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In the Midst of Alarms

R >> Robert Barr >> In the Midst of Alarms




The blacksmith had previously cut and welded the tire, reducing its
circumference, and when it was hot enough, he and Sandy, each with a
pair of tongs, lifted it from the red-hot circle of fire. It was
pressed and hammered down on the blazing rim of the wheel, and
instantly Sandy and Macdonald, with two pails of water that stood
handy, poured the cold liquid around the red-hot zone, enveloping
themselves in clouds of steam, the quick contraction clamping the iron
on the wood until the joints cracked together. There could be no
loitering; quick work was necessary, or a spoiled wheel was the result.
Macdonald, alternately spluttering through fire and steam, was in his
element. Even Sandy had to be on the keen jump, without a moment to
call his plug of tobacco his own. Macdonald fussed and fussed, but got
through an immense amount of work in an incredibly short space of time,
cursing Sandy pretty much all the while; yet that useful man never
replied in kind, contenting himself with a wink at the crowd when he
got the chance, and saying under his breath:

"The old man's in great fettle to-day."

Thus everybody enjoyed himself: Macdonald, because he was the center
figure in a saturnalia of work; Sandy, because no matter how hard a man
has to work he can chew tobacco all the time; the crowd, because the
spectacle of fire, water, and steam was fine, and they didn't have to
do anything but sit around and look on. The sun got lower and lower as,
one by one, the spectators departed to do their chores, and prepare for
the evening meeting. Yates at the invitation of the whittler went home
with him, and thoroughly relished his evening meal.




CHAPTER XII.


Margaret had never met any man but her father who was so fond of books
as Professor Renmark. The young fellows of her acquaintance read
scarcely anything but the weekly papers; they went with some care
through the yellow almanac that was given away free, with the grocer's
name printed on the back. The marvelous cures the almanac recorded were
of little interest, and were chiefly read by the older folk, but the
young men reveled in the jokes to be found at the bottom of every page,
their only drawback being that one could never tell the stories at a
paring-bee or other social gathering, because everyone in the company
had read them. A few of the young men came sheepishly round to get a
book out of the library, but it was evident that their interest was not
so much in the volume as in the librarian, and when that fact became
apparent to the girl, she resented it. Margaret was thought to be cold
and proud by the youth of the neighborhood, or "stuck-up," as they
expressed it.

To such a girl a man like Renmark was a revelation. He could talk of
other things than the weather, live stock, and the prospects for the
crops. The conversation at first did not include Margaret, but she
listened to every word of it with interest. Her father and mother were
anxious to hear about their boy; and from that engrossing subject the
talk soon drifted to university life, and the differences between city
and country. At last the farmer, with a sigh, arose to go. There is
little time for pleasant talk on a farm while daylight lasts. Margaret,
remembering her duties as librarian, began to take in the books from
the wagon to the front room. Renmark, slow in most things, was quick
enough to offer his assistance on this occasion; but he reddened
somewhat as he did so, for he was unused to being a squire of dames.

"I wish you would let me do the porterage," he said. "I would like to
earn the right to look at these books sometimes, even though I may not
have the privilege of borrowing, not being a taxable resident of the
township."

"The librarian," answered Margaret, with a smile, "seems to be at
liberty to use her own discretion in the matter of lending. No one has
authority to look over her accounts, or to censure her if she lends
recklessly. So, if you wish to borrow books, all you have to do is to
ask for them."

"You may be sure I shall avail myself of the permission. But my
conscience will be easier if I am allowed to carry them in."

"You will be permitted to help. I like carrying them. There is no more
delicious armful than books."

As Renmark looked at the lovely girl, her face radiant with enthusiasm,
the disconcerting thought came suddenly that perhaps her statement
might not be accurate. No such thought had ever suggested itself to him
before, and it now filled him with guilty confusion. He met the clear,
honest gaze of her eyes for a moment, then he stammered lamely:

"I--I too am very fond of books."

Together they carried in the several hundred volumes, and then began to
arrange them.

