I felt awful--I wanted to drop right through the floor, but
this Hoