CHAPTER VII
PEACE SURPRISES THE LADIES' AID
"Girls, here are some eggs to be delivered," said Gail one snowyDecember day as Cherry and Peace came stamping in from school. "Onebasket goes to Judge Abbott's, and the other to Dr. Bainbridge's."
"Oh, Gail," cried two protesting voices, "this is the afternoon we wereto gather evergreens in the woods for decorating the church. The bazaarbegins tomorrow. You promised we might go."
"I had forgotten," murmured Gail. "I am sorry, but the eggs must bedelivered before night."
"Why can't Hope go this once?"
"She is taking care of the Edwards baby."
"Where is Faith?"
"In bed with a headache."
"She _always_ has a headache when there are errands to be done."
"Peace!"
"Those houses are the furthest apart in town. Dr. Bainbridge lives atone end of the street and the Judge at the other."
"I am sorry, but eggs mean money, you know, and Christmas is coming."
"Well, I s'pose we must," sighed Cherry.
Peace's face brightened suddenly. "I'll tell you--let's each take abasket and see which can get there first. Then we'll meet at the churchand go to the woods from there."
"All right," agreed Cherry. "You take the Judge's and I'll take theDoctor's."
So they snatched up their burdens and hurried merrily away, much togentle Gail's relief, for she found it hard to disappoint these smallsisters in their gala days.
As far as the church the two went the way together, but here their pathsdivided, and they parted, calling back warnings to each other.
"Be sure you wait at the church until I get there."
"Be sure you hurry, for there isn't much time before dark, and the womenhave to finish dec'rating tonight."
Then how they scampered down the snowy street, regardless of the frailtyof the loads they bore!
Peace's errand was soon done, and she was back at the little church in asurprisingly short time, but no Cherry was in sight anywhere; so she satdown on the steps to await her coming. It was snowing quite hard now,and the wind grew cold as the afternoon waned.
"Seems 's if I should freeze sitting here," said the shivering child toherself after stamping her feet and flapping her arms like a Dutchwindmill, in her efforts to get warm. "What can be keeping Cherry? She'san awfully long time tonight. I s'pose Mrs. Bainbridge has got a gabbingstreak on and will keep her there the rest of the day listening to her.Cherry never can get away when folks begin talking to her. I ought tohave gone there myself. Bet it wouldn't have taken me this long. My, butit's growing cold! I wonder if I can't get inside someway. I thoughtsure the ladies would be here before now, but I don't see anyone about."
She jumped to her feet and tried the door. It was locked fast.
"Maybe Mr. Strong is in his study and will let me stay there awhile."But the study door was also secure. "Well, the basement window ain'tfastened, I know, 'cause 'twas only yesterday that Hec Abbott broke itwith a snowball. I can crawl through that and go upstairs into thechurch."
Scurrying around the building to the broken window, she crept cautiouslythrough the sash, just big enough to admit her body; and dropped to thecement floor below. Considerably jarred--for the window was high in thewall--she gathered herself up and felt her way up the dark stairs to themain floor, relieved to find the hall door unlatched so she could stepout into daylight once more.
"Must have been someone here already," she exclaimed in surprise,"'cause the booths are all up and trimmed. Maybe they don't want anymore evergreens. Well, I'll wait for Cherry and we will see then. P'rapssome of the ladies are coming back, for the furnace is still burning."
She made a tour of the church, admiring the pretty decorations, andamusing herself by climbing over the seats like a squirrel, while shewaited for Cherry, who did not come. At length she grew tired, the roomswere warm and dim, and before she knew it she was becoming drowsy.
"I'll just curl up in this old coat and rest a bit," she thought."Cherry will make noise enough so I will hear when she comes." Butbefore the belated sister reached the church Peace was fast asleep, andher ears were deaf to the trills and whistles outside. Thinking theyounger girl had grown impatient at waiting and, regardless of herpromise, had gone on to the woods, Cherry stopped only long enough tomake sure that Peace was nowhere about the grounds before she hurriedaway to join her mates in evergreen gathering.
How long Peace slept she did not know, but the sound of voices in heateddebate roused her from her nap, and she heard Mrs. Wardlaw's sharp tonessaying, "Well, I, for one, don't believe in getting her a suit forChristmas. She dresses better now than most of us can afford. We neverhad a minister's wife before who paraded the clothes she does."
"But she came here a bride, practically," remonstrated a lessaggressive, but just as decided a voice, which Peace recognized as Mrs.Bainbridge's. "They haven't been married two years yet. Brides alwayshave more clothes than any other women. Nevertheless, they wear out, andit doesn't stand to reason that hers will last any longer than ours do."
