第6章

“I’llgladlyhelpyouallIcan，“saidmymother。

“Thanky！“saidMrs。Freshett。“Iknowedyouwould。Josiahhesaystome，`Don’tyoubeapin’nobody。’`Josiah，’saysI，`ittakesaprettysmartwomaninthisworldtorealizewhatshedoesn’tknow。NowIknowwhatIknow，wellenough，butallI

knowisliketokeepmean’mychildreninalogcabinan’onlogcabinwaystotheendofourtime。Youain’tevengottheremainsofthecabinyoustartedinforacowshed。’SaysI，`Josiah，MissStantonknowshowtogetoutofacabinan’intoagrandbigpalace，fitfuraqueenwoman。She’saridin’inashinin’kerridge，’stidofaspringwagon。Shegoesabroaddressedso’syoumenallstandstarin’likecabbageheads。Allherngotochurch，an’Sunday-school，an’college，an’comeoutonthetopoftheheap。ShedoesjestwhatI’dliketoifI

knowedhow。An’sheain’tcome-uppetyonemorsel。’IfIwastostrikeacrostfieldstothemstuck-upPryors，I’dgetthedoorslammedinmyfaceif’twasthemissus，asneerif’twastheman，an’atbestanodcoldasanicebergif’twasthegirl。Themaswanttocallherkind`Princess，’andencourageherinbeingmorestuckup’anshewasborntobe，can，buttomymindaPrincessisapersonwhothinksofsomeonebesidesherselfonceinawhile。“

“Idon’tfindthePryorseasytobecomeacquaintedwith，“saidmother。“Ihavenevermetthewoman；Iknowthemanveryslightly；hehasbeenhereonbusinessonceortwice，butthegirlseemsasifshewouldbenice，ifoneknewher。“

“Well，Iwouldn’thaves’posedshewasyourkind，“saidMrs。

Freshett。“Ifsheis，Iwon’topenmyheadagainstheranymore。

Anyway，itwasthegrave-kiversIcomeabout。“

“Justwhatisit，Mrs。Freshett？“askedmother。

“It’stwomensellin’apatentironkiverfortoprotectthegravesofyourdeadfromthesunan’therain。“

“Whowantsthegravesoftheirdeadprotectedfromthesunandtherain？“demandedmymothersharply。

“IsaidtoJosiah，`Idon’tknowhowshe’llfeelaboutit，butI

can’tdomorethanask。’“

“Dotheycarryasample？Whatisitlike？“

“Jestthelen’than’widthofagrave。Theygotfrombabytosix-footersizes。Theyarecastironlikethebottomofacookstoveontheunderside，butatoptheyarepolishedsotheyshinesomethin’beautiful。Youcangettheminasolidpiece，orwithaholeinthecentreaboutthesizeofamilkcrocktosetflowersthrough。Theycometentothegrave，an’theyaremightystylishlookin’things。Ihavebeensavin’allIcouldskimpfrombutter，an’eggs，togetSamanthaaorgan；butsaysItoher：`Youaregettin’allIcandoforyoueveryday；therelaysyourpoorbrother’atain’thadafingerliftedforhimsincehewastooksosuddenhewasgonebeforeIknowedhewasgoin’。’I

nevercangetoverHenrybein’tookthewayhewas，soIsays：

`IfthiswouldbeanicethingtohaveforHenry’sgrave，andtheneighboursaregoin’tohavethemfortheirn，lookstomelikesomeoftheorganmoneywillhavetogo，an’we’llmakeituplater。’Idon’t’lowforHenrytobeslightedbekaseheridhimselftodeathtryingtomakeapresidentoutofhispa’sgin’ral。“

“Younevertoldmehowyoulostyourson，“saidmother，feelingsobadlyshewipedoneofmyeyesfullofoil。

