' her a black alpackadress, and four new calico ones, and coverin' a parasol. 

A good many said that Miss Charnick got dresses a purpose for Jenette tomake, so's to keep her there. Jenette wouldn't stay there a minute onlywhen she wuz to work, and as they always kep a good, strong, hired girl, she knew when she wuz needed, and when she wuzn't. But, of course, shecouldn't refuse to sew for her, and at what she wuz sot at, though shemust have known and felt that Miss Charnick wuz lavish in dresses. Shehad 42 calico dresses, and everybody knew it, new ones, besides woosted. But, anyway, there she was a sewin' when the word came that the worldwas a comin' to a end on the 30th day of June, at 4 o'clock in theafternoon. 

Miss Charnick wuz a believer, but not to the extent that Joe was. ForJenette asked her if she should stop sewin', not sposin' that she wouldneed the dresses, specially the four calico ones, and the parasol incase of the world's endin'. 

And she told Jenette, and Jenette told me, so's I know it is true, "thatshe might go right on, and get the parasol cover, and the trimmins tothe dresses, cambrick, and linin' and things, and hooks and eyes. "

And Miss Charnick didn't prepare no robe. But Jenette mistrusted, thoughMiss Charnick is close-mouthed, and didn't say nothin', but Jenettemistrusted that she laid out, when she sees signs, to use a nightgown. 

She had piles of the nicest ones, that Jenette had made for her fromtime to time, over 28, all trimmed off nice enough for day dresses, soJenette said, trimmed with tape trimmin's, some of 'em, and belted downin front. 

Wall, they had lots of meetin's at the Risley school-house, as the timedrew near. And Miss Trueman Pool went to every one on 'em. 

She had been too weak to go out to the well, or to the barn. She wanteddretfully to see some new stanchils that Josiah had been a makin', jestlike some that Pool had had in his barn. She wanted to see 'em dretful, but was too weak to walk. And I had had kind of a tussle in my own mind, whether or not I should offer to let Josiah carry her out; but kinderhesitated, thinkin' mebby she would get stronger. 

But I hain't jealous, not a mite. It is known that I hain't all throughJonesville and Loontown. No, I'd scorn it. I thought Pool's wife wouldget better and she did. 

One evenin' Joe Charnick came down to bring home Josiah's augur, andthe conversation turned onto Adventin'. And Miss Pool see that Joe wuzcongenial on that subject; he believed jest as she did, that the worldwould come to an end the 30th. This was along the first part of themonth. 

[Illustration: "Joe Charnick came down to bring home Josiah's augur. "]

He spoke of the good meetin's they wuz a-havin' to the Risleyschool-house, and how he always attended to every one on 'em. And thenext mornin' Miss Trueman Pool gin out that she wuz a-goin' thatevenin'. It wuz a good half a mile away, and I reminded her that Josiahhad to be away with the team, for he wuz a-goin' to Loontown, heavyloaded, and wouldn't get back till along in the evenin'. 

But she said "that she felt that the walk would do her good. "

I then reminded her of the stanchils, but she said "stanchils andreligion wuz two separate things. " Which I couldn't deny, and didn't tryto. And she sot off for the school-house that evenin' a-walkin' a foot. And the rest of her adventins and the adventins of Joe I will relate inanother epistol; and I will also tell whether the world come to an endor not. I know folks will want to know, and I don't love to keep folksin onxiety--it hain't my way. 

CHAPTER XV. 

Wall, from that night, Miss Trueman Pool attended to the meetins at theRisley school-house, stiddy and constant. And before the week wuz outJoe Charnick had walked home with her twice. And the next week hecarried her to Jonesville to get the cloth for her robe, jest likehis'n, white book muslin. And twice he had come to consult her on aBible passage, and twice she had walked up to his mother's to consultwith her on a passage in the Apockraphy. And once she went up to see ifher wings wuz es deep and full es his'n. She wanted 'em jest the samesize. 

Miss Charnick couldn't bear her. Miss Charnick wuz a woman who hadenjoyed considerble poor health in her life, and she had now, and hadbeen havin' for years, some dretful bad spells in her stomach--a sort ofa tightness acrost her chest. And Trueman's wife argued with her thather spells had been worse, and her chest had been tighter. And theold lady didn't like that at all, of course. And the old lady tookthoroughwert for 'em, and Trueman's wife insisted on't that thoroughwertwuz tightenin'. 

