Illness detained him for a month
against his will, but at the end of that time he had joined the Community; and
although it had been twenty-five years since his gathering in, he was still
steadfast in the faith.
His character was of puritanical sternness; he was a strict disciplinarian,
and insisted upon obedience to the rules of Shaker life, "the sacred laws of
Zion," as he was wont to term them. He magnified his office, yet he was of a
kindly disposition easily approached by children, and not without a quaint
old-time humor.
There was a long pause while the two faithful leaders of the little flock were
absorbed in thought; then the Elder said: "Susanna's all you say, and the
child, well, if she could be purged of her dross, I never saw a creature
better fitted to live the celestial life; but we must not harbor any divided
hearts here. When the time comes, we must dismiss her with our blessing."
"Yee, I suppose so," said Eldress Abby, loyally, but it was with a sigh. Had
she and Tabitha been left to their own instincts, they would have gone out
into the highways and hedges, proselyting with the fervor of Mother Ann's day
and generation.
"After all, Abby," said the Elder, rising to take his leave, still in a sort
of mild trance,"after all, Abby, I suppose the Shakers don't own the whole of
heaven.
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