Bad Hugh

To Mrs. Richards and her elder daughters Rose Markham was an object of

suspicious curiosity, while the villagers merely thought of Rose Markham

as one far above her position, saying not very complimentary things of

madam and her older daughters when it was known that Rose had been

banished from the family pew to the side seat near the door, where

honest Jim said his prayers, with Pamelia at his side.

For only one Sabbath had Adah graced the Richards' pew, and then it was

all Jim's work. He had driven his wife and Adah first to church, as the

day was stormy, and ere returning for the ladies, had escorted Adah up

the aisle and turned her into the family pew, where she sat unconscious

of the admiring looks cast upon her by those already assembled, or of

the indignant astonishment of Miss Asenath and Eudora when they found

that for one half day at least they must he disgraced by sitting with

their servant. Very haughtily the scandalized ladies swept up the aisle,

stopping suddenly at the pew door as if waiting for Adah to leave; but

she only drew back further into the corner, while Willie held up to

Asenath the picture he had found in her velvet-bound prayer book.

Alas! for the quiet hour Adah had hoped to spend, hallowed by thoughts

that the dear ones at Spring Bank were mingling in the same service.

She could not even join in the responses at first for the bitterness at

her heart, the knowing how much she was despised by the proud ladies

beside her.

Very close she kept Willie at her side, allowing him occasionally as he

grew tired to stand upon the cushion, a proceeding highly offensive to

the Misses Richards and highly gratifying to the row of tittering

schoolgirls in the seat behind him. Willie always attracted attention,

and numerous were the compliments paid to his infantile beauty by the

younger portion of the congregation, while the older ones, they who

remembered the doctor when a boy, declared that Willie Markham was

exactly like him, when standing in the seat he kept the children in

continual excitement by his restless movements and pretty baby ways.

The fire burned brightly in Anna's room when Adah returned from church,

and Anna herself was waiting for her, welcoming her back with a smile

which went far toward removing the pain still heavy at her heart. Anna

saw something was the matter, but it was her sisters who enlightened her

as together they ate their Sunday dinner in the little breakfast room

where Anna joined them.

"Such impudence," Eudora said. "She had not heard one word of Mr.

Howard's sermon, for keeping her book and dress and fur away from that

little torment."

Then followed the story in detail, how "Markham had sat in their seat,

parading herself up there just for show, while Willie had kissed the

picture of little Samuel in Asenath'a book and left thereon the print of

his lips. If Anna would have a maid, they did wish she would get one not

quite so affected as Markham, one who did not try to attract attention

by assuming the airs of a lady," and with this the secret was out.