And then there wuz some chickens in a basket out on the stoop, that theold hen had deserted, and Miss Charnick wuz a bringin' 'em up by hand. And Mother Chainick went out to feed 'em, and Trueman's wife tosted herhead and said, "she didn't approve of it--she thought a chicken ought tobe brung up by a hen. "

But Miss Charnick said, "Why, the hen deserted 'em; they would haveperished right there in the nest. "

But Trueman's wife wouldn't gin in, she stuck right to it, "that it wuza hen's business, and nobody else's. "

And of course she had some sense on her side, for of course it is ahen's business, her duty and her prevelege to bring up her chickens. Butif she won't do it, why, then, somebody else has got to--they ought tobe brung. I say Mother Charnick wuz in the right on't. But Trueman'swife had got so in the habit of findin' fault, and naggin' at me, andthe other relations on Trueman's side and hern, that she couldn't seemto stop it when she knew it wuz for her interest to stop. 

And then she ketched a sight of the alpacker dress Jenette wuz a-makin'and she said "that basks had gone out. "

And Miss Charnick was over partial to 'em (most too partial, somethought), and thought they wuz in the height of the fashion. ButTrueman's wife ground her right down on it. 

"Basks _wuz out_, fer she knew it, she had all her new ones madepolenay. "

And hearin' 'em argue back and forth for more'n a quarter of an hour, Jenette put in and sez (she thinks all the world of Mother Charnick), "Wall, I s'pose you won't take much good of your polenays, if you havegot so little time to wear 'em. "

And then Trueman's wife (she wuz meen-dispositioned, anyway) saidsomethin' about "hired girls keepin' their place. "

And then Mother Charnick flared right up and took Jenette's part. AndJoe's face got red; he couldn't bear to see Jenette put upon, if she wuzmakin' fun of his religeon. And Trueman's wife see that she had gone toofur, and held herself in, and talked good to Jenette, and flattered upJoe, and he went home with her and staid till ten o'clock. 

They spent a good deal of their time a-huntin' up passages, to provetheir doctrine, in the Bible, and the Apockraphy, and Josephus, andothers. 

It beat all how many Trueman's wife would find, and every one she foundJoe would seem to think the more on her. And so it run along, till folkssaid they wuz engaged, and Josiah and me thought so, too. 

And though Jenette wuzn't the one to say anything, she begun to lookkinder pale and mauger. And when I spoke of it to her, she laid it toher liver. And I let her believe I thought so too. And I even went sofur as to recommend tansey and camomile tea, with a little catnip mixedin--I did it fur blinders. I knew it wuzn't her liver that ailed her. Iknew it wuz her heart. I knew it wuz her heart that wuz a-achin'. 

Wall, we had our troubles, Josiah and me did. Trueman's wife wuz dretfuldisagreeable, and would argue us down, every separate thing we tried todo or say. And she seemed more high-headed and disagreeable than eversence Joe had begun to pay attention to her. Though what earthly goodhis attention wuz a-goin' to do, wuz more than I could see, accordin' toher belief. 

But Josiah said, "he guessed Joe wouldn't have paid her any attention, if he hadn't thought that the world wuz a-comin' to a end so soon. Heguessed he wouldn't want her round if it wuz a-goin' to stand. "

Sez I, "Josiah, you are a-judgin' Joe by yourself. " And he owned up thathe wuz. 

Wall, the mornin' of the 30th, after Josiah and me had eat ourbreakfast, I proceeded to mix up my bread. I had set the yeastovernight, and I wuz a mouldin' it out into tins when Trueman's wifecome down-stairs with her robe over her arm. She wanted to iron it outand press the seams. 

I had baked one tin of my biscuit for breakfast, and I had kep 'em warmfor Trueman's wife, for she had been out late the night before to ameetin' to Risley school-house, and didn't come down to breakfast. Ihad also kep some good coffee warm for her, and some toast and steak. 

She laid her robe down over a chair-back, and sot down to her breakfast, but begun the first thing to find fault with me for bein' to work onthat day. She sez, "The idee, of the last day of the world, and youa-bein' found makin' riz biscuit, yeast ones!" sez she. 

"Wall, " sez I, "I don't know but I had jest as soon be found a-makin'riz biscuit, a-takin' care of my own household, as the Lord hescommanded me to, as to be found a-sailin' round in a book muslin MotherHubbard. "

"It hain't a Mother Hubbard!" sez she. 

