Chapter VII: A Reform

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth."

THROUGH many improvements had come in with the fresh growth of interest in the Sunday-school cause, Mr. Clarke had not yet seen his way clear to the establishment of regular teachers' meetings for prayer and study. Occasionally a meeting to talk over ways and means would be appointed, with the invitation extended to all interested in the school. The result of the call would be a thin attendance, the talking done by Superintendent Clarke, Deacon Griffin and Dr. Myers, with now and then a word from Deacon Holt and Mr. Earle. These proposed measures, discussed them, and then decided upon them, though, as a form, the questions might be put to vote, the popular side calling up two or three hands from the back seats.

It was some months after Mabel joined the working force of the school that one of these meetings was announced. To talk over the interests of the infant class and other matters connected with the school, Mr. Clarke had said, "Tuesday evening at seven o'clock," repeating the latter part of the announcement with considerable emphasis. Promptly at the hour Mabel Wynn was at the door. To her surprise she found it locked. She stood a moment in doubt, looking up and down the street, then seeing Lou Joslyn across the way she joined her.

"Why, Lou," she began, "is the meeting given up?"

"I think not. Why?"

"There is nobody there and the door is looked."

Lou laughed as she answered, "Oh, is that all? You are too early by half an hour!"

"That can't be," answered Mabel; "the meeting was to be at seven o'clock, and it is ten minutes after now."

"Oh, well, you see they come when they get ready. You'll soon find out. There's Deacon Griffin now; he has the key, and he will unlock the door, and go away. Deacon Holt will come pretty soon, and look in, and go away; then Mrs. Culver and Mrs. Gibson will go in, and wait, taking the opportunity to talk over the state of things in the church, and outside, too. Dr. Myers will come next, with the evening paper; he will lean against the fence and read while he waits. About half-past seven, Mr. Clarke will be on hand (he has tried the door once before you came); the deacons will come back, and a few more will drop in, and the meeting will begin."

"Dear me!" said Mabel, at the close of Lou's rattling explanation. "What shall I do? I don't like promenading up and down the street waiting for meeting to begin, and I don't like to go there and sit alone in that great forlorn room."

"I was going to call upon Mrs. Lewis," responded Lou, "but if you like, we will go in now and set a good example for the minister and the deacons."

"Is that the way you always do at your meetings?" asked Mabel, as she and Lou walked down the street toward Mr. Wynn's store, where Michael was to wait for her. "Don't any of the lady teachers ever say anything?"

"Why, no! That is, not aloud," answered Lou, laughing.

"I declare," continued Mabel. "I could hardly keep still. There were half a dozen things I wanted to ask, and one or two suggestions I should have made; but I was a newcomer, and no one else said anything, so I didn't dare."

"Well, you see," explained Lou, "when we have any plan we talk to Mr. Clarke beforehand; get things all worked up, you understand, and he pushes them through if he can. Then if any new idea comes up, we whisper it over, and somebody beckons to Dr. Myers, and he tiptoes over, listens to a whispered argument, and tiptoes back. Then pretty soon, he gets up and says, 'It has been suggested,' &c. Then we ladies nod and smile, and are very much gratified that our ideas are getting an airing."

Mabel was much amused at Lou's absurd way of putting it, though judging from the meeting she had just attended it was exactly true.

"Well," she said, "it is a queer way of doing things."

"So it is, Miss Wynn," said Mr. Clarke, coming up behind them. "Can't you and Lou bring about a reform?"

"Oh!" exclaimed Lou. "I am not of the stuff reformers are made of. New ways are so uncertain. We are all used to the old plan, and it works very well. We are pretty sure of getting our way, and I think it is the whispered consultations that bring it about."

"No doubt of it. I would not break those up for anything," responded Mr. Clarke, mischievously, as he hurried forward to overtake Deacon Holt.

One or two more meetings after the same pattern roused Mabel to action. First she talked it over with Lou, who liked her proposition "immensely," and to whom she said—

"I do not wish to push myself forward, and if you, who are an old teacher, will talk it over with the others, the lady teachers, I mean, and enlist them, I am sure we can bring it about."

