THE piano remained at the church several days, for the revival effort
was too successful to be discontinued. Night after night Grace played
for saints and sinners, and the minister, who was far too honest
to stretch the truth for the sake of a compliment, told her that
the playing drew more penitents than his prayers and sermons. Caleb
remained faithful to his duties at the store every day, but the sound
of the church bell in the evening made him so manifestly uneasy, and
eager to respond, that Philip volunteered to look after all customers
and loungers who might come in before the customary time for closing.
But customers and loungers were few; for the church was temporarily the
centre of interest to all of the good and bad whose evenings were free.
There was no other place for Philip himself to go after the store was
closed, for was not his wife there? Besides, the work soon began to
tell on Grace; for the meetings were long, and the air of the tightly
packed little church became very stifling, so Philip sometimes relieved
Grace so that she might go to the door for fresh air.
"Do you know what you two have done, with your pianner-playin'?" asked
Caleb, when the revival concluded. "You've not only snatched a lot of
sinners that have been dodgin' ev'rybody else for years, but folks is
so grateful to you that four or five customers of other stores are
goin' to give you their trade the comin' year. I was sure 'twould work
that way, but I didn't like to tell you."
"I'm glad you didn't; for if you had, the music would have stopped
abruptly. There are places to draw the line in advertising one's
business,--my business,--and the church is one of them."
"Good! That's just the way I thought you'd feel, but I'm mighty glad to
know it for sure. Church singin' 'll be mighty dismal, though, when you
take that pianner back home."
As Caleb spoke, he looked beseechingly at Philip, who utterly ignored
the look and maintained an impassive face. Then Caleb transferred his
mute appeal to Grace, who looked troubled and said:--
"There ought to be some way out of it."
"Where there's a will, there's a way," Caleb suggested.