Goode and Mrs. Hansen were stooping down by the church
doorsteps. At first I couldn't imagine what they were doing.
Then, as we got closer, I saw that they had the wall lamps and
tin reflectors lined up on the bottom steps and were cleaning
globes, trimming wicks, and polishing the reflectors.
Mama told Mierd that the Missionary Society had bought extra
oil.
"Y'all gonna light all sixteen lamps, Mama?"
"Every one! After all, it's Christmas Eve!"
As soon as Mama went inside, she and Aunt Lovie started
talking about the sagging old benches. They looked at the one
with the bad bottom.
"It ought'a be either fixed or thrown away," Mama said. She
took hold of one slat and shook it. The whole pew almost fell
apart.
"Every last one of them should be taken out and chopped up
for firewood!" Aunt Lovie declared. "Then we'd have to get new
benches. Pa used to say that when the old church was built the
carpenters just nailed together some scrap lumber to use
temporarily-till the congregation could buy regular pews.
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