XXVI
"OVER THE TEACUPS"
The summer term at Wareham had ended, and Huldah Meserve, Dick Carter,and Living Perkins had finished school, leaving Rebecca and Emma Janeto represent Riverboro in the year to come. Delia Weeks was at homefrom Lewiston on a brief visit, and Mrs. Robinson was celebrating theoccasion by a small and select party, the particular day having beenset because strawberries were ripe and there was a rooster that wantedkilling. Mrs. Robinson explained this to her husband, and requestedthat he eat his dinner on the carpenter's bench in the shed, as theparty was to be a ladies' affair.
"All right; it won't be any loss to me," said Mr. Robinson. "Give mebeans, that's all I ask. When a rooster wants to be killed, I wantsomebody else to eat him, not me!"
Mrs. Robinson had company only once or twice a year, and was generallymuch prostrated for several days afterward, the struggle between prideand parsimony being quite too great a strain upon her. It wasnecessary, in order to maintain her standing in the community, tofurnish a good "set out," yet the extravagance of the proceeding goadedher from the first moment she began to stir the marble cake to themoment when the feast appeared upon the table.
The rooster had been boiling steadily over a slow fire since morning,but such was his power of resistance that his shape was as firm andhandsome in the pot as on the first moment when he was lowered into it.
"He ain't goin' to give up!" said Alice, peering nervously under thecover, "and he looks like a scarecrow."
"We'll see whether he gives up or not when I take a sharp knife tohim," her mother answered; "and as to his looks, a platter full o'gravy makes a sight o' difference with old roosters, and I'll putdumplings round the aidge; they're turrible fillin', though they don'tbelong with boiled chicken."
The rooster did indeed make an impressive showing, lying in his borderof dumplings, and the dish was much complimented when it was borne inby Alice. This was fortunate, as the chorus of admiration ceasedabruptly when the ladies began to eat the fowl.
"I was glad you could git over to Huldy's graduation, Delia," said Mrs.Meserve, who sat at the foot of the table and helped the chicken whileMrs. Robinson poured coffee at the other end. She was a fit mother forHuldah, being much the most stylish person in Riverboro; ill health anddress were, indeed, her two chief enjoyments in life. It was rumoredthat her elaborately curled "front piece" had cost five dollars, andthat it was sent into Portland twice a year to be dressed and frizzed;but it is extremely difficult to discover the precise facts in suchcases, and a conscientious historian always prefers to warn a toocredulous reader against imbibing as gospel truth something that mightbe the basest perversion of it. As to Mrs. Meserve's appearance, haveyou ever, in earlier years, sought the comforting society of the cookand hung over the kitchen table while she rolled out sugar gingerbread?Perhaps then, in some unaccustomed moment of amiability, she made you adough lady, cutting the outline deftly with her pastry knife, and then,at last, placing the human stamp upon it by sticking in two blackcurrants for eyes. Just call to mind the face of that sugar gingerbreadlady and you will have an exact portrait of Huldah's mother,--Mis'Peter Meserve, she was generally called, there being several others.
"How'd you like Huldy's dress, Delia?" she asked, snapping the elasticin her black jet bracelets after an irritating fashion she had.
"I thought it was about the handsomest of any," answered Delia; "andher composition was first rate. It was the only real amusin' one therewas, and she read it so loud and clear we didn't miss any of it; mosto' the girls spoke as if they had hasty pudtin' in their mouths."
"That was the composition she wrote for Adam Ladd's prize," explainedMrs. Meserve, "and they do say she'd 'a' come out first, 'stead o'fourth, if her subject had been dif'rent. There was three ministers andthree deacons on the committee, and it was only natural they shouldchoose a serious piece; hers was too lively to suit 'em."
Huldah's inspiring theme had been Boys, and she certainly had a fund ofknowledge and experience that fitted her to write most intelligentlyupon it. It was vastly popular with the audience, who enjoyed therather cheap jokes and allusions with which it coruscated; but judgedfrom a purely literary standpoint, it left much to be desired.
