The Heart's Kingdom

In times of stress women are apt to seize and cling to the arm of

masculine protection, and Luella May had chosen to forget the

fascination of Billy's hesitation and two-steps and secure for herself a

life of thorough normality. She would probably never forget those dances

with Billy, and they would lend a kind of reminiscent glow of pleasure

over her boiling cabbage pots, but it would be no worse than that.

Mr. Todd was shaven and habitated in the neat black coat he had thrown

off as he went at the ruin of the schoolhouse a month before, and with a

tender smile on his lean old face he came over and stood beside Martha,

as if to be watchful of her in the new order of her life.

And it was for quite a half hour that most of the inhabitants of

Goodloets stood around in the yard of the chapel and waited for the

formal opening of the doors. We all knew that the chapel would not hold

the half of us, for the small Presbyterian congregation had been

dismissed by Mr. Farraday to come over and join us in the dedication,

and after a short service the boy Baptist divine had brought his flock

to do honor to the opening of the new fold. In fact, by count almost

every citizen in Goodloets stood before the chapel doors and waited for

them to be thrown open. And in the crowd who waited there was this

difference from the last time we had been together: All the children

were with us and not separated from us by walls that crash. I think that

the second meeting of Town and Settlement would have been impossible if

each parent had not had the confidence inspired by the small hands in

theirs.

And for still more minutes we were patient while the delicious autumn

sun beamed upon us with Indian summer warmth and Old Harpeth looked down

on us from out on Paradise Ridge with its crown wreathed with purple and

gold and russet, all veiled in a tender haze.

Then as the old clock on the courthouse up on the square boomed the hour

of eleven, Dabney with ceremony opened wide the tall doors and stepped

back into the shadow, Jefferson bowing and smiling behind him. With one

accord the people started toward the door, and then everybody again

stood still and seemed to be waiting for something.

I knew for what they waited and I took Martha's hand in mine, with the

boy's in hers on the other side, and slowly we walked through the path

made for us between our friends and neighbors and in at the chapel door.

As I passed Harriet I motioned to her and she put her arm around Nell

and followed us, while Billy came behind them with father and the

children. And behind them walked all of those who had been bereaved by

the storm, and those who had been lamed and were suffering came with

them.