The Man Who Stole A Meeting-House | Page 8

of
going, they declared they would go; and even little Willie, the
four-year-old, began to howl.
"'There, there! Maria! Lottie! Susie! said Mrs. Jedwort, in her calm way;
'Willie, hush up! I don't know what we are to do; but I feel that
something is going to happen that will show us the right way, and we
are to wait. Now go and wash the dishes, and set the cheese.'
"That was just after breakfast, the second day of the moving; and sure
enough, something like what she prophesied did happen before another
sun.
"The old frame held together pretty well till along toward night, when
the steeple showed signs of seceding. 'There she goes! She's falling
now!' sung out the boys, who had been hanging around all day in hopes
of seeing the thing tumble.
"The house was then within a few rods of where Jedwort wanted it; but
Bob stopped right there, and said it wasn't safe to haul it another inch.
'That steeple's bound to come down, if we do,' says he.

"'Not by a dumbed sight, it a'n't,' says Jedwort, 'Them cracks a'n't
nothin'; the j'ints is all firm yit.' He wanted Bob to go up and examine;
but Bob shook his head--the concern looked too shaky. Then he told
me to go up; but I said I hadn't lived quite long enough, and had a little
rather be smoking my pipe on terra firma. Then the boys began to hoot.
'Dumbed if ye a'n't all a set of cowards,' says he. 'I'll go up myself.'
"We waited outside while he climbed up inside. The boys jumped on
the ground to jar the steeple, and make it fall. One of them blew a
horn--as he said, to bring down the old Jericho--and another thought
he'd help things along by starting up the horse, and giving the building
a little wrench. But Bob put a stop to that; and finally out came a head
from the belfry window; It was Jedwort, who shouted down to us:
'There ain't a j'int or brace gi'n out. Start the hoss, and I'll ride. Pass me
up that 'ere horn, and--'
"Just then there came a cracking and loosening of timbers; and we that
stood nearest had only time to jump out of the way, when down came
the steeple crashing to the ground, with Jedwort in it."
"I hope it killed the cuss," said one of the village story-tellers.
"Worse than that," replied my friend; "it just cracked his skull--not
enough to put an end to his miserable life, but only to take away what
little sense he had. We got the doctors to him, and they patched up his
broken head; and, by George, it made me mad to see the fuss the
women folks made over him. It would have been my way to let him die;
but they were as anxious and attentive to him as if he had been the
kindest husband and most indulgent father that ever lived; for that's
women's style: they're unreasoning creatures.
"Along toward morning, we persuaded Mrs. Jedwort, who had been up
all night, to lie down a spell and catch a little rest, while Maria and I sat
up and watched with the old man. All was still except our whispers and
his heavy breathing; there was a lamp burning in the next room; when
all of a sudden a light shone into the windows, and about the same time
we heard a roaring and crackling sound. We looked out, and saw the
night all lighted up, as if by some great fire. As it appeared to be on the

other side of the house, we ran to the door, and there what did we see
but the old meeting-house all in flames! Some fellows had set fire to it
to spite Jedwort. It must have been burning some time inside; for when
we looked out the flames had burst through the roof.
"As the night was perfectly still, except a light wind blowing away
from the other buildings on the place, we raised no alarm, but just stood
in the door and saw it burn. And a glad sight it was to us, you may be
sure. I just held Maria close to my side, and told her that all was
well--it was the best thing that could happen. 'O yes,' says she, 'it seems
to me as though a kind Providence was burning up his sin and home out
of our sight.
"I had never yet said anything to her about marriage--for the time to
come at that had never seemed to arrive; but there's nothing like a little
excitement to bring things to a focus. You've seen water in a tumbler
just at the freezing-point, but not exactly able