departed on an unwilling journey to Moderation, his object being
to press the collection of some accounts too long overdue. There
was something tragic in the fact, Waitstill thought, that
whenever her father left the village for a whole day, life at
once grew brighter, easier, more hopeful. One could breathe
freely, speak one's heart out, believe in the future, when father
was away.

The girls had harbored many delightful plans at early breakfast.
As it was Saturday, Patty could catch little Rod Boynton, if he
came to the bridge on errands as usual; and if Ivory could spare
him for an hour at noon they would take their luncheon and eat it
together on the river-bank as Patty had promised him. At the last
moment, however, Deacon Baxter had turned around in the wagon and
said: "Patience, you go down to the store and have a regular
house-cleanin' in the stock-room. Git Cephas to lift what you
can't lift yourself, move everything in the place, sweep and dust
it, scrub the floor, wash the winder, and make room for the new
stuff that they'11 bring up from Mill-town 'bout noon. If you
have any time left over, put new papers on the shelves out front,
and clean up and fix the show winder. Don't stand round gabbin'
with Cephas, and see't he don't waste time that's paid for by me.
Tell him he might clean up the terbaccer stains round the stove,
black it, and cover it up for the summer if he ain't too busy
servin' cust'mers."

"The whole day spoiled!" wailed Patty, flinging herself down in
the kitchen rocker. "Father's powers of invention beat anything I
ever saw!