What I told Dorcas : a story for mission workers

Front matter

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

MRS. ATHELING AND PHILEMON. (Page 18.)

Preface

The form adopted in writing u What I Told Dorcas n was suggested by seeing, in my many years 7 association with missionary societies of different denominations, the need of a book for reading aloud at their meetings — a lively, suggestive, continued story, yet so constructed as to be read satisfactorily in monthly instalments.

Being the opposite of sectarian, it seeks to unite all denominations in the noble work of missions, and, it is hoped, will not only prove acceptable to missionary, literary, and sewing societies, but to Sunday-school and other libraries, and to all the dear home circles into which it may enter. M. E. I.

Washington, D. C.

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

I. Mrs. Atheling Joins a Missionary Society 7

II. Mrs. Atheling’s Membership Fee 22

Chapter I

MRS. ATHELING JOINS A MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

“ Good-evening, Dorcas. I hope I shall not hinder any school work you may have on hand by staying an hour or two with you. Philemon went to a political meeting in the village, and I came with him, for I must tell you of the missionary society we organized at the parsonage last week.

“ But first I will mention how glad we are to have you again in your old home after your long absence, and glad you secured the

WHAT I TOLD DORCAS.

position of teacher in the school where we were once pnpils.

“ Yes, Dorcas, you will find many changes ; the majority of our old schoolmates have left the neighborhood, the most mischievous urchin is now a missionary in Africa, and the dunce of the school is a judge in Montana.

u A few of them, however, live in their old homesteads ; among them Mary Slocum— now widowed ; Zedekiah Granger, whose farm adjoins ours ; and Sarah Petticord, whom you knew as Sarah Cassimere. She and Simeon live in the old Cassimere home, which was, and is, the finest farm in the neighborhood.

11 Speaking of Sarah reminds me of the missionary meeting, and I will proceed to say that about a dozen of us were on hand, not one of whom had ever been at a missionary meeting ; and we knew no more about organizing one than would the poor heathen creatures we were going to Christianize. However, the minister and his wife, we hoped, would lead the way, and we were more than willing to follow.

FORMING A MISSIONARY SOCIETY.

“When we were seated in the. parsonage parlor we found that poor Mrs. Chamberlain had one of her terrible spells of neuralgia, and had been in bed all the morning. She managed, however, to creep down to the parlor with the help of Mr. Chamberlain, but hadn’t been seated a minute until her face turned as white as a sheet of paper, and she was so faint that she had to be almost carried back ; and thus one of our leaders had fallen before the skirmish commenced.

“Well, as soon as Mr. Chamberlain came back, the meeting was called to order, and he remarked that the first business was to elect a president.

“ 1 Some one of you ladies/ said he , 1 can nominate the one you consider the most suitable for the position, and we can then put it to vote.’

“He looked around at each of us, and we looked at one another, but nobody spoke.

“ 1 1 hope some lady will select a name/ continued Mr. Chamberlain, looking inquiringly at me.

WHAT I TOLD DORCAS.

“ 1 Maybe Mrs. Chamberlain wouldn’t mind serving/ said I.

u I could see that all the women were glad of their escape, and I felt my face flush with satisfaction that my very first speech in public was such a success.

u But it didn’t stay a success, for Mr. Chamberlain asked to have her excused, saying that her attacks of neuralgia were so frequent that it would not be doing justice to herself nor the society to attempt to fill the position 5 and we agreed in our minds that he was right.

“ 1 Please select another name, ladies/ said he, looking again at me.

Maybe Sister Petticord wouldn’t mind being president/ said I, looking at Sarah, who didn’t give the least sign but what it was the very honor she was longing for ; so I flushed again as I said to myself, 1 Matilda Atheling, no matter how useful you are in other directions, in a missionary meeting you are certainly a power.’

“ What made me so proud of my choice was that I was satisfied in my own mind that if any woman looked a president — or a princess, or an empress, for that matter — Sarah Petticord is that one ; she is so calm and stately, handsome and dignified.

