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He stared at the younger man for a moment; but as he turned away he muttered: "It's all nonsense! And it's just as I've said. No peace since that Day girl came to town." Mr. Middler had the courage of his convictions for once. He said nothing more to rasp the old gentleman's feelings and prejudices; but he backed up the young people in their attempt to freshen up the old church.
The leading spirits of the Middler class were there, each decked out in the new gown that some Senior, whose manner and tricks of speech she had been studying for weeks to impersonate, would have worn had she not been locked up in the little greenroom near the stage of the chapel. There had been no Middler of sufficient height and dignity to impersonate Dr. Morgan.
Middler, the pastor, was a mild-voiced, softly stepping man, evidently fearing to give offense. Although he had been in the pastorate for several years, he seemed to have very little influence in the community. Elder Concannon and several other older members controlled the church and its policies utterly; and they frowned on any innovation.
Middler, left his own family for half an hour and came to the station to ask if he could do anything of practical use for Janice. Had it been wise the trio from Poketown could have accepted half a dozen invitations for supper and evening entertainment. "People are so good!" Janice cried again to Haley and Marty. "I never realized that mere strangers could be so very, very nice to one."
He Who Himself begot middler the Holy Ghost and Himself sent Himself, Agenbuyer, between Himself and others, Who, put upon by His fiends, stripped and whipped, was nailed like bat to barndoor, starved on crosstree, Who let Him bury, stood up, harrowed hell, fared into heaven and there these nineteen hundred years sitteth on the right hand of His Own Self but yet shall come in the latter day to doom the quick and dead when all the quick shall be dead already.
"Wal," sighed Aunt 'Mira, comfortably, rocking creakingly on the front porch of the old Day house in the glow of sunset, "Polktown does seem rejoovenated, jest like Mr. Middler preached last Sunday, since rum sellin' has gone out. And it was a sight for sore eyes ter see Marm Parraday come ter church ag'in an' that poor, miser'ble Lem taggin' after her." Janice laughed, happily.
Middler read this short treatise from the pulpit and urged his hearers to screen their pantries, at least, to "swat the fly" with vigor, and to remove barns and stables so far away from the dwellings that it would be, at least, a longer trip for Mr. Fly from the barnyard to the dining-table and back again! The Board of Selectmen, stirred by Mr.
Middler's first sermon on temperance was in no uncertain tone. Indeed, that good man's discourses nowadays were very different from those he had been wont to give the congregation of the Union Church when Janice had first come to Polktown. In the old-fashioned phrase, Mr. Middler had "found liberty." There was nothing sensational about his sermons.
Just as though me and my troubles were the most important things in existence the only things, in fact." "Ah yes. I see I see," whispered Mr. Middler, patting her shoulder, but looking away from her tear-streaked face. "We are all that way sometimes, Janice. All that way." "And then I go somewhere to get out of myself, to to get comfort." "I see."
"An' our Janice has done suthin' this time that'll make Polktown put her on a ped-ped-es-tri-an " "'Pedestal, Maw!" giggled Marty. "Wal, never mind," said the somewhat flurried Mrs. Day. "Mr. Middler said it. Mr. Haley, ye'd oughter hear all 't Mr. Middler said about her this arternoon at the meetin' of the Ladies' Aid." "Oh, Auntie!" murmured Janice, turning very red.
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