“'N no wonder,” thought the Bishop, as he looked down upon them from his crude platform, “for them little things works six days every week in the factory from sun-up till dark, an' often into the night, with jes' forty minutes at noon to bolt their food. O God,” he said softly to himself, “You who caused a stream of water to spring up in the wilderness that the life of an Ishmaelite might be saved, make a stream of sentiment to flow from the heart of the world to save these little folks.”
Miss Patsy Butts, whose father, Elder Butts of the Hard-shell faith, owned a fertile little valley farm beyond the mountain, was organist. She was fat and so red-faced that at times she seemed to be oiled.
She was painfully frank and suffered from acute earnestness.
And now, being marriageable, she looked always about her with shy, quick, expectant glances.
The other object in life, to Patsy, was to watch her younger brother, Archie B., and see that he kept out of mischief. And perhaps the commonest remark of her life was:
“Maw, jus' look at Archie B.!”
This was a great cross for Archie B., who had been known to say concerning it: “If I ever has any kids, I'll never let the old'uns nuss the young'uns. They gits into a bossin' kind of a habit that sticks to 'em all they lives.”
To-day Miss Patsy was radiantly shy and happy, caused by the fact that her fat, honest feet were encased in a pair of beautiful new shoes, the uppers of which were clasped so tightly over her ankles as to cause the fat members to bulge in creases over the tops, as uncomfortable as two Sancho Panzas in armor.
“Side-but'ners,” said Mrs. Butts triumphantly to Mrs. O'Hooligan of Cottontown,—“side-but'ners—I got 'em for her yistiddy—the fust that this town's ever seed. La, but it was a job gittin' 'em on Patsy. I had to soak her legs in cold water nearly all night, an' then I broke every knittin' needle in the house abut'nin' them side but'ners.
“But fashion is fashion, an' when I send my gal out into society, I'll send her in style. Patsy Butts,” she whispered so loud that everybody on her side of the house heard her—“when you starts up that ole wheez-in' one gallus organ, go slow or you'll bust them side-but'ners wide open.”