CHAPTER XIV

tyyears,washandsomestill,inastately,patriarchalmanner.Histremendousbeard,fallingdownoverhisblueflannelshirt,wasstillaflaming,untouchedred,thoughhisshockofhairwaswhiteassnow,andhiseyeswereafiery,youthfulblue.Hisenormous,reddish-whiteeyebrowsweremorelikemoustachesthaneyebrows.Perhapsthiswaswhyhealwayskepthisupperlipscrupulouslyshaved.Hischeekswereredandhisnoseoughttohavebeen,butwasn’t.Itwasafine,upstanding,aquilinenose,suchasthenoblestRomanofthemallmighthaverejoicedin.Abelwassixfeettwoinhisstockings,broad-shouldered,lean-hipped.Inhisyouthhehadbeenafamouslover,findingallwomentoocharmingtobindhimselftoone.Hisyearshadbeenawild,colourfulpanoramaoffolliesandadventures,gallantries,fortunesandmisfortunes.Hehadbeenforty-fivebeforehemarried—aprettyslipofagirlwhomhisgoings-onkilledinafewyears.Abelwaspiouslydrunkatherfuneralandinsistedonrepeatingthefifty-fifthchapterofIsaiah—AbelknewmostoftheBibleandallthePsalmsbyheart—whiletheminister,whomhedisliked,prayedortriedtopray.Thereafterhishousewasrunbyanuntidyoldcousinwhocookedhismealsandkeptthingsgoingafterafashion.InthisunpromisingenvironmentlittleCeciliaGayhadgrownup. Valancyhadknown“CissyGay”fairlywellinthedemocracyofthepublicschool,thoughCissyhadbeenthreeyearsyoungerthanshe.Aftertheyleftschooltheirpathsdivergedandshehadseennothingofher.OldAbelwasaPresbyterian.Thatis,hegotaPresbyterianpreachertomarryhim,baptisehischildandburyhiswifeandheknewmoreaboutPresbyteriantheologythanmostministers,whichmadehimaterrortotheminarguments.ButRoaringAbelneverwenttochurch.EveryPresbyterianministerwhohadbeeninDeerwoodhadtriedhishand—once—atreformingRoaringAbel.Buthehadnotbeenpesteredoflate.Rev.Mr.BentlyhadbeeninDeerwoodforeightyears,buthehadnotsoughtoutRoaringAbelsincethefirstthreemonthsofhispastorate.HehadcalledonRoaringAbelthenandfoundhiminthetheologicalstageofdrunkenness—whichalwaysfollowedthesentimentalmaudlinone,andprecededtheroaring,blasphemousone.Theeloquentlyprayerfulone,inwhichherealisedhim