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:
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."
When the Bishop came forward to preach his sermon, or talk to his flock, as he called it, his surplice would have astonished anyone, except those who had seen him thus attired so often. A stranger might have laughed, but he would not have laughed long--the old man's earnestness, sincerity, reverence and devotion were over-shadowing. Its pathos was too deep for fun.
Instead of a clergyman's frock he wore a faded coat of blue buttoned up to his neck. It had been the coat of an officer in the artillery, and had evidently passed through the Civil War. There was a bullet hole in the shoulder and a sabre cut in the sleeve.