"Wall, " sez I, "I said it for oritory. But it is puckered up some likethem, and you know it. " Hers wuz made with a yoke. 

And Josiah sot there a-fixin' his plantin' bag. He wuz a-goin' out thatmornin' to plant over some corn that the crows had pulled up. And shebitterly reproved him. But he sez, "If the world don't come to a end, the corn will be needed. "

"But it will, " she sez in a cold, haughty tone. 

[Illustration: "WALL, " SEZ HE, "IF IT DOES, I MAY AS WELL BE DOIN'THAT AS TO BE SETTIN' ROUND. "]

"Wall, " sez he, "if it does, I may as well be a-doin' that as to besettin' round. " And he took his plantin' bag and went out. And then shejawed me for upholdin' him. 

And sez she, as she broke open a biscuit and spread it with butterprevious to eatin' it, sez she, "I should think _respect_, respect forthe great and fearful thought of meetin' the Lord, would scare you outof the idea of goin' on with your work. "

Sez I calmly, "Does it scare you, Trueman's wife?"

"Wall, not exactly scare, " sez she, "but lift up, lift up far abovebread and other kitchen work. "

And again she buttered a large slice, and I sez calmly, "I don't s'pozeI should be any nearer the Lord than I am now. He sez He dwells insideof our hearts, and I don't see how He could get any nearer to us thanthat. And anyway, what I said to you I keep a-sayin', that I think Hewould approve of my goin' on calm and stiddy, a-doin' my best for theones He put in my charge here below, my husband, my children, and mygrandchildren. " (I some expected Tirzah Ann and the babe home that dayto dinner. )

"Wall, you feel very diffrent from some wimmen that wuz to theschool-house last night, and act very diffrent. They are good Christianfemales. It is a pity you wuzn't there. P'raps your hard heart wouldhave melted, and you would have had thoughts this mornin' that wouldsoar up above riz biscuit. "

And as she sez this she begun on her third biscuit, and poured outanother cup of coffee. And I, wantin' to use her well, sez, "What didthey do there?"

"Do!" sez she, "why, it wuz the most glorious meetin' we ever had. Threewimmen lay at one time perfectly speechless with the power. And some ofem' screemed so you could hear 'em fer half a mile. "

I kep on a-mouldin' my bread out into biscuit (good shaped ones, too, ifI do say it), and sez calmly, "Wall, I never wuz much of a screemer. Ihave always believed in layin' holt of the duty next to you, and doin'_some_ things, things He has _commanded_. Everybody to their own way. I don't condemn yourn, but I have always seemed to believe more in thesolid, practical parts of religion, than the ornimental. I have alwaysbelieved more in the power of honesty, truth, and justice, than in thepower they sometimes have at camp and other meetins. Howsumever, " sez I, "I don't say but what that power is powerful, to the ones that have it, only I wuz merely observin' that it never wuz _my_ way to lay speechlessor holler much--not that I consider hollerin' wrong, if you holler fromprinciple, but I never seemed to have a call to. "

"You would be far better if you did, " sez Trueman's wife, "far better. But you hain't good enough. "

"Oh!" sez I, reasonably, "I could holler if I wanted to, but the Lordhain't deef. He sez specilly, that He hain't, and so I never could seethe _use_ in hollerin' to Him. And I never could see the use of tellin'Him in public so many things as some do. Why He _knows_ it. He _knows_all these things. He don't need to have you try to enlighten Him as ifyou wuz His gardeen--as I have heard folks do time and time agin. He_knows_ what we are, what we need. I am glad, Trueman's wife, " sez I, "that He can look right down into our hearts, that He is right there in'em a-knowin' all about us, all our wants, our joys, our despairs, ourtemptations, our resolves, our weakness, our blindness, our defects, ourregrets, our remorse, our deepest hopes, our inspiration, our triumphs, our glorys. But when He _is_ right there, in the midst of our soul, ourlife, why, _why_ should we kneel down in public and holler at Him?"

"You would be glad to if you wuz good enough, " sez she; "if you hadattained unto a state of perfection, you would feel like it. "

That kinder riled me up, and I sez, "Wall, I have lived in this housewith them that wuz perfect, and that is bad enough for me, without bein'one of 'em myself. For more disagreeable creeters, " sez I, a prickin' mybiscuit with a fork, "more disagreeable creeters I never laid eyes on. "

Trueman's wife thinks she is perfect, she has told me so time andagin--thinks she hain't done anything wrong in upwards of a number ofyears. 

