 | CHAPTER IV. Dukesborough tales |  |
4. CHAPTER IV.
Mrs. Melvina Hodge being destined for a more distinguished
part in the Lively Investigations than might have been supposed
at first, I feel as if I ought to mention a few of her antecedents.
She resided near Rocky Creek, about a mile from Dukesborough.
Some years before the occurrence I am now narrating she was
Miss Melvina Perkins, or rather Miss Malviny Perkins, as she preferred
to be called. Judging from what she was now, she must
have been good-looking in those early years. She had been married
first to a Mr. Simmons, who, as we have heard Mr. Bill Williams
say, was related to his family. Some five or six summers had passed
since this first marriage when Mr. Simmons died. However ardently
this gentleman may have been beloved in his life-time, the grief which
his departure produced did not seem to be incurable. It yielded to
Time the comforter, and in about another year her name was again
changed, and she became Mrs. Malviny Hodge.
Persons familiar with her history used to remark upon the different
appearances which this lady exhibited according as she was or was
not in the married estate. As Miss Perkins and as the widow
Simmons, she was neat in her person and cheerful in her spirits to a
degree that might be called quite gay; whereas in the marriage relation
she was often spoken of as negligent both in her dress and her housekeeping,
and was generally regarded as being hard to please, especially
by him whose business it was and whose pleasure it ought to
have been to please her the most. Mr. Daniel Hodge had frequently
noticed her with her first husband, and apparently had not seen very
much to admire. The truth was he had rather pitied poor Simmons,
or thought he had. But when about three or four months after the
latter's death he happened to meet his widow, Mr. Hodge saw such
remarkable changes that he concluded he must have grossly misjudged
her. A more extended acquaintance, in which she grew more and
more affable and sprightly and generally taking in her ways, tended
to raise a suspicion in his mind that so far as his previous judgment
of her was concerned it was about as good as if during all that time
he had been a fool. Mrs. Malviny Simmons had a way of arranging
a white cape around her neck and shoulders, which with her black
frock had a fine effect upon Mr. Hodge. This is a great art. I have
feel that I am not insensible to the charm of such a contrast in
dressing among women, who having been in great affliction for losses,
have grown to indulge some desire to repair them in ways that are
innocent.
This new appreciation of Mrs. Simmons increased with a rapidity
that actually astonished Mr. Hodge; the more because he had frequently
said that if he ever should marry it certainly would not be to
a widow. But we all know what such talk as that amounts to. In
the case of Mr. Hodge it was not long before he began to consider
with himself whether the best thing he could do for himself might not
be to hint his admiration of that white cape and black frock in such
a way as might lead to other conversation after a while; for he had a
house of his own, a hundred acres of land, and three or four negroes;
and he was about thirty years old. I say he began to consider; he
had not fully made up his mind. True, he needed a housekeeper.
But he remembered that the housekeeping at Simmons's in his life-time
was not as it ought to have been. His memory on this point, however,
became less and less distinct; and when he thought upon it at
all he was getting into the habit of late of laying all the blame upon
Simmons. To be sure, poor Simmons was in his grave, and it
wouldn't look right to talk much about his defects, either of character
or general domestic management. Mr. Hodge was a prudent man
about such matters generally, and always wished to do as he would
be done by. But he could but reflect that Simmons, though a good
enough fellow in his way, was not only rather a poor manager, but
not the sort of a man to inspire a woman, especially such a one as
Mrs. Malviny Simmons now evidently appeared to be, to exert her
full powers whether in housekeeping or anything else. In thinking
upon the case Mr. Hodge believed that justice should be done to the
living as well as the dead, and that in the married life much depended
upon the man. This view of the case gradually grew to be very
satisfactory, and even right sweet to take. Not that he would think
of doing injustice to Simmons, even in his grave; but facts were
facts, and justice was justice; and it was now certainly too late to
think about altering the former in the case of Simmons. So poor
Simmons had to lie where he was, and be held to responsibilities that
probably he had not anticipated.
So Mr. Hodge began to consider. He knew there was no harm in
and generally accurate in his judgments. But it was his boast,
and always had been, that whenever he was convinced that he was
wrong he would give it up like a man. This had actually occurred;
not very often, it is true, but sometimes; and he had given it up in
such a way as to confirm him more and more in the assurance that
he was a person who, though little liable to delusion, was remarkably
free from prejudice and obstinacy. Probably the most notable
instance of such freedom that his life had hitherto afforded was the
readiness with which he gave up the erroneous opinions he had
previously formed of Mrs. Malviny Simmons, and put the blame of
what seemed her shortcomings where it belonged.
Mr. Hodge was thus considering the possibility of what he might
propose to do some of these days, say a year hence, when Mrs. Simmons
might reasonably be expected, young as she was, to be taking
other views of life besides those which contemplated merely the past.
Mr. Hodge knew that there was plenty of time for the exercise of the
most matured deliberation. But somehow it happened that he began
to meet the lady much more frequently than heretofore. Mr. Simmons
having left his wife in very limited circumstances, she resided
alternately with one and another of her own and his relations. These
people, though kind, yet seemed all to be more than willing that Mr.
