Tory Hill holds its own among the others for peaceful beauty and fair prospect3, and on its broad, level summit sits the white-painted Orthodox Meeting-House. This faces a grassy4 common where six roads meet, as if the early settlers had determined5 that no one should lack salvation6 because of a difficulty in reaching its visible source.
The old church has had a dignified7 and fruitful past, dating from that day in 1761 when young Paul Coffin8 received his call to preach at a stipend9 of fifty pounds sterling10 a year; answering “that never having heard of any Uneasiness among the people about his Doctrine11 or manner of life, he declared himself pleased to Settle as Soon as might be Judged Convenient.”
But that was a hundred and fifty years ago, and much has happened since those simple, strenuous12 old days. The chastening hand of time has been laid somewhat heavily on the town as well as on the church. Some of her sons have marched to the wars and died on the field of honor; some, seeking better fortunes, have gone westward14; others, wearying of village life, the rocky soil, and rigors15 of farm-work, have become entangled16 in the noise and competition, the rush and strife17, of cities. When the sexton rings the bell nowadays, on a Sunday morning, it seems to have lost some of its old-time militant18 strength, something of its hope and courage; but it still rings, and although the Davids and Solomons, the Matthews, Marks, and Pauls of former congregations have left few descendants to perpetuate19 their labors20, it will go on ringing as long as there is a Tabitha, a Dorcas, a Lois, or a Eunice left in the community.
This sentiment had been maintained for a quarter of a century, but it was now especially strong, as the old Tory Hill Meeting-House had been undergoing for several years more or less extensive repairs. In point of fact, the still stronger word, “improvements,” might be used with impunity21; though whenever the Dorcas Society, being female, and therefore possessed22 of notions regarding comfort and beauty, suggested any serious changes, the finance committees, which were inevitably23 male in their composition, generally disapproved24 of making any impious alterations25 in a tabernacle, chapel26, temple, or any other building used for purposes of worship. The majority in these august bodies asserted that their ancestors had prayed and sung there for a century and a quarter, and what was good enough for their ancestors was entirely27 suitable for them. Besides, the community was becoming less and less prosperous, and church-going was growing more and more lamentably28 uncommon29, so that even from a business standpoint, any sums expended30 upon decoration by a poor and struggling parish would be worse than wasted.
In the particular year under discussion in this story, the valiant31 and progressive Mrs. Jeremiah Burbank was the president of the Dorcas Society, and she remarked privately32 and publicly that if her ancestors liked a smoky church, they had a perfect right to the enjoyment33 of it, but that she did n't intend to sit through meeting on winter Sundays, with her white ostrich34 feather turning gray and her eyes smarting and watering, for the rest of her natural life.
Whereupon, this being in a business session, she then and there proposed to her already hypnotized constituents35 ways of earning enough money to build a new chimney on the other side of the church.
An awe-stricken community witnessed this beneficent act of vandalism, and, finding that no thunderbolts of retribution descended36 from the skies, greatly relished37 the change. If one or two aged38 persons complained that they could not sleep as sweetly during sermon-time in the now clear atmosphere of the church, and that the parson's eye was keener than before, why, that was a mere39 detail, and could not be avoided; what was the loss of a little sleep compared with the discoloration of Mrs. Jere Burbank's white ostrich feather and the smarting of Mrs. Jere Burbank's eyes?
A new furnace followed the new chimney, in due course, and as a sense of comfort grew, there was opportunity to notice the lack of beauty. Twice in sixty years had some well-to-do summer parishioner painted the interior of the church at his own expense; but although the roof had been many times reshingled, it had always persisted in leaking, so that the ceiling and walls were disfigured by unsightly spots and stains and streaks41. The question of shingling42 was tacitly felt to be outside the feminine domain43, but as there were five women to one man in the church membership, the feminine domain was frequently obliged to extend its limits into the hitherto unknown. Matters of tarring and waterproofing44 were discussed in and out of season, and the very school-children imbibed45 knowledge concerning lapping, over-lapping, and cross-lapping, and first and second quality of cedar46 shingles47. Miss Lobelia Brewster, who had a rooted distrust of anything done by mere man, created strife by remarking that she could have stopped the leak in the belfry tower with her red flannel48 petticoat better than the Milltown man with his new-fangled rubber sheeting, and that the last shingling could have been more thoroughly49 done by a “female infant babe”; whereupon the person criticized retorted that he wished Miss Lobelia Brewster had a few infant babes to “put on the job he'd like to see 'em try.” Meantime several male members of the congregation, who at one time or another had sat on the roof during the hottest of the dog-days to see that shingling operations were conscientiously50 and skillfully performed, were very pessimistic as to any satisfactory result ever being achieved.