“Lawnow，didn’tI？“inquiredMrs。Freshett。“WellmebbythatisbekaseIain’thadachancetotellyoumuchofanythin’，yourbein’alwayssobusylike，an’menotwantin’towearoutmywelcome。Itwaslikethis：Allendurin’thewarHenryan’medidthebestwecouldwithoutpaathome，butbythetimeitwasover，Henrywasmostaman。Seemedasifwhenhegothome，hispawasalltiredoutandgladtosetdownan’rest，butHenrywasafiretobeupan’goin’。Hispafilledhimsofullo’Grant，itwasrunnin’outofhisears。ComethesecondruntheGin’ralmade，peeredlikeHenrysetoutto’lecthimallbyhisself。Heworeeveryhorseontheplaceout，ridin’torallies。Sometimeshewasgonethreedaysatastretch。He’dgitoneplacean’hearofarallyontenmilesorsofurder，an’blestifhedidn’trideplumacrostthestate’forehegotthroughwithonetrip。HesetoutinJuly，andheridrightstraightthroughtoNovember，nighontoeverydayofhislife。Hegotwhite，an’thin，an’narvous，fromlossofsleepan’lackoffood，an’hispagotrestless，saidHenrywastakin’the’lectionmoreserious’anheevertookthewar。Lastfewdaysbeforevotin’wascoldan’rawan’Henryridconstant。’Lectiondayhecouldn’tvote，forhelackedayearofbein’o’age，an’heridinwithahardchill，an’whiteasaghost，an’hesays：`Ma，’sayshe，`I’ve’lectedGrant，butI’malltuckeredout。Putmetobedan’kivermewarm。’“

IforgotthestinginmyeyeswatchingMrs。Freshett。ShewasthelargestwomanIknew，andstrongasmostmen。Herhairwasblackandglisteny，hereyesblack，hercheeksred，herskinaclear，evendarktint。Shewashandsome，shewashonest，andshewasinearnestovereverything。Therewassomethingabouther，orherfamily，thathadtobetoldinwhispers，andsomeoftheneighbourswouldhavenothingtodowithher。ButmothersaidMrs。Freshettwasdoingtheverybestsheknew，andforthesakeofthat，andofherchildren，anyonewhowouldn’thelpherwasnotaChristian，andnottobeaChristianwastheveryworstthingthatcouldhappentoyou。Istaredathersteadily。Shetalkedstraightalong，sorapidlyyouscarcelycouldkeepupwiththewords；youcouldn’tifyouwantedtothinkaboutthemanybetween。Therewasnotaquiverinhervoice，butfromhereyesthererolled，steadily，thebiggest，roundesttearsIeversaw。

Theyrandownhercheeks，formedastreaminthefirstgrooveofherdoublechin，overflowedit，anddrippeddrop，drop，adropatatime，onthebreastofherstifflystarchedcalicodress，andfromthereshottoherknees。

“’Twa’n’tnotimeatall’tilhewaschokin’an’burnin’redwithfever，an’hispaandme，stoutaswebe，couldn’tholdhimdownnorkeephimkivered。Hewasspeechifyin’tobeatanythin’youeverheard。Hispasaidhewasrepeatin’whathe’dheardsaidbyeverybigstumpspeakerfromGreeleytoLogan。Whenhegotsohoarsewecouldn’ttellwhathesaidanymore，hejestmouthedit，an’atlasthedroppedbackandlaidlikehewaspinnedtothesheets，an’Ithoughthewasrestin’，but’twa’n’tanhour’tilhewasgone。“

SuddenlyMrs。Freshettliftedherapron，coveredherfaceandsobbeduntilherbroadshouldersshook。

“Ohyoupoorsoul！“saidmymother。“I’msosorryforyou！“

“Ineverknowedhewasa-goin’untilhewasgone，“shesaid。“HewastheonlyoneofmineIeverlost，an’Ithoughtitwouldjestlaymeout。Icouldn’t’a’stooditatallifIhadn’t’a’

knowedhewassaved。IwellknowmyHenrywentstraighttoHeaven。WhyMissStanton，herizrightupinbedatthelast，andclearandstronghejestyelledit：`HurrahfurGrant！’“

Mymother’sfingerstightenedinmyhairuntilIthoughtshewouldpulloutalot，andIcouldfeelherkneesstiffen。Leonjustwhooped。Mothersprangupandrantothedoor。

