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About half-past nine or ten o'clock he came along the deserted street `
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to where the Adored Unknown lived; he paused a moment; no sound fell `
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upon his listening ear; a candle was casting a dull glow upon the `
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curtain of a second-story window. Was the sacred presence there? He `
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climbed the fence, threaded his stealthy way through the plants, till `
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he stood under that window; he looked up at it long, and with emotion; `
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then he laid him down on the ground under it, disposing himself upon `
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his back, with his hands clasped upon his breast and holding his poor `
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wilted flower. And thus he would die--out in the cold world, with no `
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shelter over his homeless head, no friendly hand to wipe the `
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death-damps from his brow, no loving face to bend pityingly over him `
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when the great agony came. And thus SHE would see him when she looked `
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out upon the glad morning, and oh! would she drop one little tear upon `
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his poor, lifeless form, would she heave one little sigh to see a bright `
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young life so rudely blighted, so untimely cut down? `
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The window went up, a maid-servant's discordant voice profaned the `
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holy calm, and a deluge of water drenched the prone martyr's remains! `
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The strangling hero sprang up with a relieving snort. There was a whiz `
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as of a missile in the air, mingled with the murmur of a curse, a sound `
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as of shivering glass followed, and a small, vague form went over the `
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fence and shot away in the gloom. `
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Not long after, as Tom, all undressed for bed, was surveying his `
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drenched garments by the light of a tallow dip, Sid woke up; but if he `
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had any dim idea of making any "references to allusions," he thought `
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better of it and held his peace, for there was danger in Tom's eye. `
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Tom turned in without the added vexation of prayers, and Sid made `
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mental note of the omission. `
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CHAPTER IV `
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THE sun rose upon a tranquil world, and beamed down upon the peaceful `
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village like a benediction. Breakfast over, Aunt Polly had family `
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worship: it began with a prayer built from the ground up of solid `
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courses of Scriptural quotations, welded together with a thin mortar of `
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originality; and from the summit of this she delivered a grim chapter `
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of the Mosaic Law, as from Sinai. `
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Then Tom girded up his loins, so to speak, and went to work to "get `
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his verses." Sid had learned his lesson days before. Tom bent all his `
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energies to the memorizing of five verses, and he chose part of the `
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Sermon on the Mount, because he could find no verses that were shorter. `
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At the end of half an hour Tom had a vague general idea of his lesson, `
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but no more, for his mind was traversing the whole field of human `
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thought, and his hands were busy with distracting recreations. Mary `
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took his book to hear him recite, and he tried to find his way through `
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the fog: `
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"Blessed are the--a--a--" `
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"Poor"-- `
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"Yes--poor; blessed are the poor--a--a--" `
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"In spirit--" `
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"In spirit; blessed are the poor in spirit, for they--they--" `
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"THEIRS--" `
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"For THEIRS. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom `
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of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they--they--" `
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"Sh--" `
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"For they--a--" `
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"S, H, A--" `
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"For they S, H--Oh, I don't know what it is!" `
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"SHALL!" `
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"Oh, SHALL! for they shall--for they shall--a--a--shall mourn--a--a-- `
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blessed are they that shall--they that--a--they that shall mourn, for `
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they shall--a--shall WHAT? Why don't you tell me, Mary?--what do you `
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want to be so mean for?" `
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"Oh, Tom, you poor thick-headed thing, I'm not teasing you. I wouldn't `
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do that. You must go and learn it again. Don't you be discouraged, Tom, `
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you'll manage it--and if you do, I'll give you something ever so nice. `
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There, now, that's a good boy." `
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"All right! What is it, Mary, tell me what it is." `
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"Never you mind, Tom. You know if I say it's nice, it is nice." `
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"You bet you that's so, Mary. All right, I'll tackle it again." `
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And he did "tackle it again"--and under the double pressure of `
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curiosity and prospective gain he did it with such spirit that he `
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accomplished a shining success. Mary gave him a brand-new "Barlow" `
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knife worth twelve and a half cents; and the convulsion of delight that `
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swept his system shook him to his foundations. True, the knife would `
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not cut anything, but it was a "sure-enough" Barlow, and there was `
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inconceivable grandeur in that--though where the Western boys ever got `
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the idea that such a weapon could possibly be counterfeited to its `
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injury is an imposing mystery and will always remain so, perhaps. Tom `
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contrived to scarify the cupboard with it, and was arranging to begin `
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on the bureau, when he was called off to dress for Sunday-school. `
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Mary gave him a tin basin of water and a piece of soap, and he went `
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outside the door and set the basin on a little bench there; then he `
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dipped the soap in the water and laid it down; turned up his sleeves; `
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poured out the water on the ground, gently, and then entered the `
