The Independence Day Horror at Killsbury Part 6

"Lost! Lost!" she cried, sinking down in a dead faint.

Mrs. Schwarmer divined the situation and was soon at her side. She threw her magnificent shawl over the prostrate figure. Her husband was sent for. He was in the kitchen helping the servants. They came and carried her in. Dr. Orison offered his services and the rest of the men hastened to the fire; but a stream of water was pouring down on it from the Engine House and their aid was not needed. They returned and reported that "the fire was a trifling affair."

"But where is her baby!" asked Adelaide. "She said she had lost her baby. We must find it for her."

"Adelaide," said her mother sternly, "go to your room at once. It is not proper for you to ask questions about such matters. Your father and Mr. Bombs will make whatever search the doctor thinks necessary."

Half an hour afterwards Dr. Orison returned to the guests and reported the woman to be out of danger. His silence with regard to the baby was understood to mean that it had never lived and that it was a matter of no earthly consequence.

A matter of much greater interest to one and all of the gay people a.s.sembled there, appeared to be Mr. Bombs' ingenious explanation with regard to the failure of his piece and his prompt action in turning on the hose for the quenching of the fire--for the last of which he received many compliments.

On the contrary Adelaide could think of nothing but the gardener's wife and her lost baby. She could not sleep. She was in an agony of suspense--to know how it had fared with them. She thought the guests would talk it over at the breakfast table; but she was mistaken. Not a word was said about it and all seemed as lively as though nothing at all had happened. She did not dare to ask them any questions on the subject after her mother's rebuke, but she knew she could ask her father. She saw him out on the hill and ran after him.

"Mary! poor Mary! how is she, father?" she gasped out.

"O! she's all right Addie, only a little scare. She'll be all right again in a few days the doctor says."

"And the baby. Did you find the baby?"

"Yes we found it, Addie, and took it to her. Bombs found it just over there by that clump of milkweeds--but it wasn't much of a find--most a.s.suredly it wasn't. It was dead of course; and I guess it was a Providence for they've got two little tots now and they're not very forehanded. If they kept on at that rate they'll have a swarm of them soon, and I shall have to turn them off."

"O don't say that! It's dreadful. She loved her baby and she was in such agony when she lost it! O I never saw such agony! You must not turn them off--never, never. It would be wrong, I know it would after this awful fright! We ought to give them something to make up for it. I know we had, father! I know it! And I'm going to give her all I have got in my purse and I shall remember her as long as I live!"

"Softly Addie! Softly! Don't let any of the gentry over there hear you. They'd think you were crazy. We'll fix it between ourselves--we won't be hard on them if they do have a big swarm. We'll see that they don't starve. Most a.s.suredly we will."

"They ought to have good big wages. They make the flowers grow so beautifully."

"Yes Addie the flowers are all right; but where's the lawn, the green velvet lawn that your mamma raves about so much. The gra.s.s can't grow with so many little feet trotting over it."

"But little feet are of more consequence than gra.s.s, you know they are, only you don't stop to think. And little children are better than fireworks. I wish all the ugly old fireworks were at the bottom of the sea. You ought not to have let Mr. Bombs send off his piece over the gardener's house."

He had not told her about the fireworks that were at the bottom of the river and he hated the idea of doing so. He turned away and she went to the engine house. Bombs was there. She was going to blame him for what had happened--that is all that he deserved to be.

"Was your piece more dangerous than you thought, Mr. Bombs?"

"Well, rather, Miss Adelaide--that is I didn't expect it was going to burst up--or down I should say."

"But you knew it was dangerous enough to set things on fire if it did burst and strike them, Mr. Bombs."

"Yes, Miss, I knew enough for that."

"Then you are to blame for sending it off where you did, Mr. Bombs, and father is to blame for letting you do it. I have just told him so."

"There was no other place--that is handy--where the ladies could see it and be comfortably seated, Miss Adelaide."

"Then there ought to have been a place made, Mr. Bombs, and if there couldn't have been, then you ought not to have sent it off at all. You know you had not, and I shall always blame you for it. It was very, very wrong."

"I see!" laughed Bombs. "You are on your blaming expedition this morning, Miss Adelaide. You are right about having a place made, though. There ought to be for large works; and when I get my historical piece done there will be a place on purpose for it--a large place--a sort of a grand amphitheatre something like the old Roman but Americanized and more enjoyable. That's my ambition. I have got through even with tourbillions."