"Rebecca's piece wan't read out loud, but the one that took the boy'sprize was; why was that?" asked Mrs. Robinson.
"Because she wan't graduatin'," explained Mrs. Cobb, "and couldn't takepart in the exercises; it'll be printed, with Herbert Dunn's, in theschool paper."
"I'm glad o' that, for I'll never believe it was better 'n Huldy's tillI read it with my own eyes; it seems as if the prize ought to 'a' goneto one of the seniors."
"Well, no, Marthy, not if Ladd offered it to any of the two upperclasses that wanted to try for it," argued Mrs. Robinson. "They saythey asked him to give out the prizes, and he refused, up and down. Itseems odd, his bein' so rich and travelin' about all over the country,that he was too modest to git up on that platform."
"My Huldy could 'a' done it, and not winked an eyelash," observed Mrs.Meserve complacently; a remark which there seemed no disposition on thepart of any of the company to controvert.
"It was complete, though, the governor happening to be there to see hisniece graduate," said Delia Weeks. "Land! he looked elegant! They sayhe's only six feet, but he might 'a' been sixteen, and he certainly didmake a fine speech."
"Did you notice Rebecca, how white she was, and how she trembled whenshe and Herbert Dunn stood there while the governor was praisin' 'em?He'd read her composition, too, for he wrote the Sawyer girls a letterabout it." This remark was from the sympathetic Mrs. Cobb.
"I thought 't was kind o' foolish, his makin' so much of her when itwan't her graduation," objected Mrs. Meserve; "layin' his hand on herhead 'n' all that, as if he was a Pope pronouncin' benediction. Butthere! I'm glad the prize come to Riverboro 't any rate, and ahan'somer one never was give out from the Wareham platform. I guessthere ain't no end to Adam Ladd's money. The fifty dollars would 'a'been good enough, but he must needs go and put it into those elegantpurses."
"I set so fur back I couldn't see 'em fairly," complained Delia, "andnow Rebecca has taken hers home to show her mother."
"It was kind of a gold net bag with a chain," said Mrs. Perkins, "andthere was five ten-dollar gold pieces in it. Herbert Dunn's was put ina fine leather wallet."
"How long is Rebecca goin' to stay at the farm?" asked Delia.
"Till they get over Hannah's bein' married, and get the house torunnin' without her," answered Mrs. Perkins. "It seems as if Hannahmight 'a' waited a little longer. Aurelia was set against her goin'away while Rebecca was at school, but she's obstinate as a mule, Hannahis, and she just took her own way in spite of her mother. She's beendoin' her sewin' for a year; the awfullest coarse cotton cloth she had,but she's nearly blinded herself with fine stitchin' and rufflin' andtuckin'. Did you hear about the quilt she made? It's white, and has abig bunch o' grapes in the centre, quilted by a thimble top. Thenthere's a row of circle-borderin' round the grapes, and she done themthe size of a spool. The next border was done with a sherry glass, andthe last with a port glass, an' all outside o' that was solid stitchin'done in straight rows; she's goin' to exhibit it at the county fair."
"She'd better 'a' been takin' in sewin' and earnin' money, 'stead o'blindin' her eyes on such foolishness as quilted counterpanes," saidMrs. Cobb. "The next thing you know that mortgage will be foreclosed onMis' Randall, and she and the children won't have a roof over theirheads."
"Don't they say there's a good chance of the railroad goin' through herplace?" asked Mrs. Robinson. "If it does, she'll git as much as thefarm is worth and more. Adam Ladd 's one of the stockholders, andeverything is a success he takes holt of. They're fightin' it inAugusty, but I'd back Ladd agin any o' them legislaters if he thoughthe was in the right."
"Rebecca'll have some new clothes now," said Delia, "and the land knowsshe needs 'em. Seems to me the Sawyer girls are gittin' turrible near!"
"Rebecca won't h
ave any new clothes out o' the prize money," remarkedMrs. Perkins, "for she sent it away the next day to pay the interest onthat mortgage."