"Have you no catalogue?" he asked.

"No. We never seem to need one. People come and look over the library,
and take out whatever book they fancy."

"Yes, but still every library ought to be catalogued. Cataloguing is an
art in itself. I have paid a good deal of attention to it, and will
show you how it is done, if you care to know."

"Oh, I wish you would."

"How do you keep a record of the volumes that are out?"

"I just write the name of the person, the title, and the date in this
blank book. When the volume is returned, I score out the record."

"I see," said Renmark dubiously.

"That isn't right, is it? Is there a better way?"

"Well, for a small library, that ought to do; but if you were handling
many books, I think confusion might result."

"Do tell me the right way. I should like to know, even if it is a small
library."

"There are several methods, but I am by no means sure your way is not
the simplest, and therefore the best in this instance."

"I'm not going to be put off like that," said Margaret, laughing. "A
collection of books is a collection of books, whether large or small,
and deserves respect and the best of treatment. Now, what method is
used in large libraries?"

"Well, I should suggest a system of cards, though slips of paper would
do. When any person wants to take out a book, let him make out a card,
giving the date and the name or number of the book; he then must sign
the card, and there you are. He cannot deny having had the book, for
you have his own signature to prove it. The slips are arranged in a box
according to dates, and when a book is returned, you tear up the
recording paper."

"I think that is a very good way, and I will adopt it."

"Then let me send to Toronto and get you a few hundred cards. We'll
have them here in a day or two."

"Oh, I don't want to put you to that trouble."

"It is no trouble at all. Now, that is settled, let us attack the
catalogue. Have you a blank book anywhere about? We will first make an
alphabetical list; then we will arrange them under the heads of
history, biography, fiction, and so on."

Simple as it appeared, the making of a catalogue took a long time. Both
were absorbed in their occupation. Cataloguing in itself is a straight
and narrow path, but in this instance there were so many delightful
side excursions that rapid progress could not be expected. To a reader
the mere mention of a book brings up recollections. Margaret was
reading out the names; Renmark, on slips of paper, each with a letter
on it, was writing them down.

"Oh, have you that book?" he would say, looking up as a title was
mentioned. "Have you ever read it?"

"No; for, you see, this part of the library is all new to me. Why, here
is one of which the leaves are not even cut. No one has read it. Is it
good?"

"One of the best," Renmark would say, taking the volume. "Yes, I know
this edition. Let me read you one passage."

And Margaret would sit in the rocking while he cut the leaves and found
the place. One extract was sure to suggest another, and time passed
before the title of the book found its way to the proper slip of paper.
These excursions into literature were most interesting to both
excursionists, but they interfered with cataloguing. Renmark read and
read, ever and anon stopping to explain some point, or quote what
someone else had said on the same subject, marking the place in the
book, as he paused, with inserted fore finger. Margaret swayed back and
forth in the comfortable rocking chair, and listened intently, her
large dark eyes fixed upon him so earnestly that now and then, when he
met them, he seemed disconcerted for a moment. But the girl did not
notice this. At the end of one of his dissertations she leaned her
elbow on the arm of the chair, with her cheek resting against her hand,
and said:

"How very clear you make everything, Mr. Renmark."

"Do you think so?" he said with a smile. "It's my business, you know."

"I think it's a shame that girls are not allowed to go to the
university; don't you?"

"Really, I never gave any thought to the subject, and I am not quite
prepared to say."

"Well, I think it most unfair. The university is supported by the
Government, is it not? Then why should half of the population be shut
out from its advantages?"

"I'm afraid it wouldn't do, you know."

"Why?"

"There are many reasons," he replied evasively.

"What are they? Do you think girls could not learn, or are not as
capable of hard study as well as----"

"It isn't that," he interrupted; "there are plenty of girls' schools in
the country, you know. Some very good ones in Toronto itself, for that
matter."

"Yes; but why shouldn't I go to the university with my brother? There
are plenty of boys' schools, too, but the university is the university.
I suppose my father helps to support it. Why, then, should one child be
allowed to attend and the other not? It isn't at all just."

