PAUL MAKES A START

37

years old; Mr. Gurley's appeal to those who had been baptized in infancy and his warning that it would be worse for them than if they had not been so consecrated to God; Mr. Granger's and Mr. Shore's special appeal on the ground that this was probably the last night that sinners might be expected to come out during the present revival-all these i things but added to the terror that was consuming the boy's strength and driving him wild. He kept saying to himself that he must, must, must do something that very night. But what and how? The thought of getting up there before all those people and "going forward" to the anxious seat scared him almost as much as the thought of going to hell. Yet he must choose between the two then and there; so he decided to "go forward."

When therefore the invitation to the anxious seat was given, Paul made an effort to get past Ned; but Ned did not notice the little fellow's weak push, and this slight obstacle was enough to overcome Paul's faint resolution. There he stood, waiting, half dazed, not knowing what to do. When he realized that the precious moments of opportunity had all slipped away, his heart sank as though all hope were past. It seemed to him that he was now lost forever.

So Paul sat as one in a dream, scarcely seeing or hearing anything, till Higley Doom called Ned Gardner out and undertook to demolish him. Instantly Paul forgot all about himself. Here was his big good friend Ned going straight to destruction; for during the whole time that Ned stood there on the floor Paul suffered anguish almost as keen as though Ned had actually been crushed into a shapeless mass before his eyes.

When Higley Doom called Ned out, Deacon Willett's son Steve, frightened out of his wits, had slipped from his father's side across the aisle to where his mother was sitting. Seeing the boy's distress, she looked at him a moment reassuringly, and then drawing him to her side she whispered, "Don't you be scared, Steve; he ain't goin' to hurt nobody." That settled it for Steve.

Not so with Paul. No reassuring words were breathed into his ear. The question whether Higley Doom could carry out his threat never entered the boy's mind. He had learned to believe implicitly everything uttered by a minister or an exhorter, and he placed Higley Doom in the latter

class. Their words were gospel to him, no matter how absurd or false they might appear to more mature and experienced minds. And so, even when Ned Gardner had come back and sat down, and Paul had grasped his arm as if to protect him against the unseen powers, the boy could hardly realize that Ned neither had been nor would be smashed." Nor did the fact of Higley Doom's ignominious failure shake Paul's faith or lessen his fear and distress. His thoughts returned to his own condition and danger with added force and with lessened strength for resistance.

And so when Mr. Shore called on the sinners to rise for prayers, and began singing a hymn, the invitation came to Paul like one last ray of hope in his despair. He began to nerve himself for the ordeal. He saw a young woman on the other side of the house rise for prayers, and he heard the brethren and sisters exclaim, "Thank God," "Praise. the Lord," "Let others follow." Drawing a deep breath, and summoning all his courage and strength, he slid off the seat and stood on his feet, half fearing and half hoping that he would not be noticed. But, small as he was, he was seen by the ministers, keenly watching as they were for the slightest signal of a soul in distress. There was another series of exclamations like those which had greeted the young woman, with the addition of several like "There's room for the children in heaven," and "Suffer the little children to come unto me,' saith the Savior." Paul's father was deeply and visibly affected. Tears came to his eyes, as in a voice husky and choked with emotion he fervently exclaimed, "Thank God, thank God!"

Paul climbed back on his seat and instantly became oblivious to everything about him. The terrible strain was over, and it had left him in a state of relaxation bordering on collapse. He wept and sobbed uncontrollably. Well was it for him that Ned Gardner, with his kindly arm and big heart, was at hand to soothe him as he needed to be soothed.

Up to that point Ned Gardner had regarded the events of the evening, even Higley Doom's effort at miracle-working, merely with curious interest, as a psychological study. But this last incident pained him exceedingly and aroused in him a feeling of indignation and bitter resentment. drew Paul tenderly to him and murmured, " Poor boy; poor boy!"

He

HIGLEY DOOM EXPLAINS HIS FAILURE

39

No one else rose for prayers. So the meeting was practically at an end. Another prayer was offered, the doxology was sung, and Mr. Gurley dismissed the congregation with a benediction,

Instantly the gathering took on the appearance of a social assembly. Converted and unconverted mingled together in cordial friendly intercourse, with no trace of the dividing line that throughout the religious services had so conspicuously separated saints and sinners. Deacon Willett engaged Joshua Granger to help him for the next two days in getting his sap buckets ready against the time of tapping the sugar bush, and Aunt Sue asked Mrs. Granger to come with her husband and help sew carpet rags, adding that Paul could come home from school with Hez and Steve to supper.

Higley Doom had recovered his usual state of mind. After exchanging a few commonplace remarks with Mr. Gurley and Joshua, he broke in with an explanation.