“The angle of the roof—what they call the 'pitch'—they say that that's always been wrong,” announced the secretary of the Dorcas in a business session.
“Is it that kind of pitch that the Bible says you can't touch without being defiled51? If not, I vote that we unshingle the roof and alter the pitch!” This proposal came from a sister named Maria Sharp, who had valiantly53 offered the year before to move the smoky chimney with her own hands, if the “menfolks” would n't.
But though the incendiary suggestion of altering the pitch was received with applause at the moment, subsequent study of the situation proved that such a proceeding54 was entirely beyond the modest means of the society. Then there arose an ingenious and militant carpenter in a neighboring village, who asserted that he would shingle40 the meeting-house roof for such and such a sum, and agree to drink every drop of water that would leak in afterward55. This was felt by all parties to be a promise attended by extraordinary risks, but it was accepted nevertheless, Miss Lobelia Brewster remarking that the rash carpenter, being already married, could not marry a Dorcas anyway, and even if he died, he was not a resident of Edgewood, and therefore could be more easily spared, and that it would be rather exciting, just for a change, to see a man drink himself to death with rain-water. The expected tragedy never occurred, however, and the inspired shingler fulfilled his promise to the letter, so that before many months the Dorcas Society proceeded, with incredible exertion56, to earn more money, and the interior of the church was neatly57 painted and made as fresh as a rose. With no smoke, no rain, no snow nor melting ice to defile52 it, the good old landmark58 that had been pointing its finger Heavenward for over a century would now be clean and fragrant59 for years to come, and the weary sisters leaned back in their respective rocking-chairs and drew deep breaths of satisfaction.
These breaths continued to be drawn60 throughout an unusually arduous61 haying season; until, in fact, a visitor from a neighboring city was heard to remark that the Tory Hill Meeting-House would be one of the best preserved and pleasantest churches in the whole State of Maine, if only it were suitably carpeted.
This thought had secretly occurred to many a Dorcas in her hours of pie-making, preserving, or cradle-rocking, but had been promptly62 extinguished as flagrantly extravagant63 and altogether impossible. Now that it had been openly mentioned, the contagion64 of the idea spread, and in a month every sort of honest machinery65 for the increase of funds had been set in motion: harvest suppers, pie sociables, old folks' concerts, apron66 sales, and, as a last resort, a subscription67 paper, for the church floor measured hundreds of square yards, and the carpet committee announced that a good ingrain could not be purchased, even with the church discount, for less than ninety-seven cents a yard.
The Dorcases took out their pencils, and when they multiplied the surface of the floor by the price of the carpet per yard, each Dorcas attaining68 a result entirely different from all the others, there was a shriek69 of dismay, especially from the secretary, who had included in her mathematical operation certain figures in her possession representing the cubical contents of the church and the offending pitch of the roof, thereby70 obtaining a product that would have dismayed a Croesus. Time sped and efforts increased, but the Dorcases were at length obliged to clip the wings of their desire and content themselves with carpeting the pulpit and pulpit steps, the choir71, and the two aisles72, leaving the floor in the pews until some future year.
How the women cut and contrived73 and matched that hardly-bought red ingrain carpet, in the short December afternoons that ensued after its purchase; so that, having failed to be ready for Thanksgiving, it could be finished for the Christmas festivities!
They were sewing in the church, and as the last stitches were being taken, Maria Sharp suddenly ejaculated in her impulsive74 fashion:—
“Would n't it have been just perfect if we could have had the pews repainted before we laid the new carpet!”
“It would, indeed,” the president answered; “but it will take us all winter to pay for the present improvements, without any thought of fresh paint. If only we had a few more men-folks to help along!”