But she didn't say nothin' to this, only begun agin about the wickednessand immorality of my makin' riz biscuit that mornin', and the deepdisgrace of Josiah Allen keepin' on with his work. 

But before I could speak up and take his part, for I _will_ not hear mycompanion found fault with by any female but myself, she had gathered upher robe, and swept upstairs with it, leavin' orders for a flatiron tobe sent up. 

Wall, the believers wuz all a-goin' to meet at the Risley school-housethat afternoon. They wuz about 40 of 'em, men and wimmen. And I toldJosiah at noon, I believed I would go down to the school-house to themeetin'. And he a-feelin', I mistrust, that if they should happen to bein the right on't, and the world should come to a end, he wanted to beby the side of his beloved pardner, he offered to go too. But he neverhad no robe, no, nor never thought of havin'. 

The Risley school-house stood in a clearin', and had tall stumps roundit in the door-yard. And we had heard that some of the believers wuzgoin' to get up on them stumps, so's to start off from there. And sureenough, we found it wuz the calculation of some on 'em. 

The school-boys had made steps up the sides of some of the biggeststumps, and lots of times in political meetin's men had riz up on 'em totalk to the masses below. Why I s'poze a crowd of as many as 45 or 48, had assembled there at one time durin' the heat of the campain. 

But them politicians had on their usual run of clothes, they didn't haveon white book muslin robes. Good land!

CHAPTER XVI. 

Wall, lots of folks had assembled to the school-house when we got there, about 3 o'clock P. M. --afternoon. Believers, and world's people, alla-settin' round on seats and stumps, for the school-house wuz small andwarm, and it wuz pleasanter out-doors. 

We had only been there a few minutes when Mother Charnick and Jenettewalked in. Joe had been there for sometime, and he and the Widder Poolwuz a-settin' together readin' a him out of one book. Jenette lookedkinder mauger, and Trueman's wife looked haughtily at her, from over thetop of the him book. 

Mother Charnick had a woosted work-bag on her arm. There might have beena night gown in it, and there might not. It wuz big enough to hold one, and it looked sort o' bulgy. But it wuz never known--Miss Charnick is asmart woman. It never wuz known what she had in the bag. 

Wall, the believers struck up a him, and sung it through--as mournful, skairful sort of a him as I ever hearn in my hull life; and it swelledout and riz up over the pine trees in a wailin', melancholy sort of away, and wierd--dretful wierd. 

And then a sort of a lurid, wild-looking chap, a minister, got up andpreached the wildest and luridest discourse I ever hearn in my hulldays. It wuz enough to scare a snipe. The very strongest and toughestmen there turned pale, and wimmen cried and wept on every side of me, and wept and cried. 

I, myself, didn't weep. But I drawed nearer to my companion, and kinderleaned up against him, and looked off on the calm blue heavens, theserene landscape, and the shinin' blue lake fur away, and thought--jestas true as I live and breathe, I thought that I didn't care much, if Godwilled it to be so, that my Josiah and I should go side by side, thatvery day and minute, out of the certainties of this life into themysteries of the other, out of the mysteries of this life intothe certainties of the other. 

[Illustration: "A SORT OF A LURID, WILD-LOOKING CHAP. "]

For, thinks I to myself, we have got to go into that other world prettysoon, Josiah and me have. And if we went in the usual way, we had got togo alone, each on us. Terrible thought! We who had been together undershine and shade, in joy and sorrow. Our two hands that had joined at thealter, and had clung so clost together ever sence, had got to leggo ofeach other down there in front of the dark gateway. Solemn gateway! Sobig that the hull world must pass through it--and yet so small that thehull world has got to go through it alone, one at a time. 

My Josiah would have to stand outside and let me go down under the dark, mysterious arches, alone--and he knows jest how I hate to go anywherealone, or else I would have to stop at the gate and bid him good-by. Andno matter how much we knocked at the gate, or how many tears we shedonto it, we couldn't get through till our time come, we had _got_ to beparted. 

And now if we went on this clear June day through the crystal gateway ofthe bendin' heavens--we two would be together for weal or for woe. Andon whatever new, strange landscape we would have to look on, or wanderthrough, he would be right by me. Whatever strange inhabitants thecelestial country held, he would face 'em with me. Close, close by myside, he would go with me through that blue, lovely gateway of the softJune skies into the City of the King. And it wuz a sweet thought to me. 