"It wouldn't do," said the professor more firmly, the more he thought
about it.

"Would you take that as a satisfying reason from one or your students?"

"What?"

"The phrase, 'It wouldn't do.'"

Renmark laughed.

"I'm afraid not," he said; "but, then, I'm very exacting in class. Now,
if you want to know, why do you not ask your father?"

"Father and I have discussed the question, often, and he quite agrees
with me in thinking it unfair."

"Oh, does he?" said Renmark, taken aback; although, when he reflected,
he realized that the father doubtless knew as little about the dangers
of the city as the daughter did.

"And what does your mother say?"

"Oh, mother thinks if a girl is a good housekeeper it is all that is
required. So you will have to give me a good reason, if there is one,
for nobody else in this house argues on your side of the question."

"Well," said Renmark in an embarrassed manner, "if you don't know by
the time you are twenty-five, I'll promise to discuss the whole subject
with you."

Margaret sighed as she leaned back in her chair.

"Twenty-five?" she cried, adding with the unconscious veracity of
youth: "That will be seven years to wait. Thank you, but I think I'll
find out before that time."

"I think you will," Renmark answered.

They were interrupted by the sudden and unannounced entrance of her
brother.

"Hello, you two!" he shouted with the rude familiarity of a boy. "It
seems the library takes a longer time to arrange than usual."

Margaret rose with dignity.

"We are cataloguing," she said severely.

"Oh, that's what you call it, is it? Can I be of any assistance, or is
two company when they're cataloguing? Have you any idea what time it
is?"

"I'm afraid I must be off," said the professor, rising. "My companion
in camp won't know what has become of me."

"Oh, he's all right!" said Henry. "He's down at the Corners, and is
going to stay there for the meeting to-night. Young Bartlett passed a
while ago; he was getting the horses shod, and your friend went with
him. I guess Yates can take care of himself, Mr. Renmark. Say, sis,
will you go to the meeting? I'm going. Young Bartlett's going, and so
is Kitty. Won't you come, too, Mr. Renmark? It's great fun."

"Don't talk like that about a religious gathering, Henry," said his
sister, frowning.

"Well, that's what it is, anyhow."

"Is it a prayer meeting?" asked the professor, looking at the girl.

"You bet it is!" cried Henry enthusiastically, giving no one a chance
to speak but himself. "It's a prayer meeting, and every other kind of
meeting all rolled into one. It's a revival meeting; a protracted
meeting, that's what it is. You had better come with us, Mr. Renmark,
and then you can see what it is like. You can walk home with Yates."

This attractive _dénouement_ did not seem to appeal so strongly to
the professor as the boy expected, for he made no answer.

"You will come, sis; won't you?" urged the boy.

"Are you sure Kitty is going?"

"Of course she is. You don't think she'd miss it, do you? They'll soon
be here, too; better go and get ready."

"I'll see what mother says," replied Margaret as she left the room. She
shortly returned, dressed ready for the meeting, and the professor
concluded he would go also.




CHAPTER XIII.


Anyone passing the Corners that evening would have quickly seen that
something important was on. Vehicles of all kinds lined the roadway,
drawn in toward the fence, to the rails of which the horses were tied.
Some had evidently come from afar, for the fame of the revivalist was
widespread. The women, when they arrived, entered the schoolhouse,
which was brilliantly lighted with oil lamps. The men stood around
outside in groups, while many sat in rows on the fences, all conversing
about every conceivable topic except religion. They apparently acted on
the theory that there would be enough religion to satisfy the most
exacting when they went inside. Yates sat on the top rail of the fence
with the whittler, whose guest he had been. It was getting too dark for
satisfactory whittling, so the man with the jack-knife improved the
time by cutting notches in the rail on which he sat. Even when this
failed, there was always a satisfaction in opening and shutting a knife
that had a powerful spring at the back of it, added to which was the
pleasurable danger of cutting his fingers. They were discussing the
Fenian question, which at that time was occupying the minds of
Canadians to some extent. Yates was telling them what he knew of the
brotherhood in New York, and the strength of it, which his auditors
seemed inclined to underestimate. Nobody believed that the Fenians
would be so foolhardy as to attempt an invasion of Canada; but Yates
held that if they did they would give the Canadians more trouble than
was expected.

