I went to her standing
by Craig's side as he played for her. 'Ask them to sing,' she entreated;
'I cannot bear it.'
'Mrs. Mavor wishes you to sing in the refrain,' I said, and at once the
men sat up and cleared their throats. The singing was not good, but at
the first sound of the hoarse notes of the men Craig's head went down
over the organ, for he was thinking I suppose of the days before them
when they would long in vain for that thrilling voice that soared high
over their own hoarse tones. And after the voices died away he kept
on playing till, half turning toward him, she sang alone once more the
refrain in a voice low and sweet and tender, as if for him alone. And
so he took it, for he smiled up at her his old smile full of courage and
full of love.
Then for one whole hour she stood saying good-bye to those rough,
gentle-hearted men whose inspiration to goodness she had been for five
years. It was very wonderful and very quiet. It was understood that
there was to be no nonsense, and Abe had been heard to declare that he
would 'throw out any cotton-backed fool who couldn't hold himself down,'
and further, he had enjoined them to remember that 'her arm wasn't a
pump-handle.
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