it sighed to silence a phrase or two behind the congregation??? 1) Deacon Hurd began to laugh. “The way I heard it, you were trying to wash blood off your shirt. You know, son, you’ll learn that living in Maine is living more like a man than down in some easy city. But you have to be smart, too. You don’t want to start throwing punches at someone a whole lot bigger than you—not if you don’t want to get knocked around.” I would like to know what does "living more like a man " mean. Thanks. 2) The organ turned to a melancholy last hymn, playing too slowly; after four verses, it sighed to silence a phrase or two behind the congregation. I would like to know what does "it sighed to silence a phrase or two behind the congregation" mean. Thanks.