"Oh, we'll turn old Bartlett on them, if they come over here. They'll
be glad enough to get back if he tackles them."

"With his tongue," added another.

"By the way," said the whittler, "did young Bartlett say he was coming
to-night? I hope he'll bring his sister if he does. Didn't any of you
fellows ask him to bring her? He'd never think of it if he wasn't told.
He has no consideration for the rest of us."

"Why didn't you ask him? I hear you have taken to going in that
direction yourself."

"Who? Me?" asked the whittler, quite unconcerned. "I have no chance in
that quarter, especially when the old man's around."

There was a sound of singing from the schoolhouse. The double doors
were wide open, and as the light streamed out the people began to
stream in.

"Where's Macdonald?" asked Yates.

"Oh, I guess he's taken to the woods. He washes his face, and then he
hides. He has the sense to wash his face first, for he knows he will
have to come. You'll see him back before they start the second hymn."

"Well, boys!" said one, getting down from the fence and stretching his
arms above his head with a yawn, "I guess, if we're going in, it's
about time."

One after another they got down from the fence, the whittler shutting
his knife with a reluctant snap, and putting it in his pocket with
evident regret. The schoolhouse, large as it was, was filled to its
utmost capacity--women on one side of the room, and men on the other;
although near the door there was no such division, all the occupants of
the back benches being men and boys. The congregation was standing,
singing a hymn, when Yates and his comrades entered, so their quiet
incoming was not noticed. The teacher's desk had been moved from the
platform on which it usually stood, and now occupied a corner on the
men's side of the house. It was used as a seat by two or three, who
wished to be near the front, and at the same time keep an eye on the
rest of the assemblage. The local preacher stood on the edge of the
platform, beating time gently with his hymn book, but not singing, as
he had neither voice nor ear for music, and happily recognized the
fact. The singing was led by a man in the middle of the room.

At the back of the platform, near the wall, were two chairs, on one of
which sat the Rev. Mr. Benderson, who was to conduct the revival. He
was a stout, powerful-looking man, but Yates could not see his face,
for it was buried in his hands, his head being bowed in silent prayer.
It was generally understood that he had spent a youth of fearful
wickedness, and he always referred to himself as a brand snatched from
the burning. It was even hinted that at one time he had been a card
player, but no one knew this for a fact. Many of the local preachers
had not the power of exhortation, therefore a man like the Rev. Mr.
Benderson, who had that gift abnormally developed, was too valuable to
be localized; so he spent the year going from place to place, sweeping,
driving, coaxing, or frightening into the fold those stray sheep that
hovered on the outskirts; once they were within the religious ring-
fence the local minister was supposed to keep them there. The latter,
who had given out the hymn, was a man of very different caliber. He was
tall, pale, and thin, and his long black coat hung on him as if it were
on a post. When the hymn was finished; and everyone sat down, Yates,
and those with him, found seats as best they could at the end near the
door. This was the portion of the hall where the scoffers assembled,
but it was also the portion which yielded most fruit, if the revival
happened to be a successful one. Yates, seeing the place so full, and
noticing two empty benches up at the front, asked the whittler why they
were not occupied.

"They'll be occupied pretty soon."

"Who are they being kept for?"

"Perhaps you, perhaps me, perhaps both of us. You never can tell.
That's the penitents' bench."

The local preacher knelt on the platform, and offered up a prayer. He
asked the Lord to bless the efforts of the brother who was with them
there that night, and to crown his labors with success; through his
instrumentality to call many wandering sinners home. There were cries
of "Amen" and "Bless the Lord" from different parts of the hall as the
prayer was being made. On rising, another hymn was given out:

"Joy to the world, the Lord is come.
Let earth receive her King."

