Read Online The First Book of the Pure by Don Dewey - Free Book Online Page B

good
girl.”
    Mary gave both Alice and Sarah a warm smile.
“Tis a lesson we all need. Too many are afraid to simply live. We
shy away from anything which even smacks of possible taint. Sarah
did nothing wrong.”
    They agreed to disagree, and continued to
chat for a long while, enjoying the freedom of their conversation.
Mary was thinking they could become good friends over time, and she
hadn’t had any friends in quite a long while.
     
    ***
     
    To her amazement, Mary received a visit two
days later from the vicar. His concern was that she’d demonstrated
the ability to move objects with her mind, or more likely, with the
aid of an unseen demon. Her response to him was less than
cordial.
    “Have you taken leave of your senses, sir?
What are you talking about?”
    “Well,” he said with a tinge of
embarrassment, “the incident in the store two days past. Alice
Parker and her daughter were there, and the shopkeeper. You
admitted to tipping over a basket, yet the shopkeeper swears that
you didn’t touch it.” The stern old man was not terribly
comfortable with this issue, she was certain. His narrow chin
quivered, and his cheeks were aflame. Looking down, he continued,
“He didn’t formally accuse you, but he thought I should be aware of
it.”
    “Well, now you are,” quipped Mary. “And being
made a fool of as well. Must you listen to people like that?”
    “People like that are the town.
Salem’s made up of people like that, wanting to make sure we’re
righteous, and don’t fall into sin. It’s my duty to pursue it. So sorry if that causes you any distress.” He said with an
exaggerated tone that made it clear that the vicar believed she was
wrong about it all.
    The following week Mary went to share the
conversation with Alice. At tea she made her declaration. “The men
who run this town are idiots!”
    “Mayhap,” Alice agreed, “but they do run it. It ill behooves us to make waves. Best to just let it go
and try to live in peace.”
    “You mean to live as the men say we should
live,” Mary said in a bitter tone. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. We’ll
simply have to disagree. But Alice, what about your little girl
Sarah? How can you let her accept such a terrible way of life? As a
girl she may never have real freedom, or be able to direct her own
life. Have you considered that?”
    “Oh Mary, you’re a dreamer. The world will
never be as you think it should be. Sarah’s best hope is to marry a
man who will provide for her and give her a stable life and treat
her well. We can expect no more.”
    Mary reached across the table and took
Alice’s hands in her own small ones. “I’ve daughters too, and I
know they’ll never be what they might have been.” Tears welled up
as she spoke, “They live in a world made for men, by men, and have little chance to use their skills and minds to their
fullest potential. My own girls never understood that either, and
I’m afraid back then I didn’t understand it completely myself.”
    Alice pulled her hands away and patted Mary
on the top of one hand. “You have a good heart Mary, but we’ll
never live to see the world you see in your dreams. Leave Sarah to
me to raise, please, and I’ll do my best.” She smiled a sad smile
of the defeated who try to make the best of their bad
situation.
    Mary wiped her tears on the lace of her
sleeve and nodded, realizing she could never get Alice to see what
might have been. The smile Alice gave her wasn’t one of contentment
and acceptance, but of resignation and hopelessness.
    After she returned to her home she sat for a
long time, starring out the window at the town, wondering about her
daughters she would never see again. Were they alive, were they
safe, and were they happy? Someday she desperately wanted a
child to raise; one who could know about her life and could live
her own life without fear and abuse. Silently she sat and stared at
nothing, tears running down her