"I see now why I didn't git God to smash Ned Gardner," he said. "'Twas b'caze I didn't hev faith 'nough. Jes' 's I called on God the third time I fell a-doubtin'."

As neither Mr. Gurley nor Joshua offered any other theory to account for his failure, Higley Doom naturally understood that they agreed with his view of it.

Meantime Sister Moody's twenty-year-old son Ike and the newly-converted Sister Green, a buxom, red-cheeked young woman, had somehow drifted around near each other and were simpering affectionately.

"Goin' to be a weddin' in the fambly soon, ain't ther'?" said Sister Nettle to Sister Moody, in a whisper designedly audible to everybody within two yards; whereat there was a general pricking up of ears and peering of eyes.

Sister Moody threw back her head, rolled her eyes upward, and with an air of great mystery and secretiveness replied, in an equally loud whisper:

66

They's some things some folks "-meaning herself"don't know, an' wouldn't tell ef they did."

And the surrounding misses and mississes grinned and giggled and buzzed.

Presently the sleighs began to arrive at the schoolhouse door, each being announced in a loud voice by some bystander. Men, women, and children clambered in, and

away the heavy farm horses plodded on their dismal homeward journey.

Ned Gardner put a big chunk of wood into the stove to insure a good fire and a warm schoolroom in the morning. Mr. Gurley and Mr. Shore were to stay at Deacon Willett's over night, and it was Ned Gardner's week to board at the Deacon's; for Ned "boarded roun'" from Monday morning till Friday night, spending the rest of the week at his home at The Forks. So the Deacon's party, accompanied by the Granger family, who lived beyond the Willetts', was the last to leave the schoolhouse, having waited for Ned to blow out the schoolhouse lamp and fasten the door.

CHAPTER 6

FROM DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW

It was half-past ten o'clock when the Willett party reached home. Aunt Sue piloted the ministers to the best 'spare" bedroom, with its old-fashioned high bedstead, surmounted by a small mountain of feathers, and left the two men to divide the mountain between them. No sooner had she disappeared than Mr. Gurley unburdened himself of a question that was weighing heavily upon him.

"Didn't I hear Brother Willett called Deacon' to-night?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Mr. Shore, "he is a deacon in the Baptist church at The Forks. I don't know that I have told you about that church. Really there isn't much to tell. The little Baptist church there was built many years ago, chiefly, I am told, through the efforts of one Caleb Chine, who owned the mills at The Forks in the palmy days of the lumber interests in this section. Besides practically building the church, he was its main support, and as long as he lived he kept a Baptist minister at The Forks. Since his death, however, no regular pastor has been maintained there by the Baptists. Occasionally they have preaching at their church by some visiting minister of their denomination, but most of those who formerly constituted the Baptist society now attend our church, and quite a number have been received into full membership."

"That is, they have been converted, I suppose," replied

MR. GURLEY REBUKES MR. SHORE.

4I

Mr. Gurley pointedly. "Brother and Sister Willett seem to be religiously inclined. I wonder that you have not convinced them of the error of their ways and brought them into the fold."

Mr. Gurley mentally took credit to himself for his charity in reprimanding Mr. Shore so lightly.

Mr. Shore had already pulled off one of his boots with apparent ease and was just taking hold of the other when Mr. Gurley delivered himself of the last remark. For some reason the task of removing the second boot was a much more difficult one, judging from the long struggle Mr. Shore had with it and the tightness with which he compressed his lips. Finally the boot came off, and the relaxation of his physical exertion enabled him to reply; which he did, somewhat to Mr. Gurley's surprise, exactly in his usual tone and manner. Mr. Gurley concluded that Mr. Shore was singularly obtuse, and that in future if reprimands were to be administered they must be sharper and more direct. The fact was that Mr. Shore, knowing Mr. Gurley's bitterness toward Baptists and Presbyterians, had purposely refrained from saying anything about the church connections of Aunt Sue and the Deacon to Mr Gurley in advance, in order that he might meet them entirely unprejudiced.

"Sister Willett," explained Mr. Shore, "has been a Presbyterian since she was a young woman

"A Presbyterian!" exclaimed Mr. Gurley; "worse and worse."

Mr. Shore paid no attention to the interruption, but

went on:

"I did sound Brother and Sister Willett carefully on the subject during my first year here. I became convinced that to make any strong, direct effort to bring them into the Methodist church would do much hurt and no good. Aside from their church connections they are most excellent people. They are likewise people of very strong opinions and very set in their way. I saw that any sort of an attempt to get them into our church would not only fail of its object but would be likely to put an end to their hearty and valuable coöperation with us in all Christian and charitable work. I therefore decided that the better and wiser course was to meet them on such ground as was common to us all."