Half a Century | Page 6

next the curb, the girls next the fence, all in holiday
attire, and wearing blue badges. The distinguished visitor passed up
between them, leaning on the arm of another gentleman, bowing and
smiling as he went. When he came to where I stood, he stepped aside,
laid his hand on my head, turned up my face and spoke to me.
I was too happy to know what he said, and in all the years since that

day, that hand has lain on my brow as a consecration.


CHAPTER III
.
FATHER'S DEATH.--AGE, 6-12.
In the city we went regularly to meeting, and Dr. Black seemed always
to talk to _me_, and I had no more difficulty in understanding his
sermons, than in mastering the details of the most simple duty. The first
of which I preserve the memory was about Peter, who was made to
illustrate the growth of crime. He began with boasting; then came its
natural fruit, cowardice, in following his master afar off; next falsehood,
and from this he proceeded to perjury. It did seem that a disciple of
Christ could go no further; but for falsehood and perjury there might be
excuse in the hope of reward, and Peter found a lower deep, for "he
began to curse and to swear." A profane swearer is without temptation,
and serves the devil for the pure love of the service. What more could
Peter do to prove that he knew not Jesus?
In the communion service is a ceremony called "fencing the tables,"
which consists of an appeal to the consciences of intended
communicants. Dr. Black began with the first commandment and
forbade those living in its violation to come to the table, and so
proceeded through the decalogue. When he came to the eighth, he
straightened himself, placed his hands behind him, and with thrilling
emphasis said, "I debar from this holy table of the Lord, all
slave-holders and horse-thieves, and other dishonest persons," and
without another word passed to the ninth commandment.
Soon after we returned to the city, sister Mary died of consumption,
and father's health began to fail. I have preserved the spinning wheel on
which mother converted flax yarn into thread, which she sold to aid in
the support of the family, but soon the entire burden fell on her, for
father's illness developed into consumption, from which he died in
March, 1823.
In spite of all the testamentary precautions he could take, whatever of
his estate might have been available for present support, was in the

hands of lawyers, and mother was left with her children and the debts.
There were the contents of his shop and warehouse, some valuable real
estate in Pittsburg, which had passed out of his possession on a claim of
ground-rent, and a village home minus a title.
William was a mechanical genius, so mother set him to making little
chairs, which he readily sold, but he liked better to construct fire
engines, which were quite wonderful but brought no money. He had a
splendid physique, was honorable and faithful, and if mother had been
guided by natural instinct in governing him, all would have been well;
but he never met the requirements of the elders of the church, who felt
it their duty to manage our family affairs. So he was often in trouble,
and I, who gloried in him, contrived to shield him from many a storm.
At this time there was a fashionable furor for lace work. Mother sent
me to learn it, and then procured me pupils, whom I taught, usually
sitting on their knee. But lace work soon gave way to painting on velvet.
This, too, I learned, and found profit in selling pictures. Ah, what
pictures I did make. I reached the culminating glory of artist life, when
Judge Braden, of Butler, gave me a new crisp five dollar bill for a
Goddess of Liberty. Indeed, he wanted me to be educated for an artist,
and was far-seeing and generous enough to have been my permanent
patron, had an artistic education, or any other education, been possible
for a Western Pennsylvania girl in that dark age--the first half of the
nineteenth century.
Mother made a discovery in the art of coloring leghorn and straw
bonnets, which brought her plenty of work, so we never lacked
comforts of life, although grandfather's executors made us pay rent for
the house we occupied.


CHAPTER IV
.
GO TO BOARDING-SCHOOL.--AGE, 12.
During my childhood there were no public schools in Pennsylvania.
The State was pretty well supplied with colleges for boys, while girls
were permitted to go to subscription schools. To these we were sent

part of the time, and in one of them Joseph Caldwell, afterwards a
prominent missionary to India, was a