"Excuse _me_, Mrs. Bliss!" said Mrs. Weight. "Though well aware that since the death of the sainted man whose name I bear, I am of no account in this village, still I _have_ my feelings and I _am_ a human being,--deny it who can,--and, while I have breath to speak,--which by reason of spasms growing on me may not be long,--I will protest against changing the name of this village back to heathen and publican names, from which it was rescued by them as now fills mansions in the sky. I would not wish to be understood as reflecting on anybody, and I name no names; but them as has lived on flowery beds of ease, no matter how long, cannot expect to gormineer over this village to all eternity; and so I proclaim,--hear me who will."
Mrs. Weight had risen to her feet, and stood heaving and panting, a mountain of protest. Mrs. Bliss would have interfered, to pour oil on the troubled meeting, but before she could speak the tall form of Miss Bethia Wax had risen, and stood rigid, pointing to the trophy.
"Ladies of the Society," she said, "and our honored pastor"s wife: I cannot sit still and listen to words which are aimed at Her we honor.
This is a memorial meeting, sanctioned as such by the family of Her we honor. She died as she lived, with this village on her mind and in her heart, and she has given of her basket and her store, her treasures of earth and treasures of sea, and gems of purest ray serene; she has given all, save such as needed by the family, to this village, to have and to hold till death do them part; and what I say is, shame upon us if we cannot obey the wishes of Her we honor, our benefactress, who wafts us from the other sh.o.r.e her parting benediction!"
But neither Mrs. Bliss nor Miss Wax could longer stem the tide of speech. It ran, swelled, overflowed, a torrent of talk.
"Never in my born days!"
"I"d like to know who had the right if she hadn"t!"
"I s"pose we"ve got some rights of our own, if we ain"t rich in this world"s goods."
"I should laugh if we were to change back at this time of day."
"I should like to remind you, Mrs. Weight, that--
""While the lamp holds out to burn, The vilest sinner may return!""
"Mrs. Bliss and ladies: I have not lived in this village seventy years to be called the vilest sinner in it. I appeal to this society if names is to be called at a meeting where the members are supposed to be Christians--"
But Mrs. Bliss, though little, could, like Hermia, be fierce, and it was in a very peremptory tone that she exclaimed:
"The discussion on this subject is closed. Sister Sloc.u.m, will you give out the hymn?" and Miss Luella Sloc.u.m, one eye gleaming hatred and the other malice, announced that the Society would now join in singing "Blest be the tie that binds!"
CHAPTER IV.
MOSTLY GOSSIP
"MY DEAR DOCTOR STRONG:--The deed is done! The selectmen met last night, and voted to memorialize the Legislature in regard to changing the name of the village; and, as the rest is a mere matter of business routine, I think we may regard the thing as settled.
So, as dear Mrs. Tree said, "Hooray for Quahaug!" The vote was not unanimous; that was hardly to be expected. John Peavey was opposed to the change, so was George Goby; but the general sentiment was strong in favor of carrying out Mrs. Tree"s wishes. That, of course, is the real issue, and it is beautiful to see the spirit of affection and loyalty that animates the majority of our people.
Surely, our beloved old friend has built herself a monument _aere perennio_ in the hearts of her neighbors.
"I write this hasty line, feeling sure that you and Mrs. Strong will be anxious to hear the outcome of the meeting.
"With kindest regards to both, and affectionate greeting to the little flock, believe me always
"Faithfully yours,
"JOHN BLISS."
The little minister sealed and addressed his note, then took his hat and stick and started for the post-office.
"You won"t forget my pink worsted, John!" and Mrs. Bliss popped her pretty head out of the window.
"Certainly not, my dear! certainly not!" said Mr. Bliss, with an air of collecting his wits hurriedly. "Pink worsted; to be sure! At Miss Pardon"s, I presume?"
"Of course! Saxony; you have the sample in your pocket, pinned into an envelope. Two skeins, John dear. Now do you think you can get that right? It is a shame to make you do such things, but I cannot leave Baby, and he really needs the jacket."
"Of course, Marietta; of course, my dear! You know I am only too glad to help in little ways; I wish I could do more!"
"It is so little a man can do!" he reflected, as he paced along the village street; "and Marietta"s care is incessant. Motherhood is a blessed but a most laborious state."