Not that I really _wanted_ the world to come to a end that day. No, I kinder wanted to live along for some time, for several reasons: Mypardner, the babe, the children, etc. ; and then I kinder like to livefor the _sake_ of livin'. I enjoy it. 

But I can say, and say with truth, and solemnity, that the idee didn'tscare me none. And as my companion looked down in my face as the timeapproached, I could see the same thoughts that wuz writ in my eyesa-shinin' in his'n. 

Wall, as the pinter approached the hour, the excitement grew nearly, ifnot quite rampant. The believers threw their white robes on over theirdresses and coats, and as the pinter slowly moved round from half-pastthree to quarter to 4--and so on--they shouted, they sung, they prayed, they shook each other's hands--they wuz fairly crazed with excitementand fervor, which they called religion--for they wuz in earnest, nobodycould dispute that. 

Joe and Miss Pool kinder hung together all this time--though I ketchedhim givin' several wistful looks at Jenette, as much as to say, "Oh, howI hate to leave you, Jenette!"

But Miss Pool would roust him up agin, and he would shout and sing withthe frienziedest and most zealousest of 'em. 

Mother Charnick stood with her bag in her hand, and the other hand onthe puckerin' string. I don't say what she had in the bag, but I do saythis, that she had it fixed so's she could have ondone it in a secont'stime. And her eyes wuz intent on the heavens overhead. But they kepcalm and serene and cloudless, nothin' to be seen there--no sign, nochange--and Ma Charnick kep still and didn't draw the puckerin' string. 

But oh, how excitement reined and grew rampant around that school-house!Miss Pool and Joe seemin' to outdo all the rest (she always did try to), till at last, jest as the pinter swung round to the very minute, Joe, more than half by the side of himself, with the excitement he had beenin for a week, and bein' urged onto it by Miss Pool, as he sez to thisday, he jumped up onto the tall stump he had been a standin' by, andstood there in his long white robe, lookin' like a spook, if anybody hadbeen calm enough to notice it, and he sung out in a clear voice--hisvoice always did have a good honest ring to it:

 Farewell my friends, Farewell my foes; Up to Heaven Joe Charnick goes. 

And jest as the clock struck, and they all shouted and screamed, hewaved his arms, with their two great white wings a-flutterin', andsprung upwards, expectin' the hull world, livin' and dead, would follerhim--and go right up into the heavens. 

And Trueman's wife bein' right by the stump, waved her wings and jumpedtoo--jest the same direction es he jumped. But she only stood on a campchair, and when she fell, she didn't crack no bones, it only jarred herdretfully, and hurt her across the small of her back, to that extentthat I kep bread and milk poultices on day and night for three weeks, and lobelia and catnip, half and half; she a-arguin' at me every singlepoultice I put on that it wuzn't her way of makin' poultices, nor herway of applyin' of 'em. 

[Illustration: "FAREWELL MY FRIENDS, FAREWELL MY FOES. "]

I told her I didn't know of any other way of applyin' 'em to her back, only to put 'em on it. But she insisted to the last that I didn't apply'em right, and I didn't crumble the bread into the milk right, and thelobelia wuzn't picked right, nor the catnip. 

Not one word did she ever speak about the end of the world--not aword--but a-naggin' about everything else. 

Wall, I healed her after a time, and glad enough wuz I to see herhealed, and started off. 

But Joe Charnick suffered worse and longer. He broke his limb in twoplaces and cracked his rib. The bones of his arm wuz a good whilea-healin', and before they wuz healed he was wounded in a new place. 

He jest fell over head and ears in love with Jenette Finster. For bein'shet up to home with his mother and her (his mother wouldn't hear toJenette leavin' her for a minute) he jest seemed to come to a fullrealizin' sense of her sweet natur' and bright, obleegin' ways; and hisold affection for her bloomed out into the deepest and most idolatrouslove--Joe never could be megum. 

Jenette, and good enough for him, held him off for quite a spell--butwhen he got cold and relapsted, and they thought he wuz goin' to die, then she owned up to him that she worshipped him--and always had. 

And from that day he gained. Mother Charnick wuz tickled most to deathat the idea of havin' Jenette for her own girl--she thinks her eyes onher, and so does Jenette of her. So it wuz agreeable as anything everwuz all around, if not agreeabler. 