11 And looks isn’t .all, either ; for she accomplishes more in her easy, quiet way than any two women I know. When she takes hold of a Sunday-school, public library, debating society, sewing-class, or anything else, it is bound to succeed ; so I knew that our missionary society couldn’t be in safer hands, and complimented myself again upon my shrewdness.

a 1 Who will second the motion ? ’ continued our minister.

“ I was so set up with my success as a wirepuller that I was about to give a lift in that direction also, but was saved by poor, timid little Mrs. Primrose piping out 4 1 do,’ her face scarlet at hearing her voice in meeting.

“ ‘ It is moved and seconded that Mrs. Pet-

WHAT I TOLD DORCAS.

ticord be president/ said Mr. Chamberlain. ‘ All in favor will please say “ Aye ! ” ’

u Everybody responded except Sarah 5 she was silent, calm, and sweet, her fair face turned slightly upward, as her beautiful darkblue eyes rested upon a picture over the piano.

“ 1 All opposed say “ Np ! ” ’ continued Mr. Chamberlain.

“ ‘ No ! ’ said Sarah.

“'Won’t you accept the position, Mrs. Petticord?’ inquired our minister, in surprise.

‘"No/ replied she; 'I know nothing of mission work, and am not willing to usurp the place of some member who might manage better. I will not take the lead in anything of which I am ignorant.’

"No, Dorcas, we didn’t urge; we knew it would be useless, for Sarah’s refusal was as unanimous, as one may say, as her election. She meant wdiat she said and said what she meant ; and we who knew her well should have known that she would let us nominate and elect her and not inform us that she wouldn’t serve unless we asked her the question. That is her way.

“It called to mind the time that Sarah Cassimere and myself were chosen leaders in a spelling-match. She was, as you know, the brightest girl in school, and always chosen for leader by the side lucky enough to have first choice. I knew that, ten chances to one, she would spell me and all the followers on both sides to them desks, and keep the floor as long as the teacher’s patience held out to give her words.

“Well, after a time our side was spelling hers down in a surprising and highly satisfactory way ; but Sarah didn’t give the least sign that she cared or even noticed that her spellers were deserting her, but was, as usual, smiling and serene.

“Presently the word 1 serge’ came to me.

“ 1 S-u-r-g-e,’ said I, without a shadow of misgiving.

“ 4 S-e-r-g-e,’ corrected Sarah, promptly.

WHAT I TOLD DORCAS.

“ ‘ Sarah is right/ said the teacher, looking at me.

“ ‘ 1 never heard of it being spelled in that way/ said I, reddening, yet certain I was correct.

“ ‘ I am to blame for your mistake, Matilda/ said the teacher, kindly j ‘ I should have mentioned that two words of different meanings are pronounced the same way ; to which did you allude 1 7

“ ‘ Why, to the dark, rolling surge/ replied I, recalling the words of an old song.

“‘Well/ said Sarah, ‘this is not the rolling article ; it is stationary cassimere. 7

“ The teacher smiled and the scholars giggled at Sarah’s pun on her own name • but I was in no humor for fun — instead, was growing angry over my mistake, while Sarah stood serene and pretty as a picture.

“ ‘ East 7 was the next word given me.

“ ‘ Y-e-a-s-t/ said I, confidently.

“ ‘ E-a-s-t/ corrected Sarah, quickly.

“ ‘ There are two words pronounced that way ! 7 exclaimed I, flushing deeply ; ‘ I mean the other one. 7

“ 1 What east did you mean, Matilda ? 7 inquired the teacher.

“ 4 The kind you put in bread-dough to make it rise, 7 1 said, defiantly.

