Then she led the way downstairs. There were enough members of the
immediate family to pack the front rooms of the house, the
neighbours filled the dining room and dooryard. The church choir
sang a hymn in front of the house, the minister stood on the front
steps and read a chapter, and told where Mr. Bates had been born,
married, the size of his family and possessions, said he was a
good father, an honest neighbour, and very sensibly left his
future with his God. Then the choir sang again and all started to
their conveyances. As the breaking up began outside, Mrs. Bates
arose and stepped to the foot of the casket. She steadied herself
by it and said: "Some time back, I promised Pa that if he went
before I did, at this time in his funeral ceremony I would set his
black tin box on the foot of his coffin and unlock before all of
you, and in the order in which they lay, beginning with Adam, Jr.,
hand each of you boys the deed Pa had made you for the land you
live on. You all know WHAT happened. None of you know just HOW.
It wouldn't bring the deeds BACK if you did. They're gone. But I
want you boys to follow your father to his grave with nothing in
your hearts against HIM. He was all for the men. I don't ever
want to hear any of you criticize him about this, or me, either.
He did his best to make you upstanding men in your community, his
one failing being that he liked being an upstanding man himself so
well that he carried it too far; but his intentions was the best.
As for me, I'd no idea how sick he was, and nobody else did. I
minded him just like all the rest of you always did; the BOYS
especially. From the church I want all of you to go home until
to-morrow morning, and then I want my sons and daughters by BIRTH
only, to come here, and we'll talk things over, quietly, QUIETLY,
mind you; and decide what to do. Katie, will you come with me?"
It was not quite a tearless funeral. Some of the daughters-in-law
wept from nervous excitement; and some of the little children
cried with fear, but there were no tears from the wife of Adam
Bates, or his sons and daughters. And when he was left to the
mercies of time, all of them followed Mrs. Bates' orders, except
Nancy Ellen and Robert, who stopped to help Kate with the dinner.
Kate slipped into her second dress and went to work. Mrs. Bates
untied her bonnet strings and unfastened her dress neck as they
started home. She unbuttoned her waist going up the back walk and
pulled it off at the door.