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kitchen and began to wipe his face diligently on the towel behind the `
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door. But Mary removed the towel and said: `
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"Now ain't you ashamed, Tom. You mustn't be so bad. Water won't hurt `
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you." `
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Tom was a trifle disconcerted. The basin was refilled, and this time `
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he stood over it a little while, gathering resolution; took in a big `
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breath and began. When he entered the kitchen presently, with both eyes `
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shut and groping for the towel with his hands, an honorable testimony `
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of suds and water was dripping from his face. But when he emerged from `
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the towel, he was not yet satisfactory, for the clean territory stopped `
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short at his chin and his jaws, like a mask; below and beyond this line `
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there was a dark expanse of unirrigated soil that spread downward in `
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front and backward around his neck. Mary took him in hand, and when she `
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was done with him he was a man and a brother, without distinction of `
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color, and his saturated hair was neatly brushed, and its short curls `
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wrought into a dainty and symmetrical general effect. [He privately `
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smoothed out the curls, with labor and difficulty, and plastered his `
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hair close down to his head; for he held curls to be effeminate, and `
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his own filled his life with bitterness.] Then Mary got out a suit of `
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his clothing that had been used only on Sundays during two years--they `
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were simply called his "other clothes"--and so by that we know the `
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size of his wardrobe. The girl "put him to rights" after he had dressed `
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himself; she buttoned his neat roundabout up to his chin, turned his `
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vast shirt collar down over his shoulders, brushed him off and crowned `
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him with his speckled straw hat. He now looked exceedingly improved and `
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uncomfortable. He was fully as uncomfortable as he looked; for there `
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was a restraint about whole clothes and cleanliness that galled him. He `
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hoped that Mary would forget his shoes, but the hope was blighted; she `
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coated them thoroughly with tallow, as was the custom, and brought them `
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out. He lost his temper and said he was always being made to do `
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everything he didn't want to do. But Mary said, persuasively: `
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"Please, Tom--that's a good boy." `
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So he got into the shoes snarling. Mary was soon ready, and the three `
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children set out for Sunday-school--a place that Tom hated with his `
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whole heart; but Sid and Mary were fond of it. `
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Sabbath-school hours were from nine to half-past ten; and then church `
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service. Two of the children always remained for the sermon `
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voluntarily, and the other always remained too--for stronger reasons. `
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The church's high-backed, uncushioned pews would seat about three `
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hundred persons; the edifice was but a small, plain affair, with a sort `
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of pine board tree-box on top of it for a steeple. At the door Tom `
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dropped back a step and accosted a Sunday-dressed comrade: `
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"Say, Billy, got a yaller ticket?" `
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"Yes." `
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"What'll you take for her?" `
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"What'll you give?" `
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"Piece of lickrish and a fish-hook." `
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"Less see 'em." `
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Tom exhibited. They were satisfactory, and the property changed hands. `
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Then Tom traded a couple of white alleys for three red tickets, and `
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some small trifle or other for a couple of blue ones. He waylaid other `
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boys as they came, and went on buying tickets of various colors ten or `
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fifteen minutes longer. He entered the church, now, with a swarm of `
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clean and noisy boys and girls, proceeded to his seat and started a `
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quarrel with the first boy that came handy. The teacher, a grave, `
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elderly man, interfered; then turned his back a moment and Tom pulled a `
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boy's hair in the next bench, and was absorbed in his book when the boy `
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turned around; stuck a pin in another boy, presently, in order to hear `
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him say "Ouch!" and got a new reprimand from his teacher. Tom's whole `
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class were of a pattern--restless, noisy, and troublesome. When they `
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came to recite their lessons, not one of them knew his verses `
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perfectly, but had to be prompted all along. However, they worried `
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through, and each got his reward--in small blue tickets, each with a `
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passage of Scripture on it; each blue ticket was pay for two verses of `
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the recitation. Ten blue tickets equalled a red one, and could be `
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exchanged for it; ten red tickets equalled a yellow one; for ten yellow `
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tickets the superintendent gave a very plainly bound Bible (worth forty `
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cents in those easy times) to the pupil. How many of my readers would `
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have the industry and application to memorize two thousand verses, even `
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for a Dore Bible? And yet Mary had acquired two Bibles in this way--it `
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was the patient work of two years--and a boy of German parentage had `
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won four or five. He once recited three thousand verses without `
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stopping; but the strain upon his mental faculties was too great, and `
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he was little better than an idiot from that day forth--a grievous `
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misfortune for the school, for on great occasions, before company, the `
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superintendent (as Tom expressed it) had always made this boy come out `
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and "spread himself." Only the older pupils managed to keep their `
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tickets and stick to their tedious work long enough to get a Bible, and `
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