CHAPTER XIV.

SCHWARMER'S THREATENED ARREST.

Mr. Schwarmer was a man who talked very bluntly, so he admitted, but he expected to give his hearers the impression that his bluntness was simply a species of n.o.ble frankness. The next day but one after Independence Day, he informed the few acquaintances whom he happened to meet at the depot, that he was obliged to return to the city at once for two reasons. The first was a rise in stocks and the second was to see his family off on the steamer, but that he would return on the fifteenth of the month and arrest and punish the chief leaders in the plot which had resulted in the destruction of his property.

For once or rather for the first time in his dealings with the Killsbury community, his bluntness was taken literally and turned to good account. A ma.s.s meeting was not called but there was a great deal of calling and consulting among the women of the town. Ruth Cornwallis Norwood was very busy during the interval of expectancy. She set her own wits to work and inspired others to do the same. The result was that rather a novel plan was proposed--"So novel that it was funny," said the President's wife; but the more they talked and laughed about it, the more they thought they would try it. They a.s.sumed to begin, with that they instead of their husbands were the chief leaders or instigators in the destruction of the Schwarmer property. Ruth was duly charged with and promptly confessed being at the head of the whole affair. Therefore it was resolved that when the dread day came and the dread form of Millionaire Schwarmer was apparent on the Hill, they would not wait to be arrested. They would call on him in a body and deliver themselves up. They reasoned that it would be a pity to put him to the trouble of arresting them singly; besides it would be a great expense to the town. They supposed that the citizens of the town would have to pay for all the arrests and they felt sure that they couldn't afford to--or at least that they had a right to cut down their own expenses wherever they chose. They had other ideas in their heads also. Some of them could make speeches and delivering themselves up to Mr. Schwarmer gave them a chance.

In an interview with President Hartling, he said: "I agree with you. There's many a truth spoken in jest and my opinion is that women excel in this direction."

Then he stopped and hummed a tune that wound up with the words: "I believe in all the people 'Tis through them we shall be blest."

"Yes," he added, "I believe especially in the women people and my impression is that the women of this town can settle this business with Schwarmer. You know what the town needs and what he has always been promising it. After the arrests are settled you might extend your wits and get him to 'fork over' as the boys say. I can't tell you just how to do it. I don't like the bossing business and I'm sure you will know how to act better than I can tell you. The work of the Common Council is to get their ordinance in good working order before the next Independence Day comes. Father Ferrill's miracle and the appeal brought us through safely this year. The educational and moral waves which are the only true preparation for good laws were set in motion; but something more may be required next year for the scourging of the money-changers. There are signs in the air that prohibitory measures will have to be resorted to.

"Schwarmer's determination to distribute fireworks in spite of the appeal is a sign," said Ralph. He repeated the whole story, not even leaving out Ruth's experience with Mr. Schwarmer in the matter.

"I see," said the President. "Many kinds of effort will have to be made to squelch this many-headed monster. More and more laws may be called for but it makes me sad to think of it. I am prejudiced against law--its autocracy, its insulting enforcements, its perplexing entanglements. As to celebrations when they grow to be such dangerous nuisances as to require the interference of law to any great extent, it is a sure sign that they ought to be done away with."

"How I wish this savage old Fourth which is so full of boasting and danger, could be done away with!" said Ruth. "It will be so hard to make it entirely harmless--especially for the children--the little innocent children who are born into the world so helpless, and have to live in it so many years before they can learn how to avoid its dangers--the simple every day dangers, to say nothing of the complex and deadly ones that lie concealed beneath attractive forms. Who have to be taught, denied, imprisoned and punished every step of the way almost. O what a task for loving parents!"

"And what a shame," said Ralph, "that people should go on inventing and manufacturing more and more of those horrible things and almost forcing them onto the community and into children's hands! What can we do about that?"

"There's a place for strong prohibitory laws and a call for the enforcement of those we have. Appeals are all right for sensible grown-up American citizens; but the young and innocent should not be permitted to walk into the fire, the idiotic and mercenary should not be allowed to furnish the fire for them to walk into, and the devil's imps should be prohibited from pus.h.i.+ng them into it. Yes this is a good place for prohibition. Prohibition that does prohibit--not as it now stands. I believe that the whole system will have to be overhauled to make it largely effective. That the general government will have to take it in hand and appoint earnest ununiformed watchers for all perilous times and places."