Jest as quick as she got well enough to walk, and before he got out ofhis bed, Trueman's wife walked over to see Joe. And Joe's mother hatin'her so, wouldn't let her step her foot into the house. And Joe wuz gladon't, so they say. 

Mother Charnick wuz out on the stoop in front of the house, whenTrueman's wife got there, and told her that they had to keep the housestill; that is, they say so, I don't know for certain, but they say thatMa Charnick offered to take Trueman's wife out to see her chickens, theones she had brought up by hand, and Trueman's wife wantin' to pleaseher, so's to get in, consented. And Miss Charnick showed her the hull 14of 'em, all fat and flourishing--they wuz well took care of. And MissCharnick looked down on 'em fondly, and sez:

"I lay out to have a good chicken pie the day that Joe and Jenette aremarried. "

[Illustration: "I LAY OUT TO HAVE A GOOD CHICKEN PIE THE DAY THAT JOEAND JENETTE ARE MARRIED. "]

"Married!" sez Trueman's wife, in faint and horrified axcents. "Yes, they are goin' to be married jest as soon as my son gets well enough. Jenette is fixin' a new dress for me to wear to the weddin'--with abask, " sez she with emphasis. And es she said it, they say she stoopeddown and gathered some sprigs of thoroughwert, a-mentionin' how muchstore she set by it for sickness. 

But if she did, Trueman's wife didn't sense it, she wuz dumbfounderedand sot back by the news. And she left my home and board the week beforethe weddin'. 

They had been married about a year, when Jenette wuz herea-visitin'--and she asked me in confidence (and it _must_ be kep, itstands lo reason it must), "if I s'posed that book muslin robe wouldmake two little dresses?"

And I told her, "Good land! yes, three on 'em, " and it did. 

She dresses the child beautiful, and I don't know whether she wouldwant the neighbors to know jest what and when and where she gets thematerials--

It looks some like her and some like Joe--and they both think their eyeson it--but old Miss Charnick worships it--Wall, though es I said (and Ihave eppisoded to a extent that is almost onprecidented and onheard on). 

Though Josiah Allen made a excuse of borrowin' a plow (a _plow_, thattime of night) to get away from my arguments on the Conference, andSubmit's kinder skairt face, and so forth, and so on--

He resumed the conversation the next mornin' with more energy than ever. (He never said nuthin' about the plow, and I never see no sign on it, and don't believe he got it, or wanted it. )

He resumed the subject, and kep on a-resumin' of it from day to day andfrom hour to hour. 

He would nearly exhaust the subject at home, and then he would tacklethe wimmen on it at the Methodist Meetin' House, while we Methodistwimmen wuz to work. 

After leavin' me to the meetin' house, Josiah would go on to thepost-office for his daily _World_, and then he would stop on his wayback to give us female wimmen the latest news from the Conference, andgive us his idees on't. 

[Illustration: "HE NEVER HAD TIME TO HELP. "]

And sometimes he would fairly harrow us to the very bone, with hisdretful imaginins and fears that wimmen would be allowed to overdoherself, and ruin her health, and strain her mind, by bein' permitted toset!

Why Submit Tewksbury, and some of the other weaker sisters, would lookfairly wild-eyed for some time after he would go. 

He never could stay long. Sometimes we would beset him to stay and dosome little job for us, to help us along with our work, such as liftin'somethin' or movin' some bench, or the pulpit, or somethin'. 

But he never had the time; he always had to hasten home to get to work. He wuz in a great hurry with his spring's work, and full of care aboutthat buzz saw mill. 

And that wuz how it wuz with every man in the meetin' house that wuzable to work any. They wuz all in a hurry with their spring's work, andtheir buzz saws, and their inventions, and their agencys, etc. , etc. , etc. 

And that wuz the reason why we wimmen wuz havin' such a hard job on themeetin' house. 

CHAPTER XVII. 

You see the way on't wuz: we had to do sumthin' to raise the minister'ssalary, which wuz most half a year behindhand, to say nothin' of theensuin' year a-comin'. And as I have hinted at before but hain't gi'npetickulers, the men in the meetin' house had all gi'n out, and saidthey had gi'n every cent they could, and they couldn't and they wouldn'tdo any more, any way. 

As I have said more formally, there wuz a hardness arozen amongst themale brethern. 

