Keziah Coffin Read online

eye the latter wouldhave looked much as she always did--plump and matronly, with brown hairdrawn back from the forehead and parted in the middle; keen brown eyeswith a humorous twinkle in them--this was the Keziah Coffin the latergeneration of Trumet knew so well.

  But Grace Van Horne, who called her aunt and came to see her sofrequently, while her brother was alive and during the month followinghis death, could see the changes which the month had wrought. She sawthe little wrinkles about the eyes and the lines of care about themouth, the tired look of the whole plucky, workaday New England figure.She shook her head.

  "Religion!" she repeated. "I do believe, Aunt Keziah, that you've gotthe very best religion of anybody I know. I don't care if you don'tbelong to our church. When I see how patient you've been and howcheerful through all your troubles, it--"

  Mrs. Coffin waved the hammer deprecatingly. "There! there!" sheinterrupted. "I guess it's a good thing I'm goin' away. Here's you and Ipraisin' up each other's beliefs, just as if that wasn't a crime herein Trumet. Sometimes when I see how the two societies in this littleone-horse place row with each other, I declare if it doesn't look as ifthey'd crossed out the first word of 'Love your neighbor' and wrote in'Fight,' instead. Yet I'm a pretty good Regular, too, and when it comesto whoopin' and carryin' on like the Come-Outers, I--Well! well!never mind; don't begin to bristle up. I won't say another word aboutreligion. Let's pick the new minister to pieces. ANY kind of a Christiancan do that."

  But the new minister was destined to remain undissected that morning,in that house at least. Grace was serious now and she voiced the matterwhich had been uppermost in her mind since she left home.

  "Aunt Keziah," she said, "why do you go away? What makes you? Is itabsolutely necessary?"

  "Why do I go? Why, for the same reason that the feller that was hoveoverboard left the ship--cause I can't stay. You've got to have vittlesand clothes, even in Trumet, and a place to put your head in nights.Long's Sol was alive and could do his cobblin' we managed to get alongsomehow. What I could earn sewin' helped, and we lived simple. But whenhe was taken down and died, the doctor's bills and the undertaker's usedup what little money I had put by, and the sewin' alone wouldn't keepa healthy canary in bird seed. Dear land knows I hate to leave the oldhouse I've lived in for fourteen years and the town I was born in, butI've got to, for all I see. Thank mercy, I can pay Cap'n Elkanah hislast month's rent and go with a clear conscience. I won't owe anybody,that's a comfort, and nobody will owe me; though I could stand that, Iguess," she added, prying at the carpet edge.

  "I don't care!" The girl's dark eyes flashed indignantly. "I think it'stoo bad of Cap'n Elkanah to turn you out when--"

  "Don't talk that way. He ain't turnin' me out. He ain't lettin' housesfor his health and he'll need the money to buy his daughter's summerrigs. She ain't had a new dress for a month, pretty near, and here'sa young and good-lookin' parson heavin' in sight. Maybe Cap'n Elkanahwould think a minister was high-toned enough even for Annabel to marry."

  "He's only twenty-three, they say," remarked Grace, a triflemaliciously. "Perhaps she'll adopt him."

  Annabel was the only child of Captain Elkanah Daniels, who owned thefinest house in town. She was the belle of Trumet, and had been for agood many years.

  Keziah laughed.

  "Well," she said, "anyhow I've got to go. Maybe I'll like Boston firstrate, you can't tell. Or maybe I won't. Ah, hum! 'twouldn't be the firstthing I've had to do that I didn't like."

  Her friend looked at her.

  "Aunt," she said, "I want to make a proposal to you, and you mustn't becross about it."

  "A proposal! Sakes alive! What'll I say? 'This is so sudden!' That'swhat Becky Ryder, up to the west part of the town, said when Jim Baker,the tin peddler, happened to ask her if she'd ever thought of gettin'married. 'O James! this is so sudden!' says Becky. Jim said afterwardsthat the suddenest thing about it was the way he cleared out of thathouse. And he never called there afterwards."

  Grace smiled, but quickly grew grave.