“Or else none at all!” was Lobelia Brewster's suggestion. “It's havin' so few that keeps us all stirred up. If there wa'n't any anywheres, we'd have women deacons and carpenters and painters, and get along first rate; for somehow the supply o' women always holds out, same as it does with caterpillars76 an' flies an' grasshoppers77!”
Everybody laughed, although Maria Sharp asserted that she for one was not willing to be called a caterpillar75 simply because there were too many women in the universe.
“I never noticed before how shabby and scarred and dirty the pews are,” said the minister's wife, as she looked at them reflectively.
“I've been thinking all the afternoon of the story about the poor old woman and the lily,” and Nancy Wentworth's clear voice broke into the discussion. “Do you remember some one gave her a stalk of Easter lilies and she set them in a glass pitcher78 on the kitchen table? After looking at them for a few minutes, she got up from her chair and washed the pitcher until the glass shone. Sitting down again, she glanced at the little window. It would never do; she had forgotten how dusty and blurred79 it was, and she took her cloth and burnished80 the panes81. Then she scoured82 the table, then the floor, then blackened the stove before she sat down to her knitting. And of course the lily had done it all, just by showing, in its whiteness, how grimy everything else was.”
The minister's wife, who had been in Edgewood only a few months, looked admiringly at Nancy's bright face, wondering that five-and-thirty years of life, including ten of school-teaching, had done so little to mar13 its serenity83.
“The lily story is as true as the gospel!” she exclaimed, “and I can see how one thing has led you to another in making the church comfortable. But my husband says that two coats of paint on the pews would cost a considerable sum.”
“How about cleaning them? I don't believe they've had a good hard washing since the flood.” The suggestion came from Deacon Miller84's wife to the president.
“They can't even be scrubbed for less than fifteen or twenty dollars, for I thought of that and asked Mrs. Simpson yesterday, and she said twenty cents a pew was the cheapest she could do it for.”
“We've done everything else,” said Nancy Wentworth, with a twitch85 of her thread; “why don't we scrub the pews? There's nothing in the Orthodox creed86 to forbid, is there?”
“Speakin' o' creeds,” and here old Mrs. Sargent paused in her work, “Elder Ransom87 from Acreville stopped with us last night, an' he tells me they recite the Euthanasian Creed every few Sundays in the Episcopal Church. I did n't want him to know how ignorant I was, but I looked up the word in the dictionary. It means easy death, and I can't see any sense in that, though it's a terrible long creed, the Elder says, an' if it's any longer 'n ourn, I should think anybody might easy die learnin' it!”
“I think the word is Athanasian,” ventured the minister's wife.
“Elder Ransom's always plumb88 full o' doctrine,” asserted Miss Brewster, pursuing the subject. “For my part, I'm glad he preferred Acreville to our place. He was so busy bein' a minister, he never got round to bein' a human creeter. When he used to come to sociables and picnics, always lookin' kind o' like the potato blight89, I used to think how complete he'd be if he had a foldin' pulpit under his coat-tails; they make foldin' beds nowadays, an' I s'pose they could make foldin' pulpits, if there was a call.”
“Land sakes, I hope there won't be!” exclaimed Mrs. Sargent. “An' the Elder never said much of anything either, though he was always preachin'! Now your husband, Mis' Baxter, always has plenty to say after you think he's all through. There's water in his well when the others is all dry!”
“But how about the pews?” interrupted Mrs. Burbank. “I think Nancy's idea is splendid, and I want to see it carried out. We might make it a picnic, bring our luncheons90, and work all together; let every woman in the congregation come and scrub her own pew.”
“Some are too old, others live at too great a distance,” and the minister's wife sighed a little; “indeed, most of those who once owned the pews or sat in them seem to be dead, or gone away to live in busier places.”
“I've no patience with 'em, gallivantin' over the earth,” and here Lobelia rose and shook the carpet threads from her lap. “I should n't want to live in a livelier place than Edgewood, seem's though! We wash and hang out Mondays, iron Tuesdays, cook Wednesdays, clean house and mend Thursdays and Fridays, bake Saturdays, and go to meetin' Sundays. I don't hardly see how they can do any more'n that in Chicago!”
“Never mind if we have lost members!” said the indomitable Mrs. Burbank. “The members we still have left must work all the harder. We'll each clean our own pew, then take a few of our neighbors', and then hire Mrs. Simpson to do the wainscoting and floor. Can we scrub Friday and lay the carpet Saturday? My husband and Deacon Miller can help us at the end of the week. All in favor manifest it by the usual sign. Contrary-minded? It is a vote.”