“ 1 It wouldn’t rise unless you sounded the y] said Sarah. 1 Make it yeast and you will help your bread to rise ; give the sun east and he will help himself. 7

“There was a shout of laughter from the scholars, and while the teacher was rebuking them I went to my seat ; and from that day to this, when speaking of rising for bread, I take Sarah’s advice and give it a y.

“Well, I watched Sarah spelling with the certainty of a machine ; and after a time the word 1 lie 7 came to her, and she spelled it 1-i-e.

“Now I had gone back to my seat, and hadn’t any right to say a word ; but before I could think of that I called out ‘ L-y-e, lie. 7

“The spelling was interrupted, and the whole school looked *at Sarah to see how she

WHAT I TOLD DORCAS.

took it. She made no response, nor did she show by the quiver of an eyelid that she heard me.

“ 1 There is but one kind of “ lye n in this lesson/ said I, angrily, ‘and that is the one used in making soap, and not the kind which Sarah is acting by standing there instead of sitting at her desk as I am doing/

“ ‘No, Matilda/ said the teacher, 4 there are two “lies” in this lesson ; but the one I gave Sarah is the one used in making soap, so as to that point you are right/

u There wasn’t a girl in school except Sarah but would have gone to her seat, or argued that the teacher should have mentioned the kind of 1 lie ’ she gave out ; but that was not Sarah’s way. She just stood there as placid as a summer sea, waiting her turn to spell, and when it came, spelling right; and her side beat mine, as I was sure it would.

“Well, to proceed with the missionary meeting. We found that being president of one was an honor that went begging. Every name there was mentioned, but the owners declined ; and at length it was settled — a little against her will — that Sister Benson was to be president and Mrs. Chamberlain first vice-president, to help her when needed. They elected me second vice-president, and I said nothing against it, knowing the duties of second vice-president of anything aren’t very cumbersome; not that I wish to shirk my share of duty, if I only know what the duty and share are.

“As soon as that point was settled, Mr. Chamberlain said we must appoint committees to visit absent members of the congregation and invite them to join us. There was no trouble in getting names for this ; a list was soon made out, with the places each was to go to. Then we proceeded to the next question, which was that of a membership fee.

“ There was no trouble about that, either, except that some of the women whispered to one another that they didn’t know where the money was to come from.

WHAT I TOLD DORCAS.

u Then the next thing was framing the constitution; and Mr. Chamberlain said, if we requested it, he would prepare it in readiness for the next meeting, to which we were glad to agree.

“ After it had been decided that all succeeding meetings were to be held in the lecture-room of the church, and a lot of little paper mite-boxes had been brought forward for each of us to select one, Mr. Chamberlain read some thrilling accounts of the condition of the poor creatures in heathen countries, and made a touching prayer that we might each and all be faithful workers in the vineyard of mission work ; and the first meeting of the D orton Missionary Society was over, and had been what might be called a success.

“Well, after I got home, and tea was over, Philemon and I took our accustomed seats before the open fire upon the hearth, he with his American Farmer , and I with my knitting. You know, Dorcas, since our son David married and made a home of his own, Philemon and I are alone in the old homestead of the Athelings ; and I am thankful that we have known each other all our lives, and know the same people, for we have so many things to talk of, and are never lonely.

“I mistrusted that missionary meetings would he a subject that Philemon wouldn’t be much at home in; but if I wanted to make him acquainted with it, I must wait for a suitable time to give the introduction, which was when he laid down the paper, took his knife from his pocket, and commenced paring one of the big red apples from the plate at his elbow, throwing the parings into the blaze.

“ Then said I, ‘ Philemon ! ’

“ Said he, ‘Well!’

“ ‘ 1 was at a missionary meeting this afternoon/ said I; ‘it met at the parsonage.’

“ ‘Well, what good did you do?’ remarked he, dryly enough.

“‘We haven’t had time to do any good yet,’ said I ; ‘ the greatest undertaking was to elect a president, but we got it done.’

WHAT I TOLD DORCAS.