“Leon！“shecried。Thentherewasaslam。“Whatintheworldisthematter？“sheasked。

“Steppedoutofthetubrightonthesoap，anditthrewmedown，“

explainedLeon。

“Formercysake，becareful！“saidmymother，andshutthedoor。

Itwasn’taminutebeforetheknobturnedanditopenedagainalittle。

Ineversawmother’sfacelooksoqueer，butatlastshesaidsoftly：“Youwerethinkingofthegravecoverforhim？“

“Yes，butIwantedtoaskyoubeforeIboundmyself。Iheardyoulosttwowhenthescarletfeverwasragin’an’I’mgoin’todojestwhatyoudo。Ifyouhavekivers，Iwill。Ifyoudon’tlikethemwhenyouseehowbrightandshinytheyare，Iwon’tgetanyeither。“

“Icantellyouwithoutseeingthem，Mrs。Freshett，“saidmymother，wrappingastrandofhairaroundthetinsotightI

slippedupmyfingerstofeelwhethermyneckwasn’tlikeabuck-

eyehulllooks，anditwas。“Idon’twantanycoverforthegravesofmydeadbutgrassandflowers，andskyandclouds。I

liketheraintofallonthem，andthesuntoshine，sothatthegrassandflowerswillgrow。IfyouaresatisfiedthatthesoulofHenryissafeinHeaven，thatisallthatisnecessary。

Layingaslabofironontopofearthsixfeetabovehisbodywillmakenodifferencetohim。Ifheissingingwiththeangels，byallmeanssaveyourmoneyfortheorgan。“

“Idon’tknowaboutthesingin’，butI’dstakemylastredcenthe’sstillhollerin’furGrant。Iwaskindo’tookwiththeidea；thethingswassoshinyandscillopedattheedges，peeredlikeitwaspayin’considerablerespecttothedeadtokiverthemthat-a-way。“

“Whatgoodwoulditdo？“askedmother。“Thesunshiningontheironwouldmakeitsohotitwouldburnanyfloweryoutriedtoplantintheopening；thewatercouldn’treachtheroots，andallthatfellontheslabwouldrunoffandmakeitthatmuchwetterattheedges。Theironwouldsoonrustandgrowdreadfullyuglylyingunderwintersnow。Thereisnothingatallinit，saveamethodtoworkonthefeelingsoftheliving，andgetthemtopaytheirmoneyforsomethingthatwouldn’taffecttheirdeadaparticle。“

“’Twouldbeapoorideaforme，“saidMrs。Freshett。“IsaidtothementhatIwantedtohonourHenryallIcould，butwithmybulk，I’dhevallIcoulddo，comeJedgmentDay，tobustmybox，an’heaveuptheclods，withouthavin’tohistupapieceofironan’klimfromunderit。“

MotherstiffenedandLeonslippedagain。HecouldhavemoreaccidentsthananyboyIeverknew。ButitwasonlyafewminutesuntilhecametomotherandgaveheraBibletomarktheverseshehadtolearntoreciteatSunday-schoolnextday。

Mothercouldn’ttakethetimewhenshehadcompany，sosheaskedifheweren’tbigenoughtopickouttenproperversesandlearnthembyhimself，andhesaidofcoursehewas。HetookhisBibleandheandMayandIsatonthebackstepsandstudiedourverses。HeandMayweresobigtheyhadten；butIhadonlytwo，andminewerenotverylong。Leongiggledhalfthetimehewasstudying。Ihaven’tfoundanythingsoveryfunnyintheBible。

Everyfewminuteshewouldwhispertohimself：“THAT’SAGOOD

ONE！“

HetookthebookandheardMaydohersuntilshehadthemperfectly，thenhewentandsatonthebackfencewithhisbookandstudiedasIneverbeforehadseenhim。Mrs。Freshettstayedsolongmotherhadnotimetohearhim，buthetoldherhehadthemalllearnedsohecouldrepeatthemwithoutamistake。

Nextmorningmotherwasbusy，soshehadnotimethen。Father，Shelley，andIrodeonthefrontseat，mother，May，andSallyontheback，whiletheboysstartedearlyandwalked。

