“But, Faith, you might really die. You
might get pneumonia. Please, Faith don’t.
Let’s go into the house and get something
for your feet. Oh, here’s Jerry.
I’m so thankful. Jerry, make Faith
get off that snow. Look at her feet.”
“Holy cats! Faith, what are you doing?”
demanded Jerry. “Are you crazy?”
“No. Go away!” snapped Faith.
“Then are you punishing yourself for something?
It isn’t right, if you are. You’ll
be sick.”
“I want to be sick. I’m not punishing
myself. Go away.”
“Where’s her shoes and stockings?”
asked Jerry of Una.
“She gave them to Lida Marsh.”
“Lida Marsh? What for?”
“Because Lida had none—and her feet
were so cold. And now she wants to be sick so
that she won’t have to go to church to-morrow
and wear her striped stockings. But, Jerry, she
may die.”
“Faith,” said Jerry, “get off that
ice-bank or I’ll pull you off.”
“Pull away,” dared Faith.
Jerry sprang at her and caught her arms. He
pulled one way and Faith pulled another. Una
ran behind Faith and pushed. Faith stormed at
Jerry to leave her alone. Jerry stormed back
at her not to be a dizzy idiot; and Una cried.
They made no end of noise and they were close to
the road fence of the graveyard. Henry Warren
and his wife drove by and heard and saw them.
Very soon the Glen heard that the manse children
had been having an awful fight in the graveyard and
using most improper language. Meanwhile, Faith
had allowed herself to be pulled off the ice because
her feet were aching so sharply that she was ready
to get off any way. They all went in amiably
and went to bed. Faith slept like a cherub and
woke in the morning without a trace of a cold.
She felt that she couldn’t feign sickness and
act a lie, after remembering that long-ago talk with
her father. But she was still as fully determined
as ever that she would not wear those abominable stockings
to church.
Faith went early to Sunday School and was seated in
the corner of her class pew before any one came.
Therefore, the dreadful truth did not burst upon
any one until Faith left the class pew near the door
to walk up to the manse pew after Sunday School.
The church was already half filled and all who were
sitting near the aisle saw that the minister’s
daughter had boots on but no stockings!
Faith’s new brown dress, which Aunt Martha had
made from an ancient pattern, was absurdly long for
her, but even so it did not meet her boot-tops.
Two good inches of bare white leg showed plainly.
Faith and Carl sat alone in the manse pew. Jerry
had gone into the gallery to sit with a chum and the
Blythe girls had taken Una with them. The Meredith
children were given to “sitting all over the
church” in this fashion and a great many people
thought it very improper. The gallery especially,
where irresponsible lads congregated and were known
to whisper and suspected of chewing tobacco during
service, was no place, for a son of the manse.
But Jerry hated the manse pew at the very top of the
church, under the eyes of Elder Clow and his family.
He escaped from it whenever he could.