Hodge should have the benefit of any amount of her society. The
consequence was that Mr. Hodge, having such opportunities, was
enabled the sooner to bring all his thoughts to a head; not that he
contemplated immediate action, but was becoming more and more
fond of musing upon future possibilities. But one day he had looked
upon the white cape and the black frock until he was led to express
himself in terms that implied admiration. It was intended merely as
a hint of what might come some of these days. One word brought
on another. It would be impossible to describe how Mrs. Malviny
Simmons looked and how she talked. Mr. Hodge was not a man of
many words, and it gratified him when she assisted and accelerated
his thoughts, and even almost put into his mouth the very words
which, though not intending such a thing just then, he had been considering
that he might employ some of these days. Things went on
with such rapidity that before Mr. Hodge knew what he was about he
had the cape in his arms, and was assured that it and the person it
belonged to were his now and forever, “yea, if it might be for a
thousand year.”
Surely, thought Mr. Hodge, no man since the days of Adam in the
garden had ever made so tremendous an impression upon a woman.
He did not know that it was in him to make such an impression.
However, we don't know ourselves, he reflected; and there is a difference
in men just as in everything else.
One week from that day Mr. Hodge succeeded to Mr. Simmons,
and Mrs. Malviny went to keep house for Mr. Hodge on Rocky Creek.
There was little in the married life of Mr. and Mrs. Hodge that
would be very interesting to relate. I before intimated that Mrs.
Malviny was most interesting in those seasons when she was
unmarried. The beginning was splendid, but the splendor was
evanescent. Mr. Hodge was surprised to notice how soon his wife
relapsed into the old ways and the old looks. He never should have
expected to see that woman down at the heels. But the laying aside
the black frock and putting on colors seemed to have had a depressing
influence upon her tastes. As for the housekeeping, Mr. Hodge
had to admit to himself that plain as things were when old Aunt
Dilcy, his negro woman, attended to them, they were not as
well ordered now. Then Mr. Hodge found that, in spite of his
conscious superiority to her former husband, he had apparently no
greater success in his efforts to please. At this Mr. Hodge gradually
began to feel somewhat disgusted. He never had thought much
about Simmons in his life-time; now his mind would frequently revert
to him, and he began to suspect that Simmons was a cleverer man
than he had credit for. It seemed strange and somewhat pitiful
generally that he should have died so young.
But Mr. Hodge knew as well as anybody that matters could
not be altered now, and he determined to do the best he could.
He worked away at his farm, and in spite of difficulties made and
laid up a little something every year. No children were born of the
marriage; but he did not complain. They had been married several
years when the parents of Susan Temple having died and left her with
nothing, the relatives generally thought that as Mr. Hodge, who was
as near akin to her as any, and who had no children of his own,
ought to give her a home. Susan was just grown up, and though
plain was a very industrious girl. Mr. Hodge suggested to his wife
that as the business of housekeeping seemed rather troublesome they
might take Susan for that business, giving her board and clothes as
compensation. At first Mrs. Hodge came out violently against it.
of her husband. He was, therefore, not surprised; and indeed was
not seriously disappointed, as he was acting mostly for the purpose
of satisfying his conscience regarding his orphaned relative. He
said nothing more upon the subject then; indeed, he had been ever
a man of but few words, and since his marriage he had grown more
so. Mr. Hodge had seemed to find from experience that the more
talking he did the less influence he had. Words, he found, were not
the things to employ when he wanted her to do even necessary offices.
After all his previous disclaimers to that end, Mr. Hodge was suspected
by more persons than one of having some obstinacy; and it grew with
the lapse of time. He kept his pocket-book in his pocket, and his
own fingers opened and shut it. Mrs. Hodge maintained to his face
that he was hard-headed as a mule and too stingy to live. He
appeared to her most obstinate when she would labor in vain to lead
him into discussions upon the justice of her causes of complaint
against him generally. One day she did a thing which Mr. Hodge
had been once as far from foreseeing as any man who ever married
another's widow. Mr. Simmons, with all his imperfections, was a
man who would sometimes allow to his wife the satisfaction of leading
him into a little domestic quarrel, and to make it interesting would
try to give back as good as he got, so to speak. I am well aware
that such an expression is not warranted by good usage; but I cannot
stop now to look for a better. Besides, I think that some liberty of
expression ought to be allowed to a man at my time of life.
However, to return to Mrs. Hodge. One day when Mr. Hodge
was about finishing his dinner, his wife, who had finished hers some
time ago, having but a poor appetite on that occasion, was complaining
in general terms of her own hard lot. Mr. Hodge ate away and
said nothing. Once he did look up towards her as he reached his
hand to break another piece of bread; and as he contemplated his
wife's head for a moment, he thought to himself if she would give it a
good combing the probability was that she would feel better. But he
said nothing. The lady did expect from his looks that he was going
for one time to join in the striving which had hitherto been altogether
on one side. Finding herself disappointed, she brought forth a sigh
quite audible, and evidently hinted a more tender regret for the late
Mr. Simmons than she had exhibited even in the first period of her
affliction for his loss. She did not exactly name Mr. Simmons, but
'em and be good to 'em; and that some people used to have 'em, but
they was dead and gone now; and people didn't have 'em in these
days — no, not even to talk to 'em. And then Mrs. Hodge gently
declined her head, gave a melancholy sniff with her nose, and looked
into her plate as if it were a grave and she were hopelessly endeavoring
to hold conversation with its occupant. Mr. Hodge was on his
last mouthful. He stopped chewing for a moment and looked at his
wife, then he gave a swallow and thus answered:
“Oh! you speakin about Simmons. Yes, Simmons war a right
good feller; pity he died so young. Ef Simmons had not a died so
young, some people might a been better off.”
And then Mr. Hodge rose, put on his hat, and walked to Dukesborough
and back. When he returned, Mrs. Hodge was in better
humor than she had been for weeks and weeks.
| CHAPTER IV. Dukesborough tales | |