The leader of the singing started it too low. The tune began high, and
ran down to the bottom of the scale by the time it reached the end of
the first line. When the congregation had got two-thirds of the way
down, they found they could go no farther, not even those who sang
bass. The leader, in some confusion, had to pitch the tune higher, and
his miscalculation was looked upon as exceedingly funny by the reckless
spirits at the back of the hall. The door opened quietly; and they all
turned expecting to see Macdonald, but it was only Sandy. He had washed
his face with but indifferent success, and the bulge in his cheek, like
a wen, showed that he had not abandoned tobacco on entering the
schoolhouse. He tiptoed to a place beside his friends.

"The old man's outside," he whispered to the youth who sat nearest him,
holding his hand to the side of his mouth so that the sound would not
travel. Catching sight of Yates, he winked at him in a friendly sort of
way.

The hymn gathered volume and spirit as it went on, gradually recovering
from the misadventure at starting. When it was finished, the preacher
sat down beside the revivalist. His part of the work was done, as there
was no formal introduction of speaker to audience to be gone through.
The other remained as he was with bowed head, for what appeared to be a
long time.

A deep silence fell on all present. Even the whisperings among the
scoffers ceased.

At last Mr. Benderson slowly raised his head, arose, and came to the
front of the platform. He had a strong, masterful, clean-shaven face,
with the heavy jaw of a stubborn man--a man not easily beaten. "Open
the door," he said in a quiet voice.

In the last few meetings he had held he had found this an effective
beginning. It was new to his present audience. Usually a knot of people
stood outside, and if they were there, he made an appeal to them,
through the open door, to enter. If no one was there, he had a lesson
to impart, based on the silence and the darkness. In this instance it
was hard to say which was the more surprised, the revivalist or the
congregation. Sandy, being on his feet, stepped to the door, and threw
it open. He was so astonished at what he saw that he slid behind the
open door out of sight. Macdonald stood there, against the darkness
beyond, in a crouching attitude, as if about to spring. He had
evidently been trying to see what was going on through the keyhole;
and, being taken unawares by the sudden opening of the door, had not
had time to recover himself. No retreat was now possible. He stood up
with haggard face, like a man who has been on a spree, and, without a
word, walked in. Those on the bench in front of Yates moved together
a little closer, and the blacksmith sat down on the vacant space left
at the outside. In his confusion he drew his hand across his brow, and
snapped his fingers loudly in the silence. A few faces at the back wore
a grin, and would have laughed had not Sandy, closing the door quietly,
given them one menacing look which quelled their merriment. He was not
going to have the "old man" made fun of in his extremity; and they all
had respect enough for Sandy's fist not to run the risk of encountering
it after the meeting was over. Macdonald himself was more to be dreaded
in a fight; but the chances were that for the next two or three weeks,
if the revival were a success, there would be no danger from that
quarter. Sandy, however, was permanently among the unconverted, and
therefore to be feared, as being always ready to stand up for his
employer, either with voice or blow. The unexpected incident Mr.
Benderson had witnessed suggested no remarks at the time, so, being a
wise man, he said nothing. The congregation wondered how he had known
Macdonald was at the door, and none more than Macdonald himself. It
seemed to many that the revivalist had a gift of divination denied to
themselves, and this belief left them in a frame of mind more than ever
ready to profit by the discourse they were about to hear.

Mr. Benderson began in a low monotone, that nevertheless penetrated to
every part of the room. He had a voice of peculiar quality, as sweet as
the tones of a tenor, and as pleasant to hear as music; now and then
there was a manly ring in it which thrilled his listeners. "A week ago
to-night," he said, "at this very hour, I stood by the deathbed of one
who is now among the blessed. It is four years since he found
salvation, by the mercy of God, through the humble instrumentality of
the least of his servants. It was my blessed privilege to see that
young man--that boy almost--pledge his soul to Jesus. He was less than
twenty when he gave himself to Christ, and his hopes of a long life
were as strong as the hopes of the youngest here to-night. Yet he was
struck down in the early flush of manhood--struck down almost without
warning. When I heard of his brief illness, although knowing nothing of
its seriousness, something urged me to go to him, and at once. When I
reached the house, they told me that he had asked to see me, and that
they had just sent a messenger to the telegraph office with a dispatch
for me. I said: 'God telegraphed to me.' They took me to the bedside of
my young friend, whom I had last seen as hearty and strong as anyone
here."

