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the story of a pioneer-第29章

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community spent much of their leisure in discussing

it and me。  The social center of East Dennis was

a certain grocery; to which almost every man in

town regularly wended his way; and from which all

the gossip of the town emanated。  Here the men sat

for hours; tilted back in their chairs; whittling the

rungs until they nearly cut the chairs from under

them; and telling one another all they knew or had

heard about their fellow…townsmen。  Then; after

each session; they would return home and repeat the

gossip to their wives。  I used to say that I would

give a dollar to any woman in East Dennis who

could quote a bit of gossip which did not come from

the men at that grocery。  Even my old friend Cap…

tain Doane; fine and high…minded citizen though he

was; was not above enjoying the mild diversion of

these social gatherings; and on one occasion at least

he furnished the best part of the entertainment。 

The departing minister was; it seemed; the topic

of the day's discussion; and; to tease Captain Doane

one young man who knew the strength of his friend…

ship for me suddenly began to speak; then pursed

up his lips and looked eloquently mysterious。  As he

had expected; Captain Doane immediately pounced

on him。



‘‘What's the matter with you?'' demanded the

old man。  ‘‘Hev you got anything agin Miss

Shaw?''



The young man sighed and murmured that if he

wished he could repeat a charge never before made

against a Cape Cod minister; butand he shut his

lips more obviously。  The other men; who were in

the plot; grinned; and this added the last touch to

Captain Doane's indignation。  He sprang to his

feet。  One of his peculiarities was a constant mis…

use of words; and now; in his excitement; he outdid

himself。



‘‘You've made an incineration against Miss Shaw;''

he shouted。  ‘‘Do you hearAN INCINERATION!  Take

it back or take a lickin'!''



The young man decided that the joke had gone

far enough; so he answered; mildly:  ‘‘Well; it is said

that all the women in town are in love with Miss

Shaw。  Has that been charged against any other

minister here?''



The men roared with laughter; and Captain

Doane sat down; looking sheepish。



‘‘All I got to say is this;'' he muttered:  ‘‘That gal

has been in this community for seven years; and she

'ain't done a thing during the hull seven years that

any one kin lay a finger on!''



The men shouted again at this back…handed trib…

ute; and the old fellow left the grocery in a huff。 

Later I was told of the ‘‘incineration'' and his elo…

quent defense of me; and I thanked him for it。  But

I added:



‘‘I hear you said I haven't done a thing in seven

years that any one can lay a finger on?''



‘‘I said it;'' declared the Captain; ‘‘and I'll stand

by it。''



‘‘Haven't I done any good?'' I asked。



‘‘Sartin you have;'' he assured me; heartily。 

‘‘Lots of good。''



‘‘Well;'' I said; ‘‘can't you put your finger on

that?''



The Captain looked startled。  ‘‘Whywhy

Sister Shaw;'' he stammered; ‘‘you know I didn't

mean THAT!  What I meant;'' he repeated; slowly and

solemnly; ‘‘was that the hull time you been here

you ain't done nothin' anybody could put a finger

on!''



Captain Doane apparently shared my girl parish…

ioner's prejudice against men in the pulpit; for long

afterward; on one of my visits to Cape Cod; he ad…

mitted that he now went to church very rarely。



‘‘When I heard you preach;'' he explained; ‘‘I

gen'ally followed you through and I knowed where

you was a…comin' out。  But these young fellers that

come from the theological schoolwhy; Sister Shaw;

the Lord Himself don't know where they're comin'

out!''



For a moment he pondered。  Then he uttered a

valedictory which I have always been glad to recall

as his last message; for I never saw him again。



‘‘When you fust come to us;'' he said; ‘‘you had

a lot of crooked places; an' we had a lot of crooked

places; and we kind of run into each other; all of

us。  But before you left; Sister Shaw; why; all the

crooked places was wore off and everything was as

smooth as silk。''



‘‘Yes;'' I agreed; ‘‘and that was the time to leave

when everything was running smoothly。''



All is changed on Cape Cod since those days; thirty

years ago。  The old families have died or moved

away; and those who replaced them were of a dif…

ferent type。  I am happy in having known and loved

the Cape as it was; and in having gathered there a

store of delightful memories。  In later strenuous

years it has rested me merely to think of the place;

and long afterward I showed my continued love of

it by building a home there; which I still possess。 

But I had little time to rest in this or in my Moylan

home; of which I shall write later; for now I was

back in Boston; living my new life; and each crowded

hour brought me more to do。



We were entering upon a deeply significant period。 

For the first time women were going into industrial

competition with men; and already men were in…

tensely resenting their presence。  Around me I saw

women overworked and underpaid; doing men's

work at half men's wages; not because their work

was inferior; but because they were women。  Again;

too; I studied the obtrusive problems of the poor and

of the women of the streets; and; looking at the

whole social situation from every angle; I could find

but one solution for womenthe removal of the

stigma of disfranchisement。  As man's equal before

the law; woman could demand her rights; asking

favors from no one。  With all my heart I joined in

the crusade of the men and women who were fight…

ing for her。  My real work had begun。



Naturally; at this period; I frequently met the

members of Boston's most inspiring groupthe

Emersons and John Greenleaf Whittier; James Free…

man Clark; Reverend Minot Savage; Bronson Alcott

and his daughter Louisa; Wendell Phillips; William

Lloyd Garrison; Stephen Foster; Theodore Weld; and

the rest。  Of them all; my favorite was Whittier。  He

had been present at my graduation from the theo…

logical school; and now he often attended our suffrage

meetings。  He was already an old man; nearing the

end of his life; and I recall him as singularly tall and

thin; almost gaunt; bending forward as he talked;

and wearing an expression of great serenity and

benignity。  I once told Susan B。 Anthony that if I

needed help in a crowd of strangers that included her;

I would immediately turn to her; knowing from her

face that; whatever I had done; she would under…

stand and assist me。  I could have offered the same

tribute to Whittier。  At our meetings he was like a

vesper…bell chiming above a battle…field。  Garrison

always became excited during our discussions; and

the others frequently did; but Whittier; in whose big

heart the love of his fellow…man burned as unquench…

ably as in any heart there; always preserved his ex…

quisite tranquillity。



Once; I remember; Stephen Foster insisted on

having the word ‘‘tyranny'' put into a resolution;

stating that women were deprived of suffrage by the

TYRANNY of men。  Mr。 Garrison objected; and the

debate that followed was the most exciting I have

ever heard。  The combatants actually had to ad…

journ before they could calm down sufficiently to go

on with their meeting。  Knowing the stimulating

atmosphere to which he had grown accustomed; I

was not surprised to have Theodore Weld explain

to me; long afterward; why he no longer attended

suffrage meetings。



‘‘Oh;'' he said; ‘‘why should I go?  There hasn't

been any one mobbed in twenty years!''



The Ralph Waldo Emersons occasionally attended

our meetings; and Mr。 Emerson; at first opposed to

woman suffrage; became a convert to it during the

last years of his lifea fact his son and daughter

omitted to mention in his biography。  After his

death I gave two suffrage lectures in Concord;

and each tim

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