ISS GEE'S five years' sojourn in Purdyville had been nothing less than cyclonic. She had deposed the mayor, changed the town's politics, split the Bull Fork Church, not to mention minor whirlwinds. From the day she arrived, a tall, raw-boned woman of thirty, to take possession of the small farm left her by her grandfather, she had been the center of some sort of agitation. After putting her newly acquired property in good condition, she purchased a high-stepping horse, and a shiny new buggy, across the back of which she had painted in bold letters: “Bon Ton Sewing Machines.”
Then, not being content to emulate Solomon's model woman who arose early and went about her business, she proceeded to go about everyone else's business as well. Her first victim was her pastor and next-door neighbor, Dr. Mawkins, whose pig-pen was in unpleasant proximity to her front yard. Heretofore the parson's pigs had been sacrosanct. But Miss Gee was no respecter of persons, ecclesiastical or otherwise. She argued the matter, at first in private, then in the courts. The decision went against her, and she had to console herself with an unsightly spite fence, both sides of which she utilized to advertise the sewing machines for which she was county agent.
Having once gotten on Dr. Mawkins' trail, she stayed there For a quarter of a century he had led his flock, and realizing the difficulty the rich had in entering the kingdom of heaven, he rather specialized on their salvation. As for the poor of his congregation, he believed in keeping them content with flannel petticoats in winter, generous baskets at Christmas, and at all seasons a kind and patronizing word. That word was generally “resignation.”
Miss Gee substituted the word “protest” for “resignation.” In going about the poorer parts of the town and county selling her machines, she lost no chance to incite the proletariat to defend its rights. She urged the people to ask for sewers, for street lights, for paved streets, for more schools. The result was that before long the town's money, which had hitherto flowed to foreign missionary fields, began to go into taxes to meet the long-neglected needs of Purdyville.
The fight between Miss Gee and Dr. Mawkins reached a climax over the Danvers Fund. Philemon Danvers, Purdyville's one rich citizen, had died and left twenty-five thousand dollars to be spent for a cause benefiting the morals and beautifying the aspect of my beloved city.” The committee of five, appointed by the will to handle the fund, were all members of the Bull Fork congregation, and three of them had decided with Dr. Mawkins, that stained-glass windows for the new church might legitimately meet the requirements of the will.
Miss Gee, being the fifth wheel to the cart, refused to turn in the popular direction. She advocated an expenditure of the money that would benefit the whole community. She wanted a creation place for the young people, a hall which would prove a counter-attraction to the pool-rooms. With such stubborn persistency did she hold to her point that already one of the opposing four had been won over to her side.
It was during a heated committee meeting when Dr. Mawkins was trying in his most conciliatory manner to coax her into casting her vote with the majority, that she let fly her famous insult. She called him “Old Molasses Jug!” It was a dreadful thing to say to a round, stout dignitary whose favorite motto was “Sweetness and light.” It was an appellation calculated to echo hollowly not only in his own mind, but in that of his listeners as well, whenever the accustomed flow of verbal sweetness began to pour across his lips.
From that time on Miss Gee found herself equally unpopular with the Stained Glass contingent and with the People's Hall advocates. According to Purdyville standards she was not a perfect lady. Instead of attending missionary meetings and sewing societies, and occupying herself in collecting money for the church, she was always bringing up new and disturbing questions that had nothing whatever to do with religion. She seemed to belong to every organization in existence that militated against personal liberty. She objected to a man's beating his own horse; she reported women who chose to keep their own children home from school; she was as keen after a bootlegger is a hound after a hare.