Mr. Benderson then, in a voice quivering with emotion, told the story
of the deathbed scene. His language was simple and touching, and it was
evident to the most callous auditor that he spoke from the heart,
describing in pathetic words the scene he had witnessed. His unadorned
eloquence went straight home to every listener, and many an eye dimmed
as he put before them a graphic picture of the serenity attending the
end of a well-spent life.

"As I came through among you to-night," he continued, "as you stood
together in groups outside this building, I caught a chance expression
that one of you uttered. A man was speaking of some neighbor who, at
this busy season of the year, had been unable to get help. I think the
one to whom this man was speaking had asked if the busy man were here,
and the answer was: 'No; he has not a minute to call his own.' The
phrase has haunted me since I heard it, less than an hour ago. 'Not a
minute to call his own!' I thought of it as I sat before you. I thought
of it as I rose to address you. I think of it now. Who has a minute to
call his own?" The soft tones of the preacher's voice had given place
to a ringing cry that echoed from the roof down on their heads. "Have
you? Have I? Has any king, any prince, any president, any ruler over
men, a minute or a moment he can call his own? Not one. Not one of all
the teeming millions on this earth. The minutes that are past are
yours. What use have you made of them? All your efforts, all your
prayers, will not change the deeds done in any one of those minutes
that are past, and those only are yours. The chiseled stone is not more
fixed than are the deeds of the minutes that are past. Their record is
for you or against you. But where now are those minutes of the future--
those minutes that, from this time onward, you will be able to call
your own when they are spent? They are in the hand of God--in his hand
to give or to withhold. And who can count them in the hand of God? Not
you, not I, not the wisest man upon the earth. Man may number the miles
from here to the farthest visible star; but he cannot tell you,--
_you_; I don't mean your neighbor, I mean _you_,--he cannot
tell YOU whether your minutes are to be one or a thousand. They are
doled out to you, and you are responsible for them. But there will come
a moment,--it may be to-night, it may be a year hence,--when the hand
of God will close, and you will have had your sum. Then time will end
for you, and eternity begin. Are you prepared for that awful moment--
that moment when the last is given you, and the next withheld? What if
it came now? Are you prepared for it? Are you ready to welcome it, as
did our brother who died at this hour one short week ago? His was not
the only deathbed I have attended. Some scenes have been so seared into
my brain that I can never forget them. A year ago I was called to the
bedside of a dying man, old in years and old in sin. Often had he been
called, but he put Christ away from him, saying: 'At a more convenient
season.' He knew the path, but he walked not therein. And when at last
God's patience ended, and this man was stricken down, he, foolish to
the last, called for me, the servant, instead of to God, the Master.
When I reached his side, the stamp of death was on his face. The biting
finger of agony had drawn lines upon his haggard brow. A great fear was
upon him, and he gripped my hand with the cold grasp of death itself.
In that darkened room it seemed to me I saw the angel of peace standing
by the bed, but it stood aloof, as one often offended. It seemed to me
at the head of the bed the demon of eternal darkness bent over,
whispering to him: 'It is too late! it is too late!' The dying man
looked at me--oh, such a look! May you never be called upon to witness
its like. He gasped: 'I have lived--I have lived a sinful life. Is it
too late?' 'No,' I said, trembling. 'Say you believe.' His lips moved,
but no sound came. He died as he had lived. The one necessary minute
was withheld. Do you hear? _It--was--withheld!_ He had not the
minute to call his own. Not that minute in which to turn from
everlasting damnation. He--went--down--into--_hell_, dying as he
had lived."

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