“ ‘ And I suppose you have gotten a conviction that you must convert the heathen forthwith.’

u 1 It’s not so much that I have the conviction, Philemon, as that the conviction has me. The subject of missions must be very interesting and popular to have reached Dorton, and now that it is here we want to treat it as well as we can. So we have organized a missionary society, and each of us is to pay a membership fee.’

Where do you calculate to get the money ? ’ inquired Philemon, in his dry business tone.

“ ‘ Why,’ said I, 1 the women who have it of their own will use it, and the women who haven’t will ask their husbands for it, as I intend doing when the time comes.’

“ ‘ But it will take money from our church that is badly needed for repairs — that is what it wall do,’ said he. 1 A new roof must be put on it, or the rain dropping through will loosen the plastering, and the next thing it will fall ;

and new spouting is needed, and lots of other improvements. And there are new books needed for the Sunday-school library; what money I have to spare must go there, and toward repairing the church/

u 1 Yes, Philemon/ said I, 1 you are real good at giving according to your means ; but it was agreed at our meeting that our contributions must not come out of what we lay aside for Sunday-school or any church work whatever ; it must be extra/

u 1 Well, extra or no extra, I haven’t a cent to waste on heathen that I know nothing about and don’t want to know.’ And Philemon took up his paper and went on reading, and I knit away and considered.”

Chapter II

MRS. ATHELING’S MEMBERSHIP FEE.

“Why, good-afternoon, Dorcas. I am so glad that a holiday in your school gave you the opportunity to come to the missionary meeting. And I am glad we both came early ; for we have the lecture-room all to ourselves, and can have a good talk before the others come.

“ Our society is more than a year old, and certainly progressing ; there isn’t one meeting that some new name is not added to the list. And it is wonderful how easily the money for the membership fee and mite-boxes was obtained when we made up our minds that it must be had; and I must tell you how I got mine.

“You know that Philemon is one of the 22 most liberal-minded creatures in the world in proportion to liis means — gives to everything that is asked for in the church, and helps everybody that needs help, so far as he can.

“ I never saw him flinch until I spoke of the money for the missionary society, when he went so far as to say that he wouldn’t give a cent; and I know him well enough not to argue with him at that stage of the business. He takes no interest in the subject, and says there is no need to cross oceans to find heathen ; but let him once be convinced that duty is at the helm, and there will not be a miserly finger to the helping hand that Philemon Atheling will hold out.

“ But that is in the future ; what was to be considered was present needs; and one evening as we were sitting, he with his paper and I with my knitting, I began to think over what I could sell that would bring in enough money to pay my fee and put something in the mite^box.

WHAT I TOLD DORCAS.

“I couldn’t think of anything that could be spared except an old-time patch- work quilt, which had never been used, but kept as a memento of those who had made it more than a hundred years ago.

u I didn’t know of any one who needed a quilt j moreover, I have always noticed when one wants to sell anything everybody is well supplied with that very article.

“All at once it came into my mind that Neighbor Peterson, who was intending to move from the neighborhood, was to have a sale, and maybe would allow my quilt to be sold with his goods.

“ ‘ Philemon,’ said I, when he paused in his reading, and was gazing into the tire as he frequently does.

“ ‘Well?’ said he.

11 1 When is Mr. Peterson to have his sale f ’

u 1 Why, next Thursday. But see here, Matilda, I hope you are not thinking of going. If there is anything I hate more than another it is to see women at sales. They have no business there; they might as well go to elections. 7

u 1 Yes, Philemon, 7 said I, 1 1 suppose they ought to go to elections, but I am not educated up to the point to be sure of it. But I believe that our missionary society will so expand our hearts and enlarge our ideas that we shall consider it a duty to try to reach out a helping hand to our Christian as well as our heathen sisters. I have all the rights I want, but there are plenty of women who haven’t; and I really suppose that we who have kind husbands to protect and care for us should try to get a share in making laws in order to benefit other women. But I am not going to the sale — I only asked the question. 7

“ £ But why did you ask the question ? 7

11 1 Because I wanted to know. 7

“ 1 Well, I was only afraid you wanted to go to bid against yourself, as women generally do at salels. 7

“ ‘ No ; make your mind easy about that, Philemon, 7 said I, laughing in spite of my-

WHAT I TOLD DORCAS.

self. So lie picked up his paper and went on reading.

