hope Deacon Turner didn't see me. I guess he's 'way ahead of us. I
want to run and swing my arms; but I won't, because it is God's holy
day."

On the way they overtook Sally Potter, whose jockey was dented and
faded; and Patty said, "Good morning, Sally," with quite an air. But
when Linda Chase came along, and her new red bosom-pin shone out in the
sun, Patty's heart died within her.

"S'pose Linda don't know some folks don't like to see little girls wear
bosom-pins," thought she.

When they reached the meeting-house Mrs. Potter was just alighting upon
a horse-block. "Good morning, Linda," said she; "and how do _you_ do,
Patty, my dear?"

"H'm! She didn't say '_Linda_, my dear.' Guess she don't like
bosom-pins," thought Patty; and her silly heart danced up again.

"O, but I know why Mrs. Chase says 'Patty, my dear;' it's because
I--well, she s'poses I gave that dollar to the girl that her father was
drunk."

And I am glad to say Patty blushed.

The meeting-house was an unpainted building with two doors. As they
walked in at the left door, their feet made a loud sound on the floor,
which was without a carpet. There were galleries on each side of the
house, and indeed the pulpit was in a gallery, up, up, ever so high,
with a sounding-board over the preacher's head. Right in the middle of
the church was a box stove, but you could see that it was not half large
enough to heat the house. Of course there was no fire in it now, for it
was midsummer; but in the winter ladies had to carry foot-stoves full
of live coals to keep their feet warm in their pews.

Squire Lyman's pew was very near the pulpit, and was always pretty well
filled. Like the rest of the great square boxes,--for that was what they
looked like,--the seat was so high that Patty's scarlet shoes dangled in
the air ever so far from the floor.

At precisely ten o'clock, Elder Lovejoy walked feebly up the aisle, and
climbed the pulpit stairs. Patty watched him, as if he had been one of
Jacob's angels ascending the ladder. He was a tall, thin man, with a
fair complexion and long features. He wore a large turned-down collar
and a white neckerchief, stuffed round the throat with what was called a
pudding, and the ends of the neckerchief were so very long that they
hung half way down his vest. Everybody loved Elder Lovejoy, for he was
very good; but Patty thought him more than human. He seemed to her very
far off, and sacred, like King Solomon or King David;