The father stared stonily ahead until the minister had finished. Then he arose and “testified.” It was deathly quiet in the prayer-meeting room as Johnathan concluded that “testimony.”
Everybody present felt “so sorry” for poor Brother and Sister Forge.
IV
Nathan slunk like a felon through the back streets to reach his home. He knew the town was talking about his poem. He was shy of praise and criticism hurt him. Not because it was criticism but because it usually rested on some one’s disapproval. The last thought in his head was any back fire at home from the verses. Consequently he was puzzled when on reaching the Spring Street corner he saw his sister arise from the steps and hurry toward him.
“Natie!” she cried. “Don’t go in! Run and hide!”
“Hide! What for?”
“Dad’s whopping mad over what you had in the paper to-night. He’s laying for you good.”
“Laying for me?”
“He thinks you’ve slammed him somehow, for the fights he has with Ma. And I guess the minister didn’t like it either and jawed him about it in prayer meeting. Anyway, Pa came in as white as a ghost. He asked for you. When Ma said you was still out, he took off his things and started pulling down all the curtains. He shoved back the furniture and went and got the strap. Ma wanted to know what was eating him, and he said when you came in he was going to give you the darnedest dressing down you’d ever got in your life.”
Nathan sank down on the low cement wall which ran around the Granger lawn.