“Well, the next evening I went to the village to see Mary Bassett, and to ask her brother Sidney, who is auctioneer, if he thought Mr. Peterson would be willing to have a quilt put up for sale among his goods.

“He said he w r as quite sure Mr. Peterson would not object, and all I had to do was to bring it and leave it with Mary j he would see to the rest.

“ ‘ But I fear you will be sorry after it is gone, and wish it back/ said Mary.

“ ‘ Yes, I would rather not part with it/ said I, 1 but I will look upon it as a treasure laid up in heaven . 7 And then knowing that Mary and Sidney had known Philemon all their lives and thought everything of him, I told them the whole story, assured it would go no farther. They both laughed and said, ‘ O Mrs. Atheling, you’ll fetch him around ; he will be going on a mission himself some day . 7

“Well, the next evening, when supper was over, and Philemon was seated by the table with his paper and a plate of mellow apples, I went upstairs for the quilt. It was in a linen sheet in the lower drawer of the bureau in the spare room ; and the tears came into my eyes when I thought of it being the last time I was ever to see it. I thought of the summer days when I was a child visiting at my grandmother’s, when the great event of my day was to look at each scrap of old-time print, and listen to histories of many of them, and wonder how my great-grandmother could have made anything so beautiful when only a few years older than I was then.

u The quilt always retained the fragrance of the roses that my grandmother gathered each June and put with it until the very wood of the bureau was rose-scented , and it seemed, as I gazed upon it, that I could hear the song of the birds in the garden of old-time flowers, and the lazy droning of bees about the eaves of the old stone farm-house.

WHAT I TOLD DORCAS.

u I gazed again upon the piece of the gown my grandmother wore the day she first met the young man who afterward became her husband j the piece of pink-and- white print their first babe wore ; the scrap of the scarlet jacket which guided the frightened parents to the spot amid the ripening wheat where their little boy had lain down to sleep.

u I didn’t tarry long, fearing that I should not be able to part with it; but taking it downstairs I placed it in the hall while I told Philemon I was going up to the village a little while, and then hurried out.

u 1 Have yon set a price upon it, Mrs. Atheling ? 7 asked Sidney, after he and Mary had admired it, and wondered over the exquisite manner in which it had been quilted.

“ ‘ No , 7 said I ; 1 patchwork quilts are old-fashioned, and I cannot expect any one to value it as I do. A handsome white spread can be bought for five dollars ; if I get four and a half for this I shall be well satisfied to have it go, so far as price is concerned . 7

MRS. A REELING’S MEMBERSHIP FEE. 29

“‘You may depend upon my doing the very best I can for it, Mrs. Atheling,’ said Sidney 5 ‘I will not offer it until bidding upon that line of goods becomes spirited. Will you allow me to mention something in regard to its history and mission ? Iam sure it would attract the interest of bidders, which would insure a fair price for it.’

“‘Yes, if you choose, Sidney/ said I; ‘it’s nothing to be ashamed of 5 besides, folks won’t know whose quilt it is.’

“So I went home with the understanding that I was to come the next evening for the money, and resolving that, no matter how much or how little it might be, a half-dollar should be used as a membership fee and all the rest go into the mite-box.

“ In the meantime, Philemon had been exercised in mind in regard to a birthday present for me j for we make it a rule never to let each other’s anniversary pass without some little token of remembrance.