Arrived at the post-office, he found Seth Weaver perched on a ladder, inspecting the weather-beaten sign-board, which bore the legend, "Elmerton Post-office."
"Good morning, Seth!" said the little minister.
[Ill.u.s.tration: ""GOOD MORNING, SETH!" SAID THE LITTLE MINISTER"]
"Same to you, Elder!" replied Seth, taking his pipe from his mouth.
"Nice day! I was lookin" to see whether we"d need us a new sign, but I guess this board"ll do, come to sc.r.a.pe and plane it. It"s a good pine board; stood a lot o" weather, this board has. My father painted this."
"Did he so, Seth?" said Mr. Bliss. "I was not aware that your father was a painter."
"Painter, carpenter, odd-job man, same"s me! He learned me all his trades, and too many of "em. It would be money in my pocket to-day if I didn"t know the half of "em."
Seth sat down on the top round of the ladder--it was a short one--and took out his knife and a bit of soft wood. The minister sighed, thinking of his sermon at home half-written, but accepted the unspoken invitation.
"How is that, Seth?" he asked, cheerfully.
Seth settled himself comfortably--it is not every man who can sit comfortably on a ladder--and, squaring his shoulders, began to whittle complacently.
"Wal, Elder, it stands to reason," he said. "A man can be one thing, or he can be two things; but when he starts out to be the hull string of fish, he ends by not bein" nary one of "em. It takes all of a thing to make the hull of it; yes, sir. I don"t mean that Father was that way; Father was a smart man; and I"ve tried to make a shift to keep up with the tail of the procession myself; but I tell ye there"s ben times when I"ve wished I didn"t know how to handle a livin" thing except my paint-brush. Come spring, I tell ye I lose weight, projeckin" round this village. One wants his blinds painted right off day before yesterday, and another"ll get his everlastin" if his roof isn"t mended before sundown. It"s "Oh, Seth, when be you comin" to hang that bell-wire?" and "Seth, where was you yesterday when you wasn"t mendin" that gate-post?"
and--I dono! sometimes I get so worked up I think I"ll do the way Father did. Father never bothered with "em. He just laid out his week to suit himself. Two days he"d paint, and two days he"d odd-job, and two days he"d fish. Further and moreover, whatever he was doin", he"d do it his own way. Paintin" days, he"d use the paint he had till he used it up.
Didn"t make no difference what folks said to him; he was just that deef he only heard what he wanted to, and he didn"t care. Gorry! I can see him now, layin" on the blue paint on old Mis" Snow"s door, and she screechin" at him, "Green! green, I tell ye! I want it green!" Old Father, he never took no notice, and that door stayed blue till it wore off. Yes, sir! that was the way to handle "em; but I can"t seem to fetch it. Guess I was whittled out of a softer stick, kind o" popple stuff, without no s.p.u.n.k to it. A woman tells me she must have a new spout to her pump or she"ll die, and I"m that kind of fool I think she will, and leave all else to whittle out that pump-spout. Wal, it takes all kinds.
That was quite a meetin" last night, Elder."
"It was indeed," Mr. Bliss a.s.sented. "A notable meeting, Seth. As I have just been writing to Doctor Strong, it was a great pleasure to find the feeling so nearly unanimous in regard to carrying out the wishes of our revered friend."
Seth grinned.
"Yes!" he said. "Me and Salem saw to that."
"Saw to it?" repeated Mr. Bliss.
"We went round and sized folks up, kind of; you know the way, Elder; same as you do come parish-meetin" time. No offence! There don"t everybody know which way they"re goin" to jump till you tell "em. Most of "em was all right enough, and saw reason good, same as we did, for doin" as Mis" Tree wished done; but there"s some poor sticks in every wood-pile; John Peavey"s one of "em. Gorry! I guess likely he"ll be some further down the ro"d before he gets _his_ shack painted, unless he doos it himself. That"ll be somethin" tangible for him, as Old Man b.u.t.ters said."
He paused, and a twinkle came into his eyes; but the minister did not twinkle back.
"You"ve heerd of Uncle Ithe"s last prayer-meetin"?" said Seth. "No? now ain"t that a sight!"
He came down a round or two, and settled himself afresh, the twinkle deepening. "Uncle Ithe--Old Man b.u.t.ters, Buffy Landin" Ro"d--you remember him, Elder?"