There never were any contrary-minded when Mrs. Jere Burbank was in the chair. Public sentiment in Edgewood was swayed by the Dorcas Society, but Mrs. Burbank swayed the Dorcases themselves as the wind sways the wheat.
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1
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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stipend
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| n.薪贴；奖学金；养老金 | |
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sterling
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| adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑) | |
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doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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strenuous
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| adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的 | |
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mar
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| vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟 | |
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westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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rigors
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| 严格( rigor的名词复数 )； 严酷； 严密； （由惊吓或中毒等导致的身体）僵直 | |
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entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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militant
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| adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士 | |
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perpetuate
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| v.使永存，使永记不忘 | |
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labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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impunity
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| n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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disapproved
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| v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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alterations
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| n.改动( alteration的名词复数 )；更改；变化；改变 | |
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chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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lamentably
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| adv.哀伤地，拙劣地 | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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expended
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| v.花费( expend的过去式和过去分词 )；使用（钱等）做某事；用光；耗尽 | |
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valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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ostrich
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| n.鸵鸟 | |
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constituents
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| n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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relished
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| v.欣赏( relish的过去式和过去分词 )；从…获得乐趣；渴望 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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shingle
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| n.木瓦板；小招牌(尤指医生或律师挂的营业招牌)；v.用木瓦板盖（屋顶）；把（女子头发）剪短 | |
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streaks
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| n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹 | |
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shingling
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| 压挤熟铁块，叠瓦作用 | |
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domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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waterproofing
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| v.使防水，使不透水( waterproof的现在分词 ) | |
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imbibed
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| v.吸收( imbibe的过去式和过去分词 )；喝；吸取；吸气 | |
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cedar
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| n.雪松，香柏(木) | |
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shingles
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| n.带状疱疹；（布满海边的）小圆石( shingle的名词复数 )；屋顶板；木瓦（板）；墙面板 | |
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flannel
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| n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服 | |
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49
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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conscientiously
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| adv.凭良心地；认真地，负责尽职地；老老实实 | |
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51
defiled
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| v.玷污( defile的过去式和过去分词 )；污染；弄脏；纵列行进 | |
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defile
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| v.弄污，弄脏；n.(山间)小道 | |
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53
valiantly
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| adv.勇敢地，英勇地；雄赳赳 | |
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54
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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landmark
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| n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标 | |
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fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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arduous
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| adj.艰苦的，费力的，陡峭的 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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contagion
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| n.(通过接触的疾病)传染；蔓延 | |
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machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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subscription
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| n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方） | |
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attaining
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的现在分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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70
thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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71
choir
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| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
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72
aisles
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| n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊 | |
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73
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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74
impulsive
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| adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的 | |
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75
caterpillar
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| n.毛虫，蝴蝶的幼虫 | |
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76
caterpillars
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| n.毛虫( caterpillar的名词复数 )；履带 | |
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77
grasshoppers
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| n.蚱蜢( grasshopper的名词复数 )；蝗虫；蚂蚱；（孩子）矮小的 | |
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78
pitcher
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| n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐；(棒球)投手 | |
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79
blurred
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| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
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80
burnished
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| adj.抛光的，光亮的v.擦亮（金属等），磨光( burnish的过去式和过去分词 )；被擦亮，磨光 | |
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81
panes
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| 窗玻璃( pane的名词复数 ) | |
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82
scoured
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| 走遍（某地）搜寻（人或物）( scour的过去式和过去分词 )； （用力）刷； 擦净； 擦亮 | |
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83
serenity
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| n.宁静，沉着，晴朗 | |
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84
miller
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| n.磨坊主 | |
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85
twitch
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| v.急拉，抽动，痉挛，抽搐；n.扯，阵痛，痉挛 | |
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86
creed
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| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
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87
ransom
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| n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救 | |
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88
plumb
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| adv.精确地，完全地；v.了解意义，测水深 | |
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89
blight
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| n.枯萎病；造成破坏的因素；vt.破坏，摧残 | |
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luncheons
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| n.午餐，午宴( luncheon的名词复数 ) | |
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