The City of Fire - Page 83/221

The janitor had gone in to put the church in order for the night and

hover about to find out what was going on in the session room. He never

told but he liked to know. The moon had gone under a cloud. Billy

slipped out of the car, and slid up the side path like a wraith, his

tired legs seeming to gather new vigor with the need. He gave a glance

of content up to the window. He was glad the bells were ringing, and

that she was there. He wished she knew what peril their friend

had been in last night, and how he was rescued and safe.

And then he sighted the stranger!

Who was that guy! Some sissy, that was sure! Aw gee!

He slid into the shadow out of sight and flattened himself against the

wall with an attentive ear to the door of the session room. He raised

himself by chinning up to the window ledge and got a bird's eye view of

the situation at a glance. Aw Gee! That old Hair-cut! He wished the

bells would stop. That sissy in there with her, and all these

here with Cart, and no telling what's up next? Aw gee! Life was

jest one--! He slumped his back to the wall and faced the parsonage.

Say, what were those two cars over there in front of the parsonage?

Say! That must be the guy, the rich guy! Aw gee! In there with

her! If he only hadn't put up that detour! Pat knew what he was

about after all, a little sissy guy like that--! Aw, gee! But

two cars! What did two cars mean?

And over on the parsonage piazza, at the far end in the shelter of the

vines sat Aunt Saxon in the dark crying. Beside her was Mrs. Severn

with her hand on the woman's shoulder talking in her gentle steady

voice. Everybody loved the minister's wife just as much as they loved

the minister: "Yes, he went away on his wheel last night just after dark," she

sobbed. "Yes! he came home after the baseball game, and he made a great

fuss gettin' some paint and brushes and contrapshions fixed on his old

bicycle, and then he went off. Oh, he usually goes off awhile every

night. I can't seem to stop him. I've tried everything short of lockin'

him out. I reckon if I did he'd never come back, an' I can't seem to

bring myself to lock out my sister's baby--!"

"Of course not!" said Mrs. Severn tenderly.

"Well, he stuck his head back in the door this time, an' he said mebbe

he wouldn't be back till mornin', but he'd be back all right for Sunday

School. That's one thing, Mrs. Severn," she lifted her tear stained

face, "That's one thing he does like--his Sunday School, Billy does,

and I'm that glad! Sometimes I just sit down an' cry about it I'm so

glad. You know awhile back when Miss Lynn was off to college that Mr.

Harricutt had the boys' class, an' I couldn't get him to go anyhow.

Why, once I offered to pay him so he could save fer a baseball bat if

he'd go, but do you know he said he'd rather go without baseball bats

fer ever than go listen to that old--Well, Mrs. Severn, I won't repeat

what he said. It wasn't respectful, not to an elder you know. But Miss

Lynn, why he just worships, an' anything she says he does. But that's

one thing worries me, Mrs. Severn, he didn't come back for her

even! He said he'd be back fer Sunday School, an' he hasn't come

back yet!"