Bolton came in from feeding the horse and cow in the barn, with a mealy tin
pan in his hand, from which came a mild, subdued radiance like that of his
countenance. He was not sensible of arriving upon a dramatic moment, and he
said, without noticing the attitude of either lady: "I see you walkin' home
with Mr. Putney, Miss Kilburn. What'd _he_ say?"
"You mean about Mr. Gerrish? He thinks as we all do; that it was a
challenge to Mr. Peck's friends, and that we must take it up."
A light of melancholy satisfaction shone from Bolton's deeply shaded eyes.
"Well, he ain't one to lose time, not a great deal. I presume he's goin' to
work?"
"At once," said Annie. "He says Mr. Gerrish will be sure to bring his
grievance up at the next Society meeting, and we must be ready to meet
him, and out-talk him and out-vote him." She reported these phrases from
Putney's lips.
"Well, I guess if it was out-talkin', Mr. Putney wouldn't have much trouble
about it. And as far forth as votin' goes, I don't believe but what we can
carry the day."
"We couldn't," said Mrs. Bolton from the pantry, where she had gone to
put the bread away in its stone jar, "if it was left to the church."
She accented the last word with the click of the jar lid, and came out.
"Well, it ain't a church question. It's a Society question."
Mrs. Bolton replied, on her passage to the dining-room with the plate of
sliced bread: "I can't make it seem right to have the minister a Society
question. Seems to me that the church members'd ought have the say."
"Well, you can't make the discipline over to suit everybody," said Bolton.
"I presume it was ordered for a wise purpose."
"Why, land alive, Oliver Bolton," his wife shouted back from the remoteness
to which his words had followed her, "the statute provisions and rules of
the Society wa'n't ordered by Providence."
"Well, not directly, as you may say," said Bolton, beginning high, and
lowering his voice as she rejoined them, "but I presume the hearts of them
that made them was moved."
Mrs. Bolton could not combat a position of such unimpregnable piety in
words, but she permitted herself a contemptuous sniff, and went on getting
the things into the dining-room.
"And I guess it's all goin' to work together for good. I ain't afraid
any but what it's goin' to come out all right. But we got to be up and
doin', as they say about 'lection times. The Lord helps them that helps
themselves," said Bolton, and then, as if he felt the weakness of this
position as compared with that of entire trust in Providence, he winked his
mild eyes, and added, "if they're on the right side, and put their faith in
His promises."