Not even politeness could excuse the pretence on any one’s part that the cakes were not sour, but Abner seized upon the general subject as an opening for talk.
“‘Member when I was a little shaver,” he remarked, with an effort at amiability, “my sisters kicked about havin’ to bake the cakes, on account of the hot stove makin’ their faces red an’ spoilin’ their complexions, an’ they wanted specially to go to some fandango or other, an’ look their pootiest, an’ so father sent us boys out into the kitchen to bake ’em instid. Old Lorenzo Dow the Methodist preacher, was stoppin’ overnight at our house, an’ mother was jest beside herself to have everything go off ship-shape—an’ then them cakes begun comin’ in. Fust my brother William, he baked one the shape of a horse, an’ then Josh, he made one like a jackass with ears as long as the griddle would allow of lengthwise, and I’d got jest comfortably started in on one that I begun as a pig, an’ then was going to alter into a ship with sails up, when father, he come out with hold-back strap, an’—well—mine never got finished to this day. Mother, she was mortified most to death, but old Dow, he jest lay back and laughed—laughed till you’d thought he’d split himself.”
“It was from Lorenzo Dow’s lips that I had my first awakening call unto righteousness,” said Jee Hagadorn, speaking with solemn unction in high, quavering tones.
The fact that he should have spoken at all was enough to take even the sourness out of M’rye’s cakes.
Abner took up the ball with solicitous promptitude. “A very great man, Lorenzo Dow was—in his way,” he remarked.
“By grace he was spared the shame and humiliation,” said Hagadorn, lifting his voice as he went on—“the humiliation of living to see one whole branch of the Church separate itself from the rest—withdraw and call itself the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in defence of human slavery!”
Esther, red-faced with embarrassment, intervened peremptorily. “How can you, father!” she broke in. “For all you know he might have been red-hot on that side himself! In fact, I dare say he would have been. How on earth can you know to the contrary, anyway?”
Jee was all excitement on the instant, at the promise of an argument. His eyes flashed; he half rose from his seat and opened his mouth to reply.
So much had he to say, indeed, that the words stumbled over one another on his tongue, and produced nothing, but an incoherent stammering sound, which all at once was supplanted by a violent fit of coughing. So terrible were the paroxysms of this seizure that when they had at last spent their fury the poor man was trembling like a leaf and toppled in his chair as if about to swoon. Esther had hovered about over him from the outset of the fit, and now looked up appealingly to Abner. The farmer rose, walked down the table-side, and gathered Jee’s fragile form up under one big engirdling arm. Then, as the girl hastily dragged forth the tick and blankets again and spread them into the rough semblance of a bed, Abner half led, half carried the cooper over and gently laid him down thereon. Together they fixed up some sort of pillow for him with hay under the blanket, and piled him snugly over with quilts and my comfortable.
“There—you’ll be better layin’ down,” said Abner, soothingly. Hagadorn closed his eyes wearily and made no answer. They left him after a minute or two and returned to the table.