What's your errant? Do you want apples? Or cider? Or what? Speak
out, or GIT out, one or t'other."

Emma Jane, who had wrung her handkerchief into a clammy ball,
gave it a last despairing wrench, and faltered: "Wouldn't you
like--hadn't you better--don't you think you'd ought to be more
constant at meeting and Sabbath school?"

Jacob's axe almost dropped from his nerveless hand, and he
regarded the Daughter of Zion with unspeakable rage and disdain.
Then, the blood mounting in his face, he gathered himself
together, and shouted: "You take yourself off that log and out o'
this dooryard double-quick, you imperdent sanct'omus young one!
You just let me ketch Bill Perkins' child trying to teach me
where I shall go, at my age! Scuttle, I tell ye! And if I see
your pious cantin' little mug inside my fence ag'in on sech a
business I'll chase ye down the hill or set the dog on ye! SCOOT,
I TELL YE!"

Emma Jane obeyed orders summarily, taking herself off the log,
out the dooryard, and otherwise scuttling and scooting down the
hill at a pace never contemplated even by Jacob Moody, who stood
regarding her flying heels with a sardonic grin.

Down she stumbled, the tears coursing over her cheeks and
mingling with the dust of her flight; blighted hope, shame, fear,
rage, all tearing her bosom in turn, till with a hysterical
shriek she fell over the bars and into Rebecca's arms
outstretched to receive her. The other Daughters wiped her eyes
and supported her almost fainting form, while Thirza, thoroughly