"She has worn at least three cloth suits since she came, besides all hersummer finery, and two or three separate skirts. I suppose that is whereall Brother Strong's salary goes. Stylish! Why, she is a veritablefashion plate!"
"I don't see how you can say that, Mrs. Wardlaw. She certainly looksvery neat and up to date in everything she puts on, but I can't seewhere there is any fashion plate about her. I call her a very sensiblelittle woman, just the kind of a wife Brother Strong needs."
"Well, I am not disputing how much sense she has, but I still declarethat she has clothes enough now, without our furnishing her any more forChristmas."
"That's all you know about it!" cried an indignant voice behind them,and both startled ladies turned hastily around to find a pair offlashing brown eyes glaring out from under the janitor's old coat in thecorner, "If Mrs. Strong didn't know how to cut and sew, she would be apretty ragged looking minister's wife by this time."
Peace crawled out of her warm bed and shook an angry little fingeraccusingly at the women, who exclaimed in unison, "Peace Greenfield, howdid you come here, and what do you want?"
"I don't want anything. I clum in the window so's I wouldn't freezewhile I was waiting for Cherry, and I guess I went to sleep. But I heardwhat you were saying, and it ain't so, Mrs. Waddler! Mrs. Strong hasn'tgot a lot of clothes. The parsonage burned up where they were last time,and 'most everything they had to wear was burned up, too. That prettygray suit she had when they first came here she dyed brown after youupset a pot of coffee on it at the church supper that night. But thebrown didn't color even, so she ripped it to pieces and dyed it black.It was all wearing out, too, so she had to put some trimming on theskirt to cover up the holes. I was over there and saw her do it myself.She cut over her wedding dress to have something nice to wear lastsummer, and all those sep'rate skirts you talk about are some of hersister's old ones. She hasn't spent a cent for clothes since she boughther straw hat, and that cost two dollars and a half. Mr. Strong told meso, himself. He says she's a jewel of a wife and if there were morewomen like her in the world there would be more happier homes. That'sjust what he said. Ministers don't get paid enough to keep them in_victuals_, hardly. I know, 'cause I am part of a minister's family, ifpapa's church in Pendennis hadn't starved him out so he got sick and hadto stop preaching, he might not be an angel now.
"S'posing you was a minister's wife, how would you like to have folks beso stingy mean to you? Wouldn't you like nice clothes to wear and goodthings to eat? I was there for supper one night last week when youlugged in a jug of buttermilk, Mrs. Waddler, you know you did, when youhad promised her fresh milk. I heard you promise. Do you s'pose shecould use buttermilk in her coffee or make custard pie out of it? Shehad told Mr. Strong that she was going to make one for his supper, andhe was 'most as disappointed as I was when she couldn't do it.
"Deacon Skinflint sent her some fresh eggs, too, that were so
old youcould smell 'em before the shells were broken. I told her 'twas a mercyhe hadn't sent her chiny nest eggs, and she _laughed_! If it had beenyou, Mrs. Waddler, you'd have jawed good!"
Peace paused for breath. Mr. Strong and his adorable little wife wereher idols, and she could not bear to hear them slandered in any way, butshe had forgotten herself, her manners, everything, in the defense ofher friends; and now, realizing how rude she had been to one of thesewomen confronting her, she dropped her head in shamed silence, andnervously twisted the skirt of her coat about her trembling hands,waiting for the lecture she felt that she deserved.
To her surprise, none came; but after an awkward pause, during whichboth women were doing some hard thinking, Mrs. Wardlaw said humbly,"Wouldn't you like to go to Martindale with us some day next week andhelp us select material for Mrs. Strong's new suit? Maybe you would knowwhat she likes better than we do, Peace."
Peace's eyes shone with delight, but she answered mournfully, "I can't,I am afraid, 'cause there's school every day but Saturday, and that'sour Sunshine Club afternoon. I know what she likes best, though. I askedher once what kind of cloth made the prettiest suit, and she said shethought longcloth did--navy blue longcloth."
"She means broadcloth," murmured Mrs. Bainbridge under her breath.
"Of course," smiled Mrs. Wardlaw amiably. "So you think navy blue iswhat she would prefer?"
"Yes, she likes blue, and it just matches her eyes. Hasn't she got thebluest eyes and the goldest hair? Just like Hope's and Allee's. A silkwaist would be nice, too. She never had but one in her life."
At this juncture a head was thrust through the hall door and animperative voice called, "Mrs. Bainbridge, the children have come backjust loaded down with greens. Come show us where you want them and we'llhang them before supper time."
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