"Poor little girl!" exclaimed Delia Weeks.
"She might as well help along her folks as spend it on foolishness,"affirmed Mrs. Robinson. "I think she was mighty lucky to git it to paythe interest with, but she's probably like all the Randalls; it waseasy come, easy go, with them."
"That's more than could be said of the Sawyer stock," retorted Mrs.Perkins; "seems like they enjoyed savin' more'n anything in the world,and it's gainin' on Mirandy sence her shock."
"I don't believe it was a shock; it stands to reason she'd never 'a'got up after it and been so smart as she is now; we had three o' theworst shocks in our family that there ever was on this river, and Iknow every symptom of 'em better'n the doctors." And Mrs. Peter Meserveshook her head wisely.
"Mirandy 's smart enough," said Mrs. Cobb, "but you notice she staysright to home, and she's more close-mouthed than ever she was; nevertook a mite o' pride in the prize, as I could see, though it prettynigh drove Jeremiah out o' his senses. I thought I should 'a' died o'shame when he cried 'Hooray!' and swung his straw hat when the governorshook hands with Rebecca. It's lucky he couldn't get fur into thechurch and had to stand back by the door, for as it was, he made aspectacle of himself. My suspicion is"--and here every lady stoppedeating and sat up straight--"that the Sawyer girls have lost money.They don't know a thing about business 'n' never did, and Mirandy's toosecretive and contrairy to ask advice."
"The most o' what they've got is in gov'ment bonds, I always heard, andyou can't lose money on them. Jane had the timber land left her, an'Mirandy had the brick house. She probably took it awful hard thatRebecca's fifty dollars had to be swallowed up in a mortgage, 'stead ofgoin' towards school expenses. The more I think of it, the more I thinkAdam Ladd intended Rebecca should have that prize when he gave it." Themind of Huldah's mother ran towards the idea that her daughter's rightshad been assailed.
"Land, Marthy, what foolishness you talk!" exclaimed Mrs. Perkins; "youdon't suppose he could tell what composition the committee was going tochoose; and why should he offer another fifty dollars for a boy'sprize, if he wan't interested in helpin' along the school? He's giveEmma Jane about the same present as Rebecca every Christmas for fiveyears; that's the way he does."
"Some time he'll forget one of 'em and give to the other, or drop 'emboth and give to some new girl!" said Delia Weeks, with an experienceborn of fifty years of spinsterhood.
"Like as not," assented Mrs. Peter Meserve, "though it's easy to see heain't the marryin' kind. There's men that would marry once a year iftheir wives would die fast enough, and there's men that seems to wantto live alone."
"If Ladd was a Mormon, I guess he could have every woman in NorthRiverboro that's a suitable age, accordin' to what my cousins say,"remarked Mrs. Perkins.
"'T ain't likely he could be ketched by any North Riverboro girl,"demurred Mrs. Robinson; "not when he prob'bly has had the pick o'Boston. I guess Marthy hit it when she said there's men that ain't themarryin' kind."
"I wouldn't trust any of 'em when Miss Right comes along!" laughed Mrs.Cobb genially. "You never can tell what 'n' who 's goin' to please 'em.You know Jeremiah's contrairy horse, Buster? He won't let anybody putthe bit into his mouth if he can help it. He'll fight Jerry, and fightme, till he has to give in. Rebecca didn't know nothin' about histricks, and the other day she went int' the barn to hitch up. Ifollowed right along, knowing she'd have trouble with the headstall,and I declare if she wan't pattin' Buster's nose and talkin' to him,and when she put her little fingers into his mouth he opened it so furI thought he'd swaller her, for sure. He jest smacked his lips over thebit as if 't was a lump o' sugar. 'Land, Rebecca,' I says, 'how'd youpersuade him to take the bit?' 'I didn't,' she says, 'he seemed to wantit; perhaps he's tired of his stall and wants to get out in the freshair.'"