  "Now, auntie," she said, "please listen. I'm in earnest. It seems to methat you might do quite well at dressmaking here in town, if you hada little--well, ready money to help you at the start. I've got a fewhundred dollars in the bank, presents from uncle, and my father'sinsurance money. I should love to lend it to you, and I know unclewould--"

  Mrs. Coffin interrupted her.

  "Cat's foot!" she exclaimed. "I hope I haven't got where I need toborrow money yet a while. Thank you just as much, deary, but long's I'vegot two hands and a mouth, I'll make the two keep t'other reasonablyfull, I wouldn't wonder. No, I shan't think of it, so don't say anotherword. NO."

  The negative was so decided that Grace was silenced. Her disappointmentshowed in her face, however, and Keziah hastened to change the subject.

  "How do you know," she observed, "but what my goin' to Boston may be thebest thing that ever happened to me? You can't tell. No use despairin',Annabel ain't given up hope yet; why should I? Hey? Ain't that somebodycomin'?"

  Her companion sprang to her feet and ran to the window. Then she brokeinto a smothered laugh.

  "Why, it's Kyan Pepper!" she exclaimed. "He must be coming to see you,Aunt Keziah. And he's got on his very best Sunday clothes. Gracious! Imust be going. I didn't know you expected callers."

  Keziah dropped the tack hammer and stood up.

  "Kyan!" she repeated. "What in the world is that old idiot comin' herefor? To talk about the minister, I s'pose. How on earth did Laviny evercome to let him out alone?"

  Mr. Pepper, Mr. Abishai Pepper, locally called "Kyan" (Cayenne) Pepperbecause of his red hair and thin red side whiskers, was one of Trumet's"characters," and in his case the character was weak. He was born in thevillage and, when a youngster, had, like every other boy of good familyin the community, cherished ambitions for a seafaring life. His sister,Lavinia, ten years older than he, who, after the death of their parents,had undertaken the job of "bringing up" her brother, did not sympathizewith these ambitions. Consequently, when Kyan ran away she followed himto Boston, stalked aboard the vessel where he had shipped, and collaredhim, literally and figuratively. One of the mates venturing to offerobjection, Lavinia turned upon him and gave him a piece of her mind, tothe immense delight of the crew and the loungers on the wharf. Then shereturned with the vagrant to Trumet. Old Captain Higgins, who skipperedthe packet in those days, swore that Lavinia never stopped lecturing herbrother from the time they left Boston until they dropped anchor behindthe breakwater.

  "I give you my word that 'twas pretty nigh a stark calm, but there wassuch a steady stream of language pourin' out of the Pepper stateroomthat the draught kept the sails filled all the way home," assertedCaptain Higgins.

  That was Kyan's sole venture, so far as sailoring was concerned, but heran away again when he was twenty-five. This time he returned of hisown accord, bringing a wife with him, one Evelyn Gott of Ostable. Evelyncould talk a bit herself, and her first interview with Lavinia endedwith the latter's leaving the house in a rage, swearing never to setfoot in it again. This oath she broke the day of her sister-in-law'sfuneral. Then she appeared, after the ceremony, her baggage on the wagonwith her. The bereaved one, who was sitting on the front stoop of hisdwelling with, so people say, a most resigned expression on his meekcountenance, looked up and saw her.

  "My land! Laviny," he exclaimed, turning pale. "Where'd you come from?"

  "Never mind WHERE I come from," observed his sister promptly. "You justbe thankful I've come. If ever a body needed some one to take care of'em, it's you. You can tote my things right in," she added, turning toher grinning driver, "and you, 'Bishy, go right in with 'em. The ideaof your settin' outside takin' it easy when your poor wife ain't beenburied more'n an hour!"

  "But--but--Laviny," protested poor Kyan, speaking the truth unwittingly,"I couldn't take it easy AFORE she was buried, could I?"

  "Go right in," was the answer. "March!"

  Abishai marched, and had marched under his sister's orders eve
r since.She kept house for him, and did it well, but her one fear was that somefemale might again capture him, and she watched him with an eagleeye. He was the town assessor and tax collector, but when he visiteddwellings