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Author: Unknown
if addressing someone slightly stupid.
"Well, where we are, of course, Parson."
"Oh child, don't you realize it's a tithe house; Farmer Hetherington will want to put his next man in there. "
It seemed that all the muscles of her face were twitching now and she couldn't control her lips in order to speak. This was the thought she had been clamping down on for the past two days, this was the thought that had been frightening her. But she had smothered it with another thought: Farmer Hetherington was a kind man. But now she had to ask herself if he would be kind to the extent of letting them stay on in his house when he wanted it for another worker. He must, he couldn't turn them out. She was bridling inside herself. She said firmly, "He won't turn us out, not Farmer Hetherington. I'll go and see him the morrow."
Parson Hedley stared at the thin slip of a girl, and in this moment he envied her the quality that made her blind to obstacles, and he hadn't it in his heart to say to her that he already knew the family that Farmer Hetherington was putting into the house towards the end of the week, a man with six children, one of at least two dozen men who had been on the farmer's doorstep for the job before Joe Brodie had been cold.
"Have you any money, Cissie?" His voice was soft.
When she made no answer to this, only stared at him, he put his hand into his pocket and took out a shilling which he handed to her. She did not protest politely and falsely as her mother would have, saying,
"Oh, I couldn't take it. Parson," her hand going out at the same time, but she took the shilling from him and muttered, "Thank you. Parson.
Thank you. "
Mr. Snell, passing at this moment, observed the exchange and she knew he would be expecting a drink out of it. It was usual to give the mourners a drink and a meal; that's why a lot of men went to funerals.
But he would get no drink out of this, this would keep them in bread and fat for two days.
"I have to go now, Cissie." The Parson looked towards another cart which was coming up the pathway.
"I will call and see you tomorrow."
By which time, he considered, she would have seen Farmer Hetherington and know finally that her case was hopeless, and then he would contact Mr. Riper again. Oh, how he hated getting in contact with that man.
Would that God could make him love every man as his neighbor.
"Good-bye, Cissie, and God bless you."
"Good-bye, Parson, and thank you. Thank you indeed." She waited for the children to come up, and when they reached the main gate Mr. Snell was waiting. She looked him straight in the eye and said, "Thank you for comin', Mr. Snell; it was kind of you." Then not waiting for an answer from him she walked on.
They had gone some distance along the road towards home when the cart rumbled past them and the driver, stopping, asked brightly, "You wantin' a lift?" and quickly she answered, "No! No, thank you.
No."
She couldn't tolerate the thought of them all huddled together in the cart where the coffins had lain but a short time ago. As she looked at the cart rumbling away she thought, "Eehl that's got to be paid for. I wonder who ordered it?"
When the first drops of rain came she looked behind her to where Mary, William, Bella, and Sarah were dawdling now, silent, their feet trailing, and she said briskly, "Put a move on, else we're goin' to get wet," and with Jimmy walking by her side she set the pace.
It was as they were entering Rosier's village that Jimmy, speaking for the first time, said, "What'a' we goin' to do, our Cissie?" and she, evading the question said practically, "Get bread or flour. Parson give me a shilling."
They both turned now and looked in the direction of the women queuing outside the tommy shop, the iniquitous retail business attached to most mines where the miner's wife was forced to spend the main part of her husband's wages if he hoped to be kept in work, and she said, "But I'm not goin' there."
"You goin' to Benham then?"
"No,
"Well, where we are, of course, Parson."
"Oh child, don't you realize it's a tithe house; Farmer Hetherington will want to put his next man in there. "
It seemed that all the muscles of her face were twitching now and she couldn't control her lips in order to speak. This was the thought she had been clamping down on for the past two days, this was the thought that had been frightening her. But she had smothered it with another thought: Farmer Hetherington was a kind man. But now she had to ask herself if he would be kind to the extent of letting them stay on in his house when he wanted it for another worker. He must, he couldn't turn them out. She was bridling inside herself. She said firmly, "He won't turn us out, not Farmer Hetherington. I'll go and see him the morrow."
Parson Hedley stared at the thin slip of a girl, and in this moment he envied her the quality that made her blind to obstacles, and he hadn't it in his heart to say to her that he already knew the family that Farmer Hetherington was putting into the house towards the end of the week, a man with six children, one of at least two dozen men who had been on the farmer's doorstep for the job before Joe Brodie had been cold.
"Have you any money, Cissie?" His voice was soft.
When she made no answer to this, only stared at him, he put his hand into his pocket and took out a shilling which he handed to her. She did not protest politely and falsely as her mother would have, saying,
"Oh, I couldn't take it. Parson," her hand going out at the same time, but she took the shilling from him and muttered, "Thank you. Parson.
Thank you. "
Mr. Snell, passing at this moment, observed the exchange and she knew he would be expecting a drink out of it. It was usual to give the mourners a drink and a meal; that's why a lot of men went to funerals.
But he would get no drink out of this, this would keep them in bread and fat for two days.
"I have to go now, Cissie." The Parson looked towards another cart which was coming up the pathway.
"I will call and see you tomorrow."
By which time, he considered, she would have seen Farmer Hetherington and know finally that her case was hopeless, and then he would contact Mr. Riper again. Oh, how he hated getting in contact with that man.
Would that God could make him love every man as his neighbor.
"Good-bye, Cissie, and God bless you."
"Good-bye, Parson, and thank you. Thank you indeed." She waited for the children to come up, and when they reached the main gate Mr. Snell was waiting. She looked him straight in the eye and said, "Thank you for comin', Mr. Snell; it was kind of you." Then not waiting for an answer from him she walked on.
They had gone some distance along the road towards home when the cart rumbled past them and the driver, stopping, asked brightly, "You wantin' a lift?" and quickly she answered, "No! No, thank you.
No."
She couldn't tolerate the thought of them all huddled together in the cart where the coffins had lain but a short time ago. As she looked at the cart rumbling away she thought, "Eehl that's got to be paid for. I wonder who ordered it?"
When the first drops of rain came she looked behind her to where Mary, William, Bella, and Sarah were dawdling now, silent, their feet trailing, and she said briskly, "Put a move on, else we're goin' to get wet," and with Jimmy walking by her side she set the pace.
It was as they were entering Rosier's village that Jimmy, speaking for the first time, said, "What'a' we goin' to do, our Cissie?" and she, evading the question said practically, "Get bread or flour. Parson give me a shilling."
They both turned now and looked in the direction of the women queuing outside the tommy shop, the iniquitous retail business attached to most mines where the miner's wife was forced to spend the main part of her husband's wages if he hoped to be kept in work, and she said, "But I'm not goin' there."
"You goin' to Benham then?"
"No,
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