But one morning Bob Wade brought a
breast-strap from off the harness, and took care to kneel within easy
reach of the kneeling hired man's pants. When he began with his
responses that morning, a loud slap, and a smothered yell disturbed the
governor--but he only paused, and went on.
"What in hell," asked the hired man when they got outside, "did you hit
me for with that blasted strap?"
"To show you how to behave," said Bob. "When the governor is talking to
the Lord, you keep your mouth shut."
I tell this, because it shows how even our richest and most aristocratic
family lived, and how we were supposed to defend religion against
trespass. I am told that in some countries the wickedest person is
likely to be a praying one. It seems, however, that in this country the
church-members are expected to protect their monopoly of the ear of God.
Anyhow, Bob Wade felt that he was doing a fitting if not a very seemly
thing in giving this physical rebuke to a man who was pretending to be
more religious than he was. The question is a little complex; but the
circumstance shows that there could be no cards or dancing at the
Wade's party.
Neither could there be any drinking. The Wades had a vineyard and made
wine. The Flemings lived in the next farm-house down the road, and when
our party took place, the families were on fairly good terms; though the
governor and his wife regarded the Flemings as beneath them, and this
idea influenced the situation between the families when Bob Wade began
showing attentions to Kittie Fleming, a nice girl a year or so older
than I.
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