Cruel As The Grave
Page 84"No good? Yes there will too!" answered Joseph Joy, who was fond of
contradiction. "All these bare-necked, bare-armed, and bare-legged
people will get the pleurisy and be laid on the flat of their backs for
three months, when they will have the opportunity of meditating on the
iniquity of their ways! And won't that be good?"
"Yes, it will; and I hope it will be sanctified to their souls," sighed
Miss Tabitha.
"And now here comes another bogie! Gentleman, or lady, please?" politely
inquired the usher, as a red domino approached.
"Lady," softly murmured the domino.
"Pass the lady on to your maids, Miss Winterose! And here's another that
certainly belongs to your department too! And another, and another, and
gipsies, peasants, court ladies, et cætera, filed up.
All these Miss Winterose passed on to Delia, with directions to show
them to the ladies' dressing-rooms. And then she turned to Mr. Joy with
a deep sigh, whimpering: "Ah! Joseph, where do all these people expect to die when they go to?
I--I mean, to go to when they die?"
"They don't trouble themselves about that, I reckon," said contradictory
Joe.
"Ah! but it is written that we shall not make to ourselves the likeness
of anything that is in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, or in
the waters under the earth. And here are all these people making of
themselves--" Miss Tabby stopped and snivelled, and then stopped again
"Well, what?" demanded antagonistic Joe. "What are these people making
of themselves? Nothing that breaks the first commandment, for surely you
don't mean to say that they make of themselves the image of anything in
the heavens above, the earth below, or the waters under the earth, do
you?"
"No, Joseph; but I was mistrusting as they had made themselves up into
images of something in t' other place."
"With the Evil One for a pattern, eh? And here he comes, sure enough.
Talk of the d---- and you know what happens," muttered Joe Joy, as a
most appalling apparition approached. It was a tall, thin figure, clad
in a tight-fitting black suit, that clung close to the skin from the
skull-cap, mask, jacket, sleeves, trousers, shoes and gloves seeming to
be knit all of one piece, or else very artistically joined together.
Crowning the black brows were two tall white horns; tipping the black
fingers were long white talons; terminating the black feet were cloven
white hoofs. Crimson glass goggles over the eyes gave the look of
burning coals; and by some "devilish cantrap strange," some trick in
chemistry, at least, little jets of flame appeared to issue from the
mouth and nostrils of the mask.