the village watch-tower-第28章

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as　she　stood　in　the　door；　〃you've　seen　the　last　of　me！〃

〃No　such　luck！〃　he　said；　and　whipped　up　his　horse。

Charity　baked　a　great　pile　of　biscuits；　and　left　them

on　the　kitchen　table　with　a　pitcher　of　skimmed　milk。

（She　wouldn't　give　him　anything　to　complain　of；　not　she！）

She　then　put　a　few　clothes　in　a　bundle；　and；　tying　on　her　shaker；

prepared　to　walk　to　Pleasant　River；　twelve　miles　distant。

As　she　locked　the　door　and　put　the　key　in　its　accustomed　place

under　the　mat；　a　pleasant　young　man　drove　up　and　explained

that　he　was　the　advance　agent　of　the　Sypher's　Two…in…One

Menagerie　and　Circus；　soon　to　appear　in　that　vicinity。

He　added　that　he　should　be　glad　to　give　her　five　tickets

to　the　entertainment　if　she　would　allow　him　to　paste　a　few

handsome　posters　on　that　side　of　her　barn　next　the　road；

that　their　removal　was　attended　with　trifling　difficulty；

owing　to　the　nature　of　a　very　superior　paste　invented　by　himself；

that　any　small　boy；　in　fact；　could　tear　them　off　in　an　hour；

and　be　well　paid　by　the　gift　of　a　ticket。



The　devil　entered　into　Charity　（not　by　any　means　for　the　first

time）；　and　she　told　the　man　composedly　that　if　he　would　give　her

ten　tickets　he　might　paper　over　the　cottage　as　well　as　the　barn；

for　they　were　going　to　tear　it　down　shortly　and　build　a　larger　one。

The　advance　agent　was　delighted；　and　they　passed　a　pleasant

hour　together；　Charity　holding　the　paste…pot；　while　the　talkative

gentleman　glued　six　lions　and　an　elephant　on　the　roof；

a　fat　lady　on　the　front　door；　a　tattooed　man　between　the　windows；

living　skeletons　on　the　blinds；　and　ladies　insufficiently

clothed　in　all　the　vacant　spaces　and　on　the　chimneys。

Nobody　went　by　during　the　operation；　and　the　agent　remarked；

as　he　unhitched　his　horse；　that　he　had　never　done　a　neater　job。

〃Why；　they'll　come　as　far　to　see　your　house　as　they　will

to　the　circus！〃　he　exclaimed。



〃I　calculate　they　will；〃　said　Charity；　as　she　latched　the　gate

and　started　for　Pleasant　River。



I　am　not　telling　Charity　Stover's　story；　so　I　will　only　add

that　the　bill…poster　was　mistaken　in　the　nature　of　his　paste；

and　greatly　undervalued　its　adhesive　properties。



The　temper　of　Prudence；　the　youngest　sister；　now　Mrs。　Todd；

paled　into　insignificance　beside　that　of　the　others；　but　it　was

a　very　pretty　thing　in　tempers　nevertheless；　and　would　have　been

thought　remarkable　in　any　other　family　in　Scarboro。



You　may　have　noted　the　fact　that　it　is　a　person's　virtues

as　often　as　his　vices　that　make　him　difficult　to　live　with。

Mrs。　Todd's　masterfulness　and　even　her　jealousy　might　have

been　endured；　by　the　aid　of　fasting　and　prayer；　but　her　neatness；

her　economy；　and　her　forehandedness　made　a　combination　that

only　the　grace　of　God　could　have　abided　with　comfortably；

so　that　Jerry　Todd's　comparative　success　is　a　matter　of

local　tradition。　　Punctuality　is　a　praiseworthy　virtue　enough；

but　as　the　years　went　on；　Mrs。　Todd　blew　her　breakfast　horn

at　so　early　an　hour　that　the　neighbors　were　in　some　doubt

as　to　whether　it　might　not　herald　the　supper　of　the　day　before。

They　also　predicted　that　she　would　have　her　funeral　before　she

was　fairly　dead；　and　related　with　great　gusto　that　when　she

heard　there　was　to　be　an　eclipse　of　the　sun　on　Monday；

the　26th　of　July；　she　wished　they　could　have　it　the　25th；

as　Sunday　would　be　so　much　more　convenient　than　wash…day。



She　had　oilcloth　on　her　kitchen　to　save　the　floor；　and　oilcloth

mats　to　save　the　oilcloth；　yet　Jerry's　boots　had　to　be　taken　off

in　the　shed；　and　he　was　required　to　walk　through　in　his　stocking　feet。

She　blackened　her　stove　three　times　a　day；　washed　her　dishes　in　the　woodhouse；

in　order　to　keep　her　sink　clean；　and　kept　one　pair　of　blinds　open

in　the　sitting…room；　but　spread　newspapers　over　the　carpet　wherever

the　sun　shone　in。



It　was　the　desire　of　Jerry's　heart　to　give　up　the

fatigues　and　exposures　of　stage…driving；　and　〃keep　store；〃

