Chapter V: A Pleasant Sunday

Mrs. Tompkins knocked on Harry’s door at half-past seven next morning. He got up and washed his face and hands, brushed his hair, and then donned his best suit of clothes. It was a neat-fitting suit and he looked very well. His shoes were of enameled leather and shone brightly, adding to his well-dressed appearance. His Fedora hat and his percale shirt and collar completed his attire, and his appearance was such as to create a good impression in the onlooker’s mind.

After breakfast he made his way to the Baptist church. In a place as small as Coalville it was not difficult to find any place one might be looking for. In fact there were only three churches in Coalville.

The church was about half-filled when he arrived, and a quick glance around showed him Elsie, who was seated with several other girls and one young man, near the piano. She had not told him, but Harry decided she was evidently a member of the choir. Elsie saw him as soon as he entered and nodded and smiled; he nodded in return and took a seat a few rows from the rear.

After the singing, and the preliminary words by the superintendent were over, the teachers took charge of the classes. The superintendent knew who Harry was and came to where he sat. Elsie came hurrying up the aisle at the same moment. “This is Mr. Harry Weston, Mr. Welborn,” she said. “He is going to print a newspaper here. He is going to attend our Sunday school, and please see to it that he is given a place in one of the classes and made to feel at home.”

“I am glad to make Mr. Weston’s acquaintance,” said the superintendent. “I had heard about your having located here with the intention of printing a newspaper. We will be glad to have the paper, and I hope and trust it will be a success. I will assign him to the Business Men’s class, Miss Merwin. I think he will like that class and feel at home there.”

“Thanks,” said Elsie, and with a smile at Harry, she hastened back to her own class, while the superintendent conducted Harry near the center of the church, where was a class of men of various ages, from the young business man of twenty-five years or thereabouts to forty years of age, and introduced him to the teacher, a nice-looking man of perhaps thirty years of age.

“This is Mr. Harry Weston, Mr. Worling,” the superintendent said. “He is a business man. He has a printing office here and is going to publish a newspaper; so he can qualify for your class, and I am sure will be a good addition to it.” Then he, made his way to the place where the Bible Class was, he being its teacher.

“Glad to make your acquaintance and to have you as a member of our class, Mr. Weston,” said the teacher, shaking hands with him as Harry was entering the pew and taking his seat. “Men, this is Mr. Weston,” to the other members of the class, who nodded and said they were glad to know him, after which Mr. Worling gave Harry a lesson-leaf and began on the lesson.

He was a good teacher, and talked and explained the lesson in an interesting manner and Harry enjoyed the hour spent in listening to him.

A short talk by the superintendent, another song by the choir, with all the people in the church joining in the singing, followed by a brief prayer by Mr. Worling, and the superintendent said, “Sunday school is dismissed.” The people rose from their seats and began making their way out of the church, talking to one another in a pleasant and cheery manner. There was to be a ten minutes’ intermission, after which those who wished to remain for the sermon would return to their seats.

Elsie reached Harry’s side just as he was going through the big double doorway. “Father told me to invite you to take dinner with us, Harry,” she said. “He was not feeling well this morning and did not come to Sunday school. He isn’t really ill, and is sitting up, reading. Won’t you come? It’ll please father and me, and I want you to become acquainted with mother. I told her, of course, that we made each other’s acquaintance when I was visiting Aunt Lucy at Allentown a few months ago.” Elsie made this last remark mostly to inform the people around her why she was so friendly to Harry and seemed so well acquainted with him.

“Thank you, Elsie,” said Harry. “I’ll be glad to accept your kind invitation,” and he walked down the steps with her and up the street in the direction of her home.

“That’s a nice-looking young man,” said one of two men who were standing on the porch in front of the church. The other nodded and replied:

“Yes indeed. He seems to be pretty bright, and perhaps he will make a success of his newspaper that he intends publishing here. I hope so, at any rate, as it will give the town more prestige to have a newspaper.”

“True,” the other said. “He’s rather young to be running a newspaper, but he may be able to make a go of it.”

The other nodded, and then they re-entered the church, as they were remaining to hear the sermon.

The two young people reached and entered Elsie’s home, and Mr. Merwin shook hands with Harry and greeted him pleasantly, and to a nice-looking, motherly woman who came in from the dining-room, Elsie said:

“This is Harry, mother--Harry Weston, whose acquaintance I made in Allentown while visiting Aunt Lucy and about whom I have told you. I’m glad you are to know each other.”

“I’m glad to make your acquaintance, Mr. Weston--Harry, as Elsie calls you. I am sure we will be friends,” and she smiled and shook hands with him.

“I’m certainly glad to make the acquaintance of Elsie’s mother,” said Harry, with a pleasant smile.

They talked a few minutes and then Mrs. Merwin excused herself to return to the dining-room, and later went to the kitchen to look after the work there. She did her own housework with occasional help from Elsie.

Dinner was ready and on the table at noon, and they ate appreciatively the good food that Mrs. Merwin had prepared. Harry enjoyed it, but he enjoyed more the company of such nice people. Elsie he honestly liked, and Mr. and Mrs. Merwin he thought highly of.

After dinner the four of them sat in the big, comfortable front room and talked. They talked of various matters of interest, including the new paper that Harry was so soon to publish, and they told him they felt sure he would make a success, as they needed a paper in their town. He thanked them for their good wishes and said he would make a success if it were possible.

At her father’s suggestion Elsie played some compositions on the piano and sang two or three songs that she had played and sung when she was visiting her aunt in Allentown. Harry, whose uncle’s house had been near enough to enable him to hear her playing and singing, remembered the songs and smiled in a pleased manner.

“I used to hear you sing those when I was at my uncle’s home in Allentown, Elsie,” he said. “I liked them immensely, but I enjoy them better now, as I can hear your singing more distinctly.”

“I’m glad you liked my singing--and still like it,” Elsie said with a smile.

“Do you sing, Mr. Weston--Harry?” asked Mrs. Merwin.

“Only a little,” was the modest reply. “I used to sing tenor in the Sunday school choir in the church in Dellwood, and some few people were so kind as to tell me I had a good voice, but I suppose they were saying it mostly to please me.”

“Come and sing along with me,” said Elsie. “We’ll see whether those people were only saying what they did to please you.”

Harry arose and stood by Elsie’s side at the piano while she played and sang one of the songs. Harry sang along with her, his tenor voice adding considerable to the rendition.

“Those people that told you you had a good voice meant it, Harry,” she said. “Your voice is just splendid, and I am going to have you sing in the choir in our church. We need a tenor voice. Charley Martin sings bass, but his voice alone isn’t quite strong enough to offset the girls’ singing, but with your tenor voice added to his bass, the music will be nicely balanced. I am going to tell Superintendent Welborn to appoint you a member of our choir next Sunday, and you must accept the appointment and sing with us regularly.”

“Very well. I shall be glad to do so,” said Harry.

He stayed till about four o’clock, when two of Elsie’s friends came, and he told Elsie and her parents that he must be going. They asked him to remain and take supper with them, but he thanked them and excused himself, and took his departure. Elsie and her parents told him to come again. “And don’t forget,” said Elsie, smiling and shaking her finger at him as he was leaving, “that you are to sing in our choir at Sunday school next Sunday.”