The Preacher of Cedar Mountain: A Tale of the Open Country

  CHAPTER XXI

  The Ordeal

  Jim went at once to Dr. Jebb's to report. Mrs. Jebb opened the door,greeted him with a hearty handshake, and was more than usually cordial.Dr. Jebb was kind, but embarrassed. He offered Jim a chair and begannervously:

  "There was a rumour--there--that is--we missed you on Sunday."

  Jim, with characteristic directness, said: "Doctor, I'll tell you allabout it." Just then there was a timid knock and Mrs. Jebb reappeared."May I be present, Jim?" she said. "I understand that you have somethingto talk about, and you know, you were always my boy."

  Dr. Jebb looked puzzled. Jim said: "If I can't trust you, who is thereleft to trust?" And then told the story of his fall. He painted himselfnot quite so black as he might have done the day before, but blackenough.

  Dr. Jebb looked terribly worried and distressed. "I don't know what tosay," he kept repeating. "All my heart is with you, but my judgmentcondemns you. I don't know what to say."

  Then Mrs. Jebb spoke. "Now, Josiah, you know perfectly well that youraffections always were a safer guide than your judgment. There was nobad intention on the part of the sinner--for we are all sinners--thiswas just an unfortunate accident, and Jim shows in every possible wayhis regret. There has been no public scandal, and so I think you hadbetter drop the whole thing and forget it. I know enough about Jim toknow that he has made out the worst possible case against himself."

  "That may be," said Dr. Jebb, "but I fear we must bring the matter upbefore the deacons, at least."

  "As long as you don't make it public by bringing it before the church,"said Mrs. Jebb, "all right."

  Thus it was that Dr. Jebb sent out a notice, to such of the deacons ashe could not see personally, that a meeting was to be held at his housethat night.

  In the same afternoon another interview took place in Cedar Mountain.School-trustee Higginbotham was sitting in his office when theschoolteacher came up the boardwalk and into the insurance office.

  "Hello, Jack."

  "Hello, John"; and the visitor sat down. Higginbotham glanced at him andnoticed that his face was drawn and his eyes "like holes burnt in ablanket." His fingers trembled as he rolled a cigarette.

  "Say, John," Lowe began nervously, "in case any rumour gets around thatthe Preacher and I were a little reckless at Bylow's, you can contradictit. At least there's nothing in it as far as I am concerned. I think thePreacher must have taken some before I arrived. He showed the effects,but not much."

  "Hm," said Higginbotham. "You got there late?"

  "Yes, you see we--that is, both of us--went there to stop thatspree--and we did, in a way, but things got a little mixed."

  "How was that?"

  "Well, I went there to help him and I did what I could for him, but theyhad had some already. We spilled the keg on the floor and the fumes werepretty strong and affected him a little. Didn't amount to much. I didwhat I could. It was strong enough to affect me--unpleasantly, too. Ithought I'd just let you know in case there was anything said about it."

  As soon as he was gone, Hannah appeared. Apparently, she had overheardthe conversation. "Well, did you catch on?"

  "Partly; how did it strike you?"

  "I think he is trying to save his own skin by dragging in the Preacher."

  "I think so, too; but all the same, I won't use his story if it can bedispensed with. The less we dig into this thing the better."

  A little later the notice came from Dr. Jebb, inviting DeaconHigginbotham to a meeting at his house that evening, for importantbusiness. As he walked across the village Charlie Bylow stepped out froma dark corner near Dr. Jebb's house.

  "Say, Deacon," he began, "I've been waiting to see you. I know what ison to-night. I want you to know it was a put-up job. It was theschoolteacher worked it. The stuff was doped all right. The Preacherwent there to stop it as he did the other time, but they fooled him andtrapped him."

  "Yes, I thought so," said the little deacon, "and how was it worked?"

  "Well, I don't just exactly know. I haven't been on good terms with mybrother since I joined the church, so I don't go to his house any more;but I heard some talk about its being the 'slickest thing ever.' I knowthe Preacher went there to stop it and that they trapped him and that itwas Jack Lowe did it."

  "Will you go before the deacons of the church and tell them that--if itis necessary?"

  "No," replied Bylow uneasily; "at least I don't want to go before anymeeting. I only know that's right; that's the way it happened; and Idon't want any one to blame Mr. Hartigan." Here Charlie abruptly endedand went away.

  Higginbotham turned back to his house. Hannah listened with the keenestattention and then said: "It's easy to straighten it all out. I'll seeBelle and tell her to go to Jim at once and keep him from talking. Youknow what he is when he gets going. He'll talk too much and spoil itall." Thus these two loyal friends laid plans to screen him.