"O that would be splendid," cried Ruth--"like having guardian angels, invisible but earthly, for the young and innocent!"

"They are not here yet, dear," laughed Ralph, "except for the President of the United States and others in authority, but I'm sure they are needed. It's a sorry spectacle to see the small boy dodging the policeman and the hoodlum intimidating him with stones. I am glad we did not have a prohibitive notice on that account, besides Schwarmer's hand would not have shown up so plainly."

"And so am I," said Ruth. Then she thought of the hand that had tried to pat her shoulder and blushed while Ralph grated his teeth and the President said in a serious voice: "And I was just beginning to be sorry that we did not accept Dr. Normander's wise prohibition to back the appeal since I perceive that lack of it has caused you needless trouble, insult and expense."

"O we did not care about that, our hearts and souls were in it," said Ruth and Ralph in chorus.

"But I care about it. It was not right. I perceive it would grow to be a grievous burden, it must not go on," he added in a pre-occupied way as though speaking to himself. "Providence has helped me through this time but I almost know He would not do it again. He has shown me the way. I will strive to walk in it. There are many lights by the way. I believe they are all essential and will be suffused at last into the one great light--the eternal verity."

A moment later Dr. Normander came in.

"You are just in time, Doctor. I was going over to confess that your way was better than mine; or that my appeal needed your prohibitive crutch. Why didn't you argue me down--down to the practical level at least? They call me a Golden Rule Man, but I am only a President--a figure-head, a blundering mortal and too much afraid of having more laws than are necessary, or than will be obeyed without hatred and strife."

"Because I am prejudiced in favor of the loving appeal--the higher way, I suppose," laughed Dr. Normander.

"But you did not propose it, Doctor. Did you think that the higher way--the way of appeal, was too high to be largely operative?"

"Yes, I could hardly help thinking that, for I have been preaching it for years; but I had a glimpse of the immediate good that a wise prohibition might do."

"And the one you proposed covered Schwarmer very neatly, I noticed," laughed the President, "but I don't remember the exact wording."

"It was not reduced to legal form but the idea was to prohibit the sale and giving away of all the dangerous Independence Day Fireworks," said Dr. Normander.

"That will help, and we will have it put in legal phrase and made ready for use without delay; for I begin to think that Schwarmer is not to be trusted in this matter. He may need as many as two or three chains to hold him, that is, unless some sort of miraculous conversion overtakes him. You know miracles do happen now and then, Doctor, and I am rather expecting one from The Woman's Educational or Missionary Department before the next Independence Day begins," laughed the President. "There is no greater pest to society than a millionaire idiot, and there is no better way to get him to use his money rightly than to hand him over to the best women of society."

"One more question before we are arrested, or arrest ourselves," laughed Ruth.

"Can a law be made to prohibit Schwarmer or his guests from showering rockets on the town?"

"After he is through with the arresting business, we will see about the showering," replied the President. "I fancy he will not be so much enamored after that, with fiery showers as with those of a gentler kind, and really I don't know as any laws could be made to prevent a man from having fireworks on his own premises, but he could be arrested for damages to the property or persons of others."

"But we want him arrested from doing damages and burning up money," said Ruth.

"Then I believe you women will have to do it," laughed the President. "The law isn't premature enough. However if you fail I will study it up and see what it will do. I think the way is being prepared on the banks of the Hudson, by the Yale graduate who is dying at the house of a millionaire, from an injury received by a flying rocket."

CHAPTER XV.

THE KILLSBURY WOMEN ARREST THEMSELVES.

On the fifteenth of July Schwarmer came as he was expected to do; for besides being a blunt man, he was known to be one who rarely broke his promise. He arrived on the morning train and in the afternoon while he was sitting in his beautiful office with the Golden Rule President on one side of him and Lawyer Rattlinger on the other, the door opened suddenly and disclosed a very pretty sight--namely a procession of ladies tastefully hatted and gowned. The ribbons which were fastened daintily on their shoulders fluttered like wings in the strong breeze caused by the opening of the door.

He had been informed that a delegation of ladies would do themselves the honor of calling upon him to ask a favor, the nature of which was not apparent, so he arose to his feet at once, with his broad smile and blunt speech.