Whenwereachedthetopofthehill，theroadwaslinedwithcarriages，wagons，springwagons，andsaddlehorses。Fatherfoundaplaceforourteamandwewentdownthewalkbetweenthehitchingrackandthecemeteryfence。Motheropenedthegateandkneltbesidetwosmallgravescoveredwithgrass，shadedbyyellowrosebushes，andmarkedwithlittlewhitestones。Shelaidsomeflowersoneachandwipedthedustfromthecarvedletterswithherhandkerchief。Thelittlesisterswhohadscarletfeverandwhoopingcoughlaythere。Motherwasstillaminuteandthenshesaidsoftly：“`TheLordhasgivenandtheLordhastakenaway。BlessedbethenameoftheLord。’“

Shewasverypalewhenshecametous，buthereyeswerebrightandshesmiledassheputherarmsaroundasmanyofusasshecouldreach。

“Whatabeautifulhorse！“saidSally。“Lookatthatsaddleandbridle！ThePryorgirlishere。“

“Whyshouldshecome？“askedShelley。

“Toshowherfineclothesandqueenitoverus！“

“Children，children！“saidmother。“`Judgenot！’Thisisahouseofworship。TheLordmaybedrawingherinHisownway。

ItisforustohelpHimbybeingkindandmakingherwelcome。“

Atthechurchdoorwepartedandsatwithourteachers，butforthefirsttimeasIwentdowntheaisleIwasnotthinkingofmylinendress，mypatentleatherslippers，andmyprettycurls。Itsuddenlyseemedcheaptometotwistmyhairwhenitwasstraightasashingle，andcutmyheadontin。IftheLordhadwantedmetohavecurls，myhairwouldhavebeenlikeSally’s。Seemedtomeherstriedtoseeintowhatbigsoftcurlsitcouldroll。Maysaidourswassostraightitbentbacktheotherway。Anyway，I

madeupmymindtotalkitoverwithfatherandalwayswearbraidsafterthat，ifIcouldgethimtocoaxmothertoletme。

Ourchurchwasquitenewanditwasbeautiful。Allthecasingswereoiledwood，andthewallshadjustalittleyellowinthelastskincoatingusedtomakethemsmooth，sotheywereacreamycolour，andtheblindswereyellow。Thewindowswerewideopenandthewinddriftedthrough，whilethebirdssangasmuchastheyeverdoinAugust，amongthetreesandbushesofthecemetery。Everyonehadplantedsomanyflowersofallkindsonthegravesyoucouldscentsweetodours。Oftenabig，black-

striped，brownbutterflycamesailinginthroughoneofthewindows，followedthedraftacrosstheroom，andoutofanother。

Iwasthinkingsomethingfunny：itwasaboutwhatthePrincesshadsaidofotherpeople，andwhetherherswereworse。IlookedatmyfathersittingincalmdignityinhisSundaysuitandthoughthimquiteasfineandhandsomeasmotherdid。EverySabbathheworethesamesuit，hesatinthesamespot，heworshippedtheLordinhiscalm，earnestway。Theministerschanged，butfatherwasasmuchapartoftheserviceastheBibleonthedeskorthecommuniontable。Iwonderedifpeoplesaidthingsabouthim，andiftheydid，whattheywere。Ineverhadheard。Twistinginmyseat，onebyoneIstudiedthefacesonthemen’sside，andthenthewomen。Itwasamightygood-

lookingcrowd。Somehadfinerclothesthanothers——thatisalwaystheway——butasaruleeveryonewasclean，neat，andgoodtosee。Fromsomeyouscarcelycouldturnaway。TherewasWidowFall。ShewasFrench，fromVirginia，andshetalkedlikelittletinklynotesofmusic。Ijustlovedtohearher，andshewalkedlikehigh-uproyalty。Herdresswasalwaysblack，withwhitebandsattheneckandsleeves，blackrustlysilk，andhereyesandhairwerelikethedress。Therewasalittleredonhercheeksandlips，andherfacewasalwaysgraveuntilshesawyoudirectlybeforeher，andthenshesmiledthesweetestsmile。