“Tell him to write to me, doctor; tell him to write to me.  He has no business to put such affairs before anybody else.  He will get his money.  If he didn’t believe it, he wouldn’t have taken the children in the first place.  But I will see that you don’t hear any more about either of these matters, and, as I am pretty busy and don’t get a chance to see you as often as I’d like, I want to say that it seems to me that now is just the time to get up a warmer feeling in the church.  It’s getting cold weather, and folks are glad to get together in a warm room where there’s anything going on.  Now, if you will just announce next Sunday that there’s going to be a series of special meetings to awaken religious interest in this town, I think you will do a good deal more good among those who need it than by worrying members of your own congregation about things that you don’t understand.  I don’t mean any offence, and I hope you won’t take any; but when a man is trying to do business for a dozen other folks and they are all at him at once, there are many things happening that he can’t very well explain.”

“I already had determined on a special effort at an early date,” said the pastor.  “And still more:  after two or three conversations with the man whom you were so desirous that I should call upon, I have determined to invite him to assist me in the conduct of the meetings.”

“What?” exclaimed the deacon, “bring in that thief and drunkard and ignorant fellow, that is only just out of jail, to teach the way of life to people that need to know it?  Why, Dr. Guide, you must be losing your mind!”

“As you intimated about your own business affairs, deacon, that is a subject upon which I am better qualified to judge than you.  The meetings will be held, and Mr. Kimper will be asked to assist.  In fact, I already have asked him.  I trust that his presence will not cause us to lose such valuable assistance as you yourself may be able to give.”

“Well, I never!” exclaimed the deacon; “I never did!  It beats all!  Why, if there was another church of our denomination in this town, I believe I’d take my letters and go to it.  I really would!”

Nevertheless, the special meetings were immediately announced, and they began directly afterwards, and, according to the pastor’s announcement, the ex-convict was asked to assist.  His assistance did not seem to amount to much to those who came through curiosity to listen.  But after he had made a speech, which, at the suggestion of Dr. Guide, had been carefully prepared, but which was merely a rehearsal of what he already had said to numerous individual questioners, there was impressive silence in the lecture-room, in which the meetings were to be conducted.