"Splendid!" exclaimed Lou. "And we won't let the gentlemen know a thing about it until it is all done.

"Of course," continued the merry girl, "Mrs. Culver won't like it. She never wants us to get out of the old track."

Mabel had noticed that they all were free enough to express their opinions when they were clustered about the door or gathered in somebody's parlour, and she said to Lou— "If we only had a cozy little room where we could come together without so much stiffness, and talk over our affairs, we might get along better; but that great bare room chills everybody."

"That's so," replied Lou. "These straight, hard benches put 'yes, ma'am,' and 'no, ma'am,' into me, and scare everything else out."

Connected with the lecture room was an apartment that had been originally intended for a pastor's study, but owing to Mr. Earle's preference for a study in his own house, the room had long been unused except as a sort of lumber room. It had a bay window, the walls were unsoiled, the carpet stored away in a box, the curtains rolled up and shoved behind a book-case. The plan was to fit up this room as a church parlour. Miss Joslyn succeeded in her mission, though Mrs. Culver, as she had predicted, did not approve of church parlours, and declined to lend her assistance.

Armed with the proper authority, as well as with brooms and brushes, the other lady teachers entered upon the work of renovation. The stock in hand having been looked over, it was found that the carpet, though somewhat moth-eaten, could be made quite respectable; the curtains would do very well. Then arose the question of chairs, tables, &c. Of course the first thing thought of was a subscription or a church collection.

Now Mabel knew her father would give liberally if called upon; but she remembered the opposition she had met with when she entered upon her work, and thought it wise not to ask him, and was silent, waiting for Lou to speak. Said that young lady—

"I hate to go around and ask people for money."

"But," said Mrs. Gibson, "what will you do? We can't do it all ourselves."

"I know that," replied Lou; "but there are different grades of beggars. I don't know but it may be more respectable to beg for money, but those who go about asking for old clothes are more successful."

"I don't come at your idea yet," said Miss Fox. "Do you propose that we beg for old clothes, and sell them for money?" she asked, laughing.

"Not exactly," was the reply, and Lou proceeded at once to unfold their plan, which being approved was adopted.

In pursuance of this plan, she and Mabel sallied out the next morning to make a round of calls. Their first visit was at the house of Mr. Riggs, a wealthy manufacturer.

"Mrs. Riggs," said Mabel, "we want two chairs! We don't care for new ones, but they must be such as you would not be ashamed to have in your sitting room. They need not be alike, but must be comfortable."

It was a strange request, made without explanation; but Mr. Riggs turned at once to his wife.

"What can you spare, Lucy?"

Mrs. Riggs looked amused, and said—

"I wish, Mabel, that you had asked for the whole of the library furniture. I could spare that as well as not. I've been trying to coax Henry to get new for some time. Go in and make your selection."

"We could take the whole off your hands, and not encumber ourselves at all," responded Lou; "but we'll leave part for the next beggar."

"Well, Lucy, let the girls have what they want, and you may order the new furniture at once," and they proceeded to the library.

"What are those girls about!" exclaimed Mrs. Riggs, as they took their leave, after the easy chair and a pair of brackets had been promised.

"I'm sure I can't guess," responded the gentleman. "I should not think of trying to unravel any of Mabel's mysterious doings."

The next call was at Deacon Holt's.

"One chair here," said Mabel, as they waited upon the step. Making known their errand, they were answered by a hearty laugh from the good-natured deacon.

"Do tell! Are you girls going to set up house-keeping on your own hook?"

"You've guessed pretty close, and we want all our friends to furnish their own chairs, so that they will always be welcome."

Their requests were everywhere the same. "One or two chairs, new or old, easy and not shabby." Later in the day they all met at the new parlour to compare their lists of gifts, and found that enough had been donated to furnish the room handsomely. Mabel had instructed Michael to appear with the express wagon at four o'clock, and he was sent off with the list.

Two days later the room was ready for use. A dozen chairs, a sofa, a small round table which Mr. Riggs had added, some pictures and brackets, made a very pleasant and cosy parlour out of the old lumber room. A few camp chairs were stored in a closet, to be brought as occasion required.

Thus it happened that Westville had a church parlour.