Deacon Peedick thought he had gi'n more than his part in proportion, andcome right out plain and said so. 

And Deacon Bobbet said "he wuzn't the man to stand it to be told rightto his face that he hadn't done his share, " and he said "he wuzn't theman either, to be hinted at from the pulpit about things. " I don'tbelieve he wuz hinted at, and Sister Bobbet don't And she felt likedeath to have him so riz up in his mind, and act so. I know what thetex' wuz; it wuz these words:

"The Lord loveth a cheerful giver. "

The minister didn't mean nothin' only pure gospel, when he preachedabout it. But it proved to be a tight-breasted, close-fittin' coatto several of the male brothers, and it fitted 'em so well it fairlypinched 'em. 

But there it wuz, Deacon Bobbet wouldn't gi'n a cent towards raisin' themoney. And there wuz them that said, and stuck to it, that he said "hewouldn't give a _darn_ cent. "

But I don't know as that is so. I wouldn't want to be the one that saidthat he had demeaned himself to that extent. 

Wall, he wouldn't give a cent, and Peedick wouldn't give, and DeaconHenzy and Deacon Sypher wouldn't. They said that there wuz certainmembers of the meetin' house that had said to certain people suthin'slightin' about buzz saws. 

I myself thought then, and think still, that the subject of buzz sawshad a great deal to do in makin' 'em act so riz up and excited. Ibelieve the subject rasped 'em, and made 'em nervous. But when thesevarious hardnesses aroze amongst some of the brethern, the rest of themen kinder joined in with 'em, some on one side, and some on the other, and they all baulked right out of the harness. (Allegory. ) And there theminister wuz, good old creeter, jest a-sufferin' for the necessities oflife, and most half a year's salery due. 

I tell you it looked dark. The men all said they couldn't see no way outof the trouble, and some of the wimmen felt about so. And old Miss Henn, one of our most able sisters, she had gi'n out, she wuz as mad as herown sirname about how her Metilda had been used. 

The meetin' house had just hauled her up for levity. And I thought then, and think now, that the meetin' house wuz too hard on Metilda Henn. 

She did titter right out in protracted meetin', Sister Henn don't denyit, and she felt dretful bad about it, and so did I. But Metilda said, and stuck to it, that she couldn't have helped laughin' if it had beento save her life. And though I realized the awfulness of it, still, whensome of the brethern wuz goin' on dretful about it, I sez to 'em:

"The Bible sez there is a time to laugh, and I don't know when that is, unless it is when you can't help it. "

What she wuz a-laughin' at wuz this:

There wuz a widder woman by the name of Nancy Lum that always come toevenin' meetin's. 

She wuz very tall and humbly, and she had been on the look out (so itwuz s'pozed) for a 3d husband for some time. 

She had always made a practice of saying one thing over and over to allthe protracted and Conference meetin's, and she would always bust outa-cryin' before she got it all out. 

She always said "she wanted to be found always at the foot of theCross. "

She would always begin this remark dretful kinder loud and hysterical, and then would dwindle down kinder low at the end on't, and bustin' outinto tears somewhere through it from first to last. 

But this evenin' suthin' had occurred to make her more hysterical andmelted down than usial. Some say it wuz because Deacon Henshaw wuzpresent for the first time after his wive's death. 

But any way, she riz up lookin' awful tall and humbly--she was most ahead taller than any man there--and she sez out loud and strong:

"I want to be found--"

And then she busted right out a-cryin' hard. And she sobbed for sometime. And then she begun agin, "I want to be found--"

And then she busted out agin. 

And so it went on for some time--she a-tellin' out ever and anon loudand firm, "that she wanted to be found--" and then bustin' into tears. 

Till finally Deacon Henshaw (some mistrust that he is on the point ofgettin' after her, and he always leads the singin' any way) he struckright out onto the him--

 "Oh, that will be joyful!"

And Sister Lum sot down. 

Wall, that wuz what made Metilda Henn titter. And that was what made mebring forward that verse of scripter. That the Bible said "'there wuz atime to laugh, ' and I didn't know when it wuz unless it wuz when youcouldn't help it--"

But I didn't say it to uphold Metilda--no, indeed. I only said itbecause they wuz so bitter on her, and laid the rules of the meetin'house down on her so heavy. 

But Josiah said, "What would become of the meetin' house if it didn'tpunish its unruly members?"