“In his pocket-book were two bright ten-

WHAT I TOLD DORCAS.

dollar gold-pieces ; and lie had intended to go to town the next day — as he afterward told me — and buy something with one of them to have in readiness for my birthday, which came upon the day of the missionary meeting for that month, and the day after the sale at Mr. Peterson’s.

“But that night it poured rain, and the mud which prevented him from driving to town left him at liberty to go to the sale — which was the most successful of the season ; and he resolved to go, and in lieu of the present from town, give me one of the ten-dollar gold-pieces.

“ All the farmers in the neighborhood were there — for nothing could be done upon their land — and bought things they had never thought of buying, just for the fun of bidding against one another.

“ ‘ Now, gentlemen,’ said Sidney, unfolding the quilt and draping it over his arm, 1 1 have here a specimen of antique work which the wives of all of you will want. It was left in my charge to be sold for benevolent purposes. It has prints in it over a century old, and, besides its beauty, has the merit of being always useful and comfortable. Now, gentlemen, to prove that I know a good article when I see it, I will give ten dollars as my first bid. Who will say twelve 1 7

u 1 Twelve dollars ! 7 shouted a voice in the crowd.

u 1 Twelve dollars I have — twelve dollars ! Gentlemen, we will not let this beautiful article go for twelve dollars; I will give fourteen. Fourteen dollars I have — fourteen dollars — fourteen ! 7

11 1 Fifteen dollars ! 7 shouted Philemon ; for the thought came to him that I might be as well pleased with a handsome quilt as anything I could buy.

“ Sidney Bassett smiled and bowed.

“ ‘ Fifteen dollars I have — fifteen dollars — fifteen ! 7

11 ‘ Sixteen ! 7 shouted another voice in the crowd.

WHAT I TOLD DORCAS.

“‘Sixteen dollars I have — sixteen! — Did you say seventeen V — nodding to a farmer standing by.

The farmer gave an affirmative nod.

“ 1 Seventeen dollars I have — seventeen d-o-l-l-a-r-s ! Anybody want a splendid quilt for a mere song ? Eighteen dollars I have — eighteen ! 7

“ ‘ Nineteen ! 7 shouted the voice in the crowd.

“ ‘ Nineteen dollars I have — nineteen dollars — nineteen dollars ! Gentlemen, all done at only nineteen dollars ? 7

u 1 Twenty ! 7 cried Philemon.

“ 1 Twenty dollars I have — twenty dollars ! Gentlemen, the quilt is sold for twenty dollars to Mr. Atheling. Now for the next article . 7

“Although it took both gold-pieces to pay for it, Philemon was delighted with his bargain ; and as soon as the auction was over he pressed his way to Sidney Bassett, paid the money, got a receipt, then asked him to take the quilt home with him and give it into the

MRS. ATH FLING’S MEMBERSHIP FEE. 33 care of Mary, as he wished to surprise me with it the next day as my birthday present. So the old quilt passed a second night under the Bassett roof.

u As soon as supper was over, I went to the village; and Mary said, the minute she saw me, 1 Dear Mrs. Atheling, your quilt did better than we expected ; 7 and she put into my hands the two ten-dollar gold-pieces ;■ and all I could say was, 1 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow . 7 Mary never mentioned who had bought it, and I did not care to ask her; but thanking her for her and Sidney’s kindness, I came home.

“ The next morning Philemon went over to the village ; and when he came back he had a great package in his hand ; and what should it be but the dear old quilt, which had gone out on a mission, and, having accomplished it, returned to its quiet resting-place ! Nothing in the wide world that Philemon could have bought with the gold-pieces would have pleased me more ; and it was his

WIIAT I TOLD DORCAS.

money, after all, that was going into the mite-box.

“That afternoon I went to the meeting of our society, and all the mite-boxes were opened, among them mine with its twenty dollars in gold • and I thought it right to give a little account of it.

“ ‘ Ladies/ said the president, 1 we have spoken of making Sister Atheling our first life-member ; I propose her name to-day.’