  At Jebb's house, Higginbotham took the earliest occasion to warn Jim.

  "Now don't talk. Simply answer one or two questions when asked and asbriefly as possible. 'Yes' or 'No' is enough. You know we've got tosatisfy the old Deacon Blight crowd somehow." And Jim promised to obey.

  Dr. Jebb called the meeting to order and, at once, Higginbotham aroseand said: "Mr. Chairman, I think it would be better for Mr. Hartigan toretire to another room." So Jim went out.

  Dr. Jebb then gave a brief and rather halting account of a "certainrumour reflecting on the sobriety of his assistant." Before he had morethan outlined the facts, Higginbotham jumped up:

  "Dr. Jebb, you have alluded to a rumour. I call it a shamefulfabrication, with no basis in fact. I have made a thorough investigationand am prepared, with two reliable witnesses, to prove that Mr. Hartiganwent to the Bylow cabin to prevent a disgraceful spree, as he did oncebefore. They had prepared by getting a keg of whiskey. This liquid sin,if I may so call it, Mr. Hartigan spilled on the floor; unfortunately,it was in a small, close cabin and the fumes affected his head so thathe was temporarily ill. These are the facts; and to prove them I havetwo reliable witnesses. Call in Charlie Bylow and John Lowe." He lookedwith a pretense of expectation toward the door; getting no response hesaid: "Humph, not arrived yet. Well, we won't wait. In the meantime, Imust say that to my mind altogether too much has been made of thisaccident and I am satisfied to dismiss the subject if the rest of thedeacons consent."

  "No, I don't consent; I don't think we should," said Deacon Blight. "Wecan't afford to have a scandal about our spiritual leader. Let's proveit or disprove it right now."

  And, acting on the majority vote, Dr. Jebb called Jim Hartigan toappear. Dr. Jebb was supposed to be chairman, but Higginbotham wasirrepressible.

  "I want to ask one or two questions," he called out; and, withoutwaiting for permission, he began: "Now, Mr. Hartigan, I understand thatyou went to the Bylow Corner last Saturday night to prevent a whiskeyspree, as we know you have done before; that in some way the fumes ofthe liquor entered your head and so overpowered you that you were illafterward; and that it was a painful surprise to you, as one well knownto be a teetotaller. Isn't that so?"

  "Well, yes," said Jim, in some perplexity; "but it was this way----"

  "Never mind the way of it," said Higginbotham emphatically. Then,turning to the others: "I don't see that we need go any further."

  "Hold on, hold on," said Deacon Blight; "I'd like to ask one or twoquestions. You admit being under the influence of liquor at Bylow's?"

  "Yes," was the reply.

  "Were you ever under the influence of liquor before?"

  "I was."

  "Once, or more than once?"

  "More than once," said Jim. He would have said "many times" but for ascowl from Higginbotham.

  "Oh, ho!" said the deacon. "When was that?"

  "Before I was converted."

  "Never since?"

  "No; except last Saturday."

  Here Dr. Jebb interrupted. "It seems to me that we need not follow thesubject any further than t
o inquire into the mental attitude of thebrother who fell into the snare. I know it is one of absolute contritionnow, especially as the affair was of the nature of an accident duringthe discharge of his duty. It seems to me, therefore, that we shouldaccept his expression of penitence coupled with a promise to abstain solong as he is here with us."

  Jim volunteered to abstain for all time, but Higginbotham's moderatecounsels prevailed.

  Deacon Blight thought that the transgressor should be suspended fromoffice pending a fuller investigation. Deacon Higginbotham thought thatit had already been more than fully investigated. Deacon Whaup had neverheard of the affair until this evening, but thought that Mr. Hartiganought to retire during further discussion.

  As soon as Jim was outside, Higginbotham, fully determined to stop allfurther talk, said: "Dr. Jebb, I move we accept the promise Mr. Hartiganhas given and table the whole matter. It is absurd to follow it furtherin the light of what we know--making a big mountain of a very smallmole-hill."

  Blight, however, didn't think so. He argued for delay and for sternmeasures. Dr. Jebb put the motion and it was carried with but onedissenting vote; and so the matter was officially closed. As theydispersed, Dr. Jebb reminded them that the deliberations of the Board ofDeacons were to be considered strictly confidential.

  And Jim went forth with strange and mixed feelings. He was grateful forHigginbotham's determined protection and yet he would have held theBoard in higher respect if it had punished him severely. Such was thenature of the ardent Celt.