"Bless you ladies! Really ladies! This is a great and unexpected surprise. A truly great and truly happy one. Bless you all. How lovely you look. You do me proud, most a.s.suredly you do. Ask me any faver you choose. I almost know what it will be before you open your pretty lips--pardon or excuses for your husbands or sons for the destruction of my property. Ladies are always doing something of that kind, G.o.d bless them! I feel like accepting even before you ask me to, most a.s.suredly I do. I know it wasn't your fault. I know ladies don't approve of such violent doings or go into them, unless dragged in by their husbands or sweethearts. I understand that. I shouldn't be my mother's son if I didn't, ladies. You may make your requests without fear or trembling. I am blunt in my speech but I trust my treatment of ladies is exactly the reverse."

The lawyer winked at the President as much as to say that exactly the reverse of blunt would be sharp; but his wife was among the crowd and as she was a lady who laughed easily he felt obliged to keep his countenance of the usual length.

"The ladies, G.o.d bless them," Schwarmer continued in his closing peroration. "They are all angels--all except those that are very strongly tempted to be the reverse."

The President's wife laughed this time in spite of her husband's long drawn face. Several others caught the infection. No knowing where it would have ended had not Mr. Schwarmer sat down suddenly. They knew that their time had come and the thought sobered them.

Mrs. Muelenberg was the first to speak. She said: "We know you are very kind, Mr. Schwarmer, and we have come to make our confessions and ask you for substantial proofs of your kindness. We all had a hand in the destruction of your property--a free hand, and we are going to tell you why and pay the damages. We are averse to the technicalities, expense and delay of the law, so after we have made our plea--that is, all the plea we can make, we trust that you will make out your bill. We have brought our purses and wish to settle the damages on the spot."

"Damages against the ladies!" gasped Schwarmer, looking with dismay at the purses conspicuously displayed. "My intention is to settle this little matter with the men who had a hand in it. I don't want any pay for my property, dear ladies. Rest a.s.sured I am not that sort of a man. All that I shall insist upon is to have the law respected--the rights of property regarded."

"And all that we shall insist on, if it goes to the courts, is that the rights of mothers be respected and the lives of their children properly regarded," said Mrs. Rattlinger. "I am not a lawyer but I am a lawyer's wife and I think I know about where we should stand in such a case."

"Of course you do," replied Schwarmer, "and being a wife and mother, very naturally you would, as one and all thus situated. I shall see to it that no harm comes to you, rest a.s.sured I shall. I have an almost unbounded respect for mothers and a great tenderness for children and would be more than willing to do all I could to prevent them from injury on our natal day, without interfering with its proper enjoyment, most a.s.suredly I would. I am very fond of them all. I lament with our lamentable President that there are not more mothers and more children. There can't be too many of them to suit me. It takes a great many to keep up the supply, as they are more p.r.o.ne to accidents than grown people, especially on and around our glorious Fourth--for the reason that their little hands and pockets which patriotism requires us to fill with firecrackers, are so much nearer their little eyes than ours are. Most a.s.suredly they are. For these and other reasons of a similar nature, there can't be too many children born into the world. They make it lively. Truly, ladies, I am a very blunt man and I must say that I think mothers should have many more children than they do have. Yes, a great many more and be happy to do so. Very happy indeed, ladies. There is no sight on earth so perfectly lovely in my estimation as that of a mother surrounded with her children. Completely surrounded I should say--north and south, east and west--surrounded as with a halo, so to speak."

Schwarmer's p.r.o.nunciation of halo sounded so much like h.e.l.lo that Sybil Bolt, whose little boy had lost a finger three years before, in consequence of his Independence Day gift, whispered to the woman who stood next to her: "Yes a fine h.e.l.lo--young ones with their fingers blown off, eyes blown out, and faces scarred."

She whispered loud enough to be heard across the room and Schwarmer may or may not have heard her. He continued: "Don't be alarmed, my dear ladies. I wouldn't have the heart to hurt a hair of your heads, nor a hair that belonged to your children. Be a.s.sured I shall lay up nothing against you, and I'm not going to be hard with your husbands and lovers either, rest a.s.sured I am not. Go in peace."

He waved his hand as though waving them out; but they did not "follow the wave."

Mrs. Normander came to the front and gave the list of accidents as Ralph had done at the ma.s.s meeting. She also repeated the statement that the list was out of all proportion to that of other towns throughout the state. Then she turned upon him squarely.