And I sez to Josiah, "Do you remember the case of Deacon Widrig over inLoontown. He wuz rich and influential, and when he wuz complained of, and the meetin' house sot on him, they sot light, and you know it, Josiah Allen. And he was kep in the church, the meen old creeter. AndMiss Henn is a widder and poor. "

"Yes, " sez Josiah, calmly, "she hain't been able to help the meetin'house much, and Brother Widrig contributes largely. "

Sez I, in a fearful meanin' axent, "I hearn he did at the time he wuzup--I hearn he contributed _lots_ to the male brethren who was a-judgin'him--but, " sez I, "do you spoze, Josiah Allen, that if wimmen wuzallowed their way in the matter, that that man would be allowed to stayin the meetin' house, and keep on a-makin' and a-sellin' the poisen thatis sendin' men to ruin all round him--

"Makin' his hard cider by the barell and hogset and fixin' it some wayso it will make a far worse drunk than whiskey, and then supplyin' everylow saloon fur and near with it, and peddlin' it out to every man andboy that wants it. 

"And boys think they can drink cider without doin' any harm--so he jestentices 'em down into the road to ruin--doin' as much agin harm as awhiskey seller. 

"And mothers have to set still and see it go on. It is men that arealways appinted to deal with sinners, male or female. Men are judged bytheir peers, but wimmen never are. 

"I wonder if that is just? I wonder how Deacon Widrig would have likedit to have had Miss Henn set on him? He wuz dretful excited, so I hearn, about Metilda's case--thought it wuz highly incumbient on the meetin'house to have her made a example of, so's to try to abolish such wickeddoin's as snickerin' out in meetin'. 

[Illustration: "SUPPLYIN' EVERY LOW SALOON FUR AND NEAR. "]

"I wonder how he would have liked it to have had Charley Lanfear'smother set on him? She is a Sister in the meetin' house and Charley isa ruined boy--and Deacon Widrig is jest as much the cause of his ruin--jest as guilty of murderin' all that wuz sweet and lovely in him es ifhe had fed arsenic to him with a teaspoon. "

Sez I, "In that very meetin' house to Loontown, there are mothers whohave to set and take the bread and wine tokens of the blood and body oftheir crucified Redeemer from a man's hands that they know are redwith the blood of their own sons. Fur redder than human blood anddeeper-stained with the ruin of their immortal souls. 

"What thoughts does these mothers keep on a-thinkin' as they set thereand see a man guilty of worse than murder set up as a example to otheryoung souls? What thoughts do they keep on a-thinkin' of the younghearts that wuz pure before this man laid holt of 'em. Young eyes thatwuz true and tender till this man made 'em look on his accursed drink. Young lips that smiled on their mothers till he gin 'em that thatchanged the smiles to curses?

"Would a delegation of wimmen keep such a man in the meetin' house if hepaved the hull floor with fine gold? No, you know they wouldn't. Let ajury of mothers set on such a man, and see if he could get up agin veryeasy. 

"They are the ones who have suffered by him, who have agonized, who wentdown into deeper than the Valley of Death led by his hand. They wentdown into that depth where they lose their boy. Lose him eternally. 

"Death, jest death, would give 'em a chance to meet their child again. But what hope does a mother have when down in the darkness that hasno mornin', her boy tears his hand from her weak grasp and plungesdownward?

"How does such a mother feel as she sets there in a still meetin' house, and the man who has done all this passes her the emblems of a deathlesslove, a divine purity?"

Josiah sat demute and, didn't say nuthin', and I went on, for I wuz veryroze up in my mind, and by the side of myself with emotions. 

And sez I, "Take the case of Simeon Lathers. Why wuz it that SisterIrene Filkins wuz turned out of the meetin' house and the man who wuzthe first cause of her goin' astray kep in--the handsome, smooth-faced hypocrite?--it wuz because he wuz rich as a Jew, and jestplastered over the consciences of them that tried him with his finespeeches and his money. "

[Illustration: "JOSIAH LOOKED UP AND SEZ, 'HOW A STEEPLE WOULD LOOKA-PINTIN' DOWN'"]

"Fixed over the meetin' house there in Zoar, built a new steeple, atowerin' one. If wimmen had had their way, that steeple would havepinted the other way. "

Josiah looked up from Ayers' Almanac, which he wuz calmly perusin', andsez he, "How a steeple would look a-pintin' down!"