but　Mrs。　Todd　deemed　it　much　better　for　him　to　be　in　the　open

air　than　dealing　out　rum　and　molasses　to　a　roystering　crew。

This　being　her　view　of　the　case；　it　is　unnecessary　to　state

that　he　went　on　driving　the　stage。



〃Do　you　wear　a　flannel　shirt；　Jerry？〃　asked　Pel　Frost　once。

〃I　don'　know；〃　he　replied；　〃ask　Mis'　Todd；　she　keeps　the　books。〃



〃Women…folks〃　（he　used　to　say　to　a　casual　passenger）；　〃like　all

other　animiles；　has　to　be　trained　up　before　they're　real　good　comp'ny。

You　have　to　begin　with　'em　early；　and　begin　as　you　mean　to　hold　out。

When　they　once　git　in　the　habit　of　takin'　the　bit　in　their　teeth　and

runnin'；　it's　too　late　for　you　to　hold　'em　in。〃



It　was　only　to　strangers　that　he　aired　his　convictions

on　the　training　of　〃womenfolks；〃　though　for　that　matter

he　might　safely　have　done　it　even　at　home；　for　everybody

in　Limington　knew　that　it　would　always　have　been　too　late

to　begin　with　the　Widder　Bixby；　since；　like　all　the　Stovers

of　Scarboro；　she　had　been　born　with　the　bit　in　her　teeth。

Jerry　had　never　done　anything　he　wanted　to　since　he　had

married　her；　and　he　hadn't　really　wanted　to　do　that。

He　had　been　rather　candid　with　her　on　this　point　（as　candid

as　a　tender…hearted　and　obliging　man　can　be　with　a　woman　who　is

determined　to　marry　him；　and　has　two　good　reasons　why　she　should

to　every　one　of　his　why　he　shouldn't）；　and　this　may　have　been

the　reason　for　her　jealousy。　　Although　by　her　superior　force

she　had　overborne　his　visible　reluctance；　she；　being　a　woman；

or　at　all　events　of　the　female　gender；　could　never　quite　forget

that　she　had　done　the　wooing。



Certainly　his　charms　were　not　of　the　sort　to　tempt　women　from　the　strict

and　narrow　path；　yet　the　fact　remained　that　the　Widder　Bixby　was　jealous；

and　more　than　one　person　in　Limington　was　aware　of　it。



Pelatiah；　otherwise　〃Pel〃　Frost；　knew　more　about　the　matter　than　most

other　folks；　because　he　had　unlimited　time　to　devote　to　general　culture。

Though　not　yet　thirty　years　old；　he　was　the　laziest　man　in　York　County。

（Jabe　Slocum　had　not　then　established　his　record；　and　Jot　Bascom　had　ruined

his　by　cutting　his　hay　before　it　was　dead　in　the　summer　of　'49；　always　alluded

to　afterwards　in　Pleasant　River　as　the　year　when　gold　was　discovered

and　Jot　Bascom　cut　his　hay。）



Pel　was　a　general　favorite　in　half　a　dozen　villages；

where　he　was　the　life　of　the　loafers'　bench。　　An　energetic

loafer　can　attend　properly　to　one　bench；　but　it　takes

genius　as　well　as　assiduity　to　do　justice　to　six　of　them。

His　habits　were　decidedly　convivial；　and　he　spent　a　good　deal

of　time　at　the　general　musters；　drinking　and　carousing　with

the　other　ne'er…do…weels。　You　may　be　sure　he　was　no　favorite

of　Mrs。　Todd's；　and　she　represented　to　him　all　that　is　most

undesirable　in　womankind；　his　taste　running　decidedly　to　rosy；

smiling；　easy…going　ones　who　had　no　regular　hours　for　meals；

but　could　have　a　dinner　on　the　table　any　time　in　fifteen

minutes　after　you　got　there。



Now；　a　certain　lady　with　a　noticeable　green　frock　and　a　white

〃drawn…in〃　cape　bonnet　had　graced　the　Midnight　Cry　on　its　journey

from　Limington　to　Saco　on　three　occasions　during　the　month　of　July。

Report　said　that　she　was　a　stranger　who　had　appeared　at　the　post…office

in　a　wagon　driven　by　a　small；　freckled　boy。



The　first　trip　passed　without　comment；　the　second

provoked　some　discussion；　on　the　occasion　of　the　third；

Mrs。　Todd　said　nothing；　because　there　seemed　nothing　to　say；

but　she　felt　so　out…of…sorts　that　she　cut　Jerry's　hair　close

to　his　head；　though　he　particularly　fancied　the　thin　fringe

of　curls　at　the　nape　of　his　neck。



Pel　Frost　went　over　to　Todd's　one　morning　to　borrow　an　axe；

and　seized　a　favorable　opportunity　to　ask　casually；　〃Oh；　Mis'

Todd；　did　Jerry　find　out　the　name　o'　that　woman　in　a　green　dress

and　white　bunnit　that　rid　to　Saco　with　him　last　week？〃



〃Mr。　Todd's　got　something　better　to　do　than　get　acquainted

with　his　lady　passengers；〃　snapped　Mrs。　Todd；　〃'specially　as　they

always　ride　inside。〃



〃