Annie Kilburn

Mr. Gerrish ignored them both in the more interesting work of celebrating

himself. "I may say that there is not an institution in this town which I

have not contributed my humble efforts to--to--establish, from the drinking

fountain in front of this store, to the soldiers' monument on the village

green."

Annie turned red; Mrs. Munger said shamelessly, "That beautiful monument!"

and looked at Annie with eyes full of gratitude to Mr. Gerrish.

"The schools, the sidewalks, the water-works, the free library, the

introduction of electricity, the projected system of drainage, and

_all_ the various religious enterprises at various times, I am

proud--I am humbly proud--that I have been allowed to be the means of

doing--sustaining--"

He lost himself in the labyrinths of his sentence, and Mrs. Munger came to

his rescue: "I fancy Hatboro' wouldn't be Hatboro' without _you_, Mr.

Gerrish! And you _don't_ think that Mr. Peck's objection will be

seriously felt by other leading citizens?"

"_What_ is Mr. Peck's objection?" demanded Mr. Gerrish, perceptibly

bristling up at the name of his pastor.

"Why, he talked it over with Miss Kilburn last night, and he objected

to an entertainment which wouldn't be open to all--to the shop hands and

everybody." Mrs. Munger explained the point fully. She repeated some things

that Annie had said in ridicule of Mr. Peck's position regarding it. "If

you _do_ think that part would be bad or impolitic," Mrs. Munger

concluded, "we could drop the invited supper and the dance, and simply have

the theatricals."

She bent upon Mr. Gerrish a face of candid deference that filled him with

self-importance almost to bursting.

"No!" he said, shaking his head, and "No!" closing his lips abruptly, and

opening them again to emit a final "No!" with an explosive force which

alone seemed to save him. "Not at all, Mrs. Munger; not on any account! I

am surprised at Mr. Peck, or rather I am _not_ surprised. He is not a

practical man--not a man of the world; and I should have much preferred to

hear that he objected to the dancing and the play; I could have understood

that; I could have gone with him in that to a certain extent, though I can

see no harm in such things when properly conducted. I have a great respect

for Mr. Peck; I was largely instrumental in getting him here; but he is

altogether wrong in this matter. We are not obliged to go out into the

highways and the hedges until the bidden guests have--er--declined."