"Papa, you recall what we did when that old cow stayed next to us all night?"
"Come firstlight, we milked a bit of her. So you could have a cup of fresh warm milk for breakfast. And I could have a spoonful for my coffee."
"Was that stealing, Papa?"
"Not hardly. Were it my cow, I'd share with others. And we didn't take but a glass. It weren't as though we stripped her dry." (3.96-99)
When you need help (or when you need a quick cup of milk in the morning), you can reasonably expect a little help from your neighbors. Is this idea unique to Papa in the book?
Quote 14
"Is that really your little girl in the coffin?"
"It is, Robert. And if it's all right with you and your pa, I'm going to bury her in Hillman land. With a Hillman name."
"I guess that's proper," I said, and sort of went off to sleep. (8.63-65)
Hillman is setting things right by finally claiming the dead baby as his own, accepting her publicly into the community of his family. By not owning up to the relationship initially, he had committed a sin against God, yes, but also against the rules of the community. Double whammy.
Quote 15
All this talk of hogs and dollars and meat and banks was rolling around inside my head with no direction. It didn't quite sound Christian to me, but then I suppose that everyone in the world didn't all live strict by the Book of Shaker.
"But we're Plain People, sir. It may not be right to want for so much."
"Nonsense, boy. Bess and I are fearing Christians, same as you." (13.68-70)
Rob is afraid that having too much in the way of material comfort will disagree with his standing as a good Shaker. We're going to bet he's not in any danger of that anytime soon. P.S. Check out our section on "Setting" for more on the Shaker way of life.