"It"s ol" Mossy, and a whole lot of women"s with him!"
"Well, what of it? They ain"t comin" in here, are they?"
"That"s jus" what I"m scairt of!" sniffed Gizzard, on the verge of tears.
"Don"t be a baby!" said Sube disgustedly. "They ain"t comin" in _here_!
You don"t s"pose ol" Mossy"d bring a lot of women with him if he was goin" to take a swim in this here mershum swimmin"-hole, do you?"
This thought was so comforting to Sube that he chuckled perceptibly.
Gizzard, too, was rea.s.sured; for he sought out Sube"s ear and said:
"I thought maybe you was goin" to get a chanct to show me what you promised to do to him."
Sube sniffed disdainfully, and ignoring Gizzard"s little pleasantry, suggested that they move up to the front end of the tank and see if they could make out what the intruders were doing. There was room at the crack for only one ear, and this was occupied by Sube"s right one. From time to time he issued bulletins based partly on what he heard or thought he heard, and partly on what he imagined was taking place.
"They"re all tellin" "im what a whale of a speech he made down to my house last night ... they all b"lieve in it, too!"
"B"lieve in what?" asked Gizzard.
"If it"s who I think it is, it don"t matter much, "cause they"re mostly ol" maids that ain"t got any children--"
"B"lieve in what?" persisted Gizzard. "What is it they b"lieve in?"
"Sh--h--hut up!" breathed Sube. "Want to get us caught?"
"Well, what is it--?"
"Shut up till I hear, can"t you?"
"Well, you might tell a feller--"
Sube turned exasperated from the crack, and feeling about till he found Gizzard"s ear, drew it towards him with what Gizzard considered unnecessary emphasis, and whispered crossly:
"Moral Persuasion, if you must know!"
Then he turned his attention once more to matters outside the baptistry.
Gizzard was still wondering what Moral Persuasion was like, when he felt Sube groping for his ear again. He fortified it with his hand before yielding it.
"They"re beggin" him to make another speech so"s those who didn"t go to the meetin" last night can hear about Moral Persuasion, too. I guess he"s goin" to do it, "cause he jus" tole "em that it"s his hobby--"
"What"s that?" asked Gizzard.
But Sube nudged him to silence with his elbow.
"What"s a hobby?" Gizzard insisted.
"Shut up! Will you?--Jus" listen and you"ll find out all about it! He"s tellin" "em now--"
Gizzard listened. Dr. Mossman"s remarks were informal but none the less forceful. He briefly repeated his arguments of the evening before, and added in conclusion that many of the foremost minds of the day regard corporal punishment as a sin. When the resulting applause had faded away he cried out with irrepressible enthusiasm:
"And I may say that I am one of them!"
Within the dark baptistry the two boys embraced each other effusively, and Gizzard whispered:
"Now I know why you wa"n"t more afraid of him! I ain"t any more afraid"n you are, now!... I wisht my folks was Baptis"es--"
"Hark!" gasped Sube. "What"s that he"s sayin"?"
He pressed his ear to the crack and listened intently.
"What is it?" breathed Gizzard as Sube drew back, trembling in every fiber.
"He"s goin" to open this thing up so"s to show it to those women!--They"re goin" to be ducked to-morrow--he"s sayin" he"s sorry it"s so dark, but he thinks they can see enough without lightin" the lamps."
A wave of terror swept over Gizzard. He sank his nails into Sube"s arm as he panted desperately: "What you goin" to do? You got me into this!
Now you can get me out again!"
Sube shook him off. "_I_ got _you_ in, did I? I did, did I? Well, I guess I didn"t! I didn"t even know it was here till you tole me! I guess _you_ better be gettin" _me_ out of--"
There was a click and a jar. A streak of light became visible at the front end of the pool. The boys, who had unconsciously retreated to the rear end, with one accord took a long breath and disappeared beneath the surface, clinging to each other for support and encouragement.
They felt the rumble as the pulpit was shoved back, and waited in vain for it to be replaced. Finally the pounding in their ears became so loud that they thought it must have been accomplished without their hearing it. Then, having remained under water for a period of time afterwards estimated by Gizzard as fifteen minutes, and by Sube as half an hour at the very least, they came up. And their coming was no graceful bobbing to the surface. It was more like a volcanic upheaval, followed by the terrific spouting of a horrid two-headed marine monster.
[Ill.u.s.tration]
Piercing shrieks greeted their appearance, followed quickly by the din and confusion of a panic. The terrified boys brushed the water from their eyes and gazed in trembling awe at the havoc of which they had been the innocent cause.
They saw Dr. Mossman pulled down by a pack of frenzied women who trampled him underfoot as if he had been a doormat, and then fought, tore, scratched and screamed their way to the door.
Gizzard was the first to speak.
"What is it?" he asked in a voice husky with terror. "S"pose the church is on fire?"
Sube"s teeth chattered violently as he shook his head and managed to say, "I don"t know; but I guess we better be gettin" out of here!"
They had ascended the little steps before they realized that they were naked. Looking about in brainless bewilderment Gizzard asked,
"Where"s our clo"s?"
And although Sube knew, he was never able to tell, for at that instant he saw rising before him like a Phoenix from its ashes the battered remains of Dr. Mossman. It then became apparent that Sube had lost some of his contempt for the minister, for he tried to avoid him and jump hastily back into the water.
But alas, he was too late.
Dr. Mossman seized him with an iron grip and drew his shivering body across a large pious knee--and for the next few moments forgot all about his hobby.
When Sube appeared at Sunday School the following day he was nursing a bad cold.
"Did you catch an"thing "sides a cold?" asked Gizzard under his breath.