The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1915-03-04

4
ungovernable appetite for sweets who
would have spent his penny at Foxy
Baxter's store.
He was thought n sharp and shrewd
trader, but his honesty was never ques-
toned. indeed. the only trait In his
| character that ever came up for gen.
eral discussion was his extraordinary,
unbelievable. colossal meanness. This
SO eclipsed every other passion In the
man and doomed so bulkily and lpsis-
tently in the foreground that had he
cherished a second vice no one would
have observed II. and II he really did
possess n casual virtue II could scarce
ly have reared It's head in such ugly
company.
II might be said. to defend the fair
fame of the church. that Mr.. Bakers
deaconhood did not include very active
service In the courts OF the Lord. He
| had experienced religion" at fifteen
and made profession OF his faith. but
all well brought up boys and girls did
| the same In those days-their parents
saw to that. IL change Of conviction
or backsliding occurred later ON that
was not their business, At the ripe
age of twenty-five be was selected to
| fill a vacancy and became deacon,
thinking IL might be good for trade. as
IL was. for some years. He was very
active at the time OF the "Cochrane
craze" since any defense OF the creed
that included lively detective work and
! L. his nafvhhnF1
particularly In his line. but for many
wears now. though he had been regular
In attendance at church. be had never
offciated at communion and his dea-
conal services bad gradually lapsed
into the passing OF the contribution
| box, "a task Of which he never wearied.
II was such keen pleasure to make
other people yield their pennies for
good cause without adding his own.
Deacon Baxter had now been a wild.
over for nine years. and the commun-
ity had almost relinquished the idea of
his seeking fourth wife. This was u
matter Of some regret. for there was a
general feeling that II would be good
thing for the Baxter girls to have some
one to help with the homework and act
as a buffer between them and their
grim and iraScible parent. As for the
women OF the village. they were morti-
fled that the Deacon had been able to
secure three wives and refused TO be-
lieve that the universe held anywhere
creature benighted enough TO become
his fourth.
The fir->,. be II said. was a mere igno-
rant girl. and be beardless youth OF
twenty, who may not have shown his
true qualities so early in life. She bore
him two sons. and II was a matter OF
comment at the time that she called
them. respectively. Job and Moses. hop
ing that the endurance and meekness
connected with these names might
somehow help them in their future re-
latiOns with their father. Pneumonia,
coupled with profound encouragement.
carried her on In IA few years to make
room for the second wife, Waitstilrs
mother. who was OF different fiber and
greatly his superior. She was a fine,
handsome girl, the orphan daughter Of
up country gentlefoks who had died
when she was eighteen. leaving her
alone In the world and penniless.
Baxter, after a few days acquaint-
ance, drove into the dooryard OF the
house where she was a visitor and
showing her his two curly headed boys,
suddenly asked her to come and be
their stepmother. She assented. partly
because she had nothing else to do
with her existence so far as she could
see, and also because she fell in love
with the children at first sight and for
got. as girls will. that II was their
father whom she was marrying.
She was as plucky and clever and
spirited as she was handsome, and she
made a brave 6ght OF Il with Foxy,
long enough to bring a daughter into
the world, 10 name her Waitstill and
start her little way on her life jour
ney-then she. too. gave up the strug-
gle and died. Typhoid fever IL was.
combined with complete loss OF illu-
sions and a kind OF despalring rage at
having made 80 complete a failure Of
her existence.
The next year Mr.. Baxter, being un-
usually busy, offered a man a good
young heifer II he would jog about the
country a little and pick him up a
housekeeper. a likely woman who
would II she proved energetic. econOm-
ical and amlable be eventually raised
TO the proud position OF his wife. II
she was young healthy. smart. tidy.
capable and good manager, able 10
milk the cows. harness the horse and
make good butter he would give a dol
lar and a half a week. The woman
was found. and. incredible as Il may
seem, she said Yes" when the deacon.
whose ardor was klndled at having