This being the case the question was, why it was so? "You know how that question was settled at the meeting, Mr. Schwarmer, and the result."

"Yes, I know," said Schwarmer, "that my property was meddled with and I know that accidents occur or are liable to occur all over the country on the Fourth, and we don't know where they will occur, nor how many will occur at a given point, most a.s.suredly we don't, and we don't know just how many occur in our own town. They are not always reported, or made much of. There will be accidents on that day as a matter of course, truly there always have been and must be--it's an accidental world--full of accident policies--eh, ladies? The Fourth of July wouldn't be the Fourth without accidents, surely it wouldn't, would it ladies?"

"Yes it would," said Mrs. Normander. "We have had one this year--a lovely Fourth. We all enjoyed it--especially the children. They said they had never had such a splendid Independence Day. They had no fireworks and not a single one was hurt. We heard there was quite a serious accident at your place where you had an elaborate pyrotechnic display."

"O! a small one, ladies, a very small one--truly very small--not worth mentioning, ladies."

"Not for you," cried out a voice angrily; "but for the poor mother who lost her child!"

She broke off sobbing. She was the widow whose little boy had died of teta.n.u.s a few years before. The ladies all knew it and were visibly affected.

"Beg your pardon, dear woman," said Schwarmer fussing with his pocket handkerchief. "Beg your pardon, one and all, dear ladies, I meant no harm--no insult to your s.e.x--most a.s.suredly not. I'm all sympathy for any one in a delicate condition and exceedingly sorry for any loss they may sustain and would not do or say anything willingly to aggravate the one or the other. I trust you know I would not. You know also that accidents of that kind do happen very frequently, and without any fright from pyrotechnics. The only damage that can be truly chargeable to the rocket, was very slight indeed, very--only a matter of a few bundles of straw and an old tumble down shed. It made quite a blaze of course, you know it would ladies, and the excitement may have been the one straw too much for the mother delicately situated but there is no real proof of it--that is, no absolute proof you understand ladies. I mean to say that something else might have happened that would have led to the same disaster--something quite trifling, such as a husband coming in late and slamming the door. To speak bluntly we have all heard of such things bringing on premature difficulties. Truly we have, have we not, my dear ladies?"

"I see, I see, silence gives consent," continued Mr. Schwarmer quite jauntily, "and I know you have forgiven me any little hand I may have had in the matter--which was very slight indeed, I a.s.sure you. The pyrotechnics referred to were under the auspices of a much greater than I--that is pyrotechnically considered. No less a person than the young son of a billionaire friend of mine who has a great taste for pyrotechnics. The piece which caused the premature loss referred to was designed by him. It was very original and powerful--most a.s.suredly it was--almost too powerful for inland display. It would have been truly gorgeous out at sea or off Coney Island or Manhattan Beach. He's a great genius, the young fellow is, and an aspiring one and needs a great deal of room to display his talents, as all geniuses of any size, invariably do. When he was abroad he was royally entertained by the greatest of living Pyrotechnists, King Pang, whose father was knighted by the queen for doing something splendid. I have forgotten just what it was. By the way, he made a very good pun out of the little accident he had here, after he got back to the city. He said that his 'Pet Rocket rocked the cradle prematurely'--or attempted to rock it, or something of the kind. I can't quite remember which; but really it was very good and characteristic also. He always spoke of his creations as though they were live creatures and really they are very lively--very lively indeed, I a.s.sure you, ladies."

"They are fiends in disguise," exclaimed Ruth rising suddenly and lifting the rim of her hat so he might recognize her without difficulty. She had managed to hide herself from his observation, she hardly knew why. She had a mixed sort of a feeling that she would like to see him let himself entirely out and that he would be more likely to do so if he did not know she were there. She meant to have her say. She had come prepared for it; but she would not say a word until her whole soul was in it and she could hold back no longer. She had brought the spent rocket that had come so near killing or injuring Ralph's mother. She held it up so everybody could see it plainly.

"Yes," she went on with righteous indignation. "They are fiends in disguise. Here is one of them, with its pretty red, white and blue wrapping torn off. Look at it one and all. It's only a rough stick and a lump of lead. It looks dull and harmless now but backed by powder and dynamite it can do terrible execution. Look at it Mr. Schwarmer. It was sent over from the hill on last Fourth and came within a hair breadth of hitting a lady's shoulder! If it had, it would have laid her arm open to the bone, for it dashed down the whole length of it and buried itself in the ground. What kind of a pun would your City Pyro King have made of that? What does he care for the homes made desolate, the youths that are slain and mutilated, this son of a millionaire, so that he adds more millions to his possessions? What does he care for such misery as I have suffered? Every year for seven years I had to be taken from my home and sent to Canada in order to escape our Independence day horror. Every year since the terrible accident to my little brother. You all know about that. I was only eleven years old then. I did not fully understand what the English officers meant when they said 'Very sensitive to foreign foes Americans are, and yet they arm the home foes and ignorant boys with enough powder and dynamite to kill and wound thousands every year.' 'A very free country that whose people have to fly to Europe or to us for safety.' But it dawned on me little by little, year after year. Last year I saw it all. This year I am here, determined to leave no stone unturned to do away with the cruel, barberous idiotic celebration of our national day.

"Think of it, Mr. Schwarmer! How would you feel to have your little innocent brother, or child, frightfully scarred, burned or torn to pieces by fireworks that some careless person had put into his hands? Take it to your heart and conscience. Remember, we do not a.s.sume that you are a bad man because you distribute fireworks among the children of this town. We know you don't think when you give a lot of boys a lot of toy pistols that they are going to kill or injure each other with them. You are just like a great many others. You have been brought up to think it right for boys to celebrate our Independence Day and you don't stop to think of the new elements of danger which have been, and are constantly being introduced. The firecracker and the torpedo were always dangerous nuisances and should have been done away with long ago for something harmless and more sensible. Instead of that they have been developed into giants and are now manufactured in enormous quant.i.ties--enough to burn up the whole world; and they do burn up millions of dollars worth of property each year.

"Think of it! It's not only the loss of life that is to be considered but it's the waste of money. It's a pity to see it recklessly burned up when we are needing so many things. We need a public library. All we have now are a few old ragged books. We need a public park, where the children can go to fly their kites, look at the gold fishes, listen to the music, smell of the flowers, laugh, play and sing, and be out of the dust and danger of the crowded thoroughfare. We need good roads and bridges. There isn't a thoroughly good road in town except the speedway, which the corporation helped you build over beyond the hill. The sewers and water works are incomplete. You have about all there are at your place and the towns-people have paid the corporation taxes, although they have been doubled since your coming, without grumbling. Think of all these things, Mr. Schwarmer. Investigate this whole matter for yourself and see if you can't do something better for us than you have been doing. You have refused to take pay from us for the destruction of your property. We thank you but we do not wish you to think that we did not give our whole strength and influence to the work. What I did was to put it into the head of my husband (that now is) to help me do something at once, to prevent the horrible burnt sacrifice that would surely take place if your fireworks were distributed here as usual. I could not rest after hearing the English boast as I did last year that a shrewd English Pyro-king had sold millions of dollars worth of fireworks to the American people to burn up on their 'awful Independence Day' as they called it, and that the demand was so great that he had to send a supply from the London manufactory. You see how it is, Mr. Schwarmer. I have heard and thought about these things through days and nights of suffering and exile on English soil. And now I have to confess that I am the instigator-in-chief of the destruction of your property. You will be kind enough to reckon with me if you do with anybody. We bid you good day and a G.o.d speed in the right direction."

The ladies withdrew without being waved out.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE EFFECT OF RUTH'S SPEECH.

Mere words can give but little idea of Ruth's speech. It was what would be called in military phrase of the "rapid-firing order." Her pretty brown eyes were ablaze with feeling. Every gesture struck home. The Golden Rule President encouraged her with nods and smiles. Lawyer Rattlinger was amused and interested. The ladies were effected to tears, while Schwarmer turned all sorts of colors--red being the predominant one. His face seemed full to bursting at times; but her final invocation steadied him a little and after the last lady had disappeared, he gasped out: "Well gentlemen, really and truly! What are we to do about a thing of this kind? I don't quite understand the ladies. They have such a sort of vascilating way--most a.s.suredly they have."

"Yes, but there's where the love comes in," said the President. He was humming a tune and twitching his ample fingers in a lively way as though they might be playing on a harp of a thousand strings. Then he sang out: "O! it's through the women people we shall find the promised rest. The women, G.o.d bless them! They know what the town needs if the rest of us don't, Mr. Schwarmer, and they are going for it. You may as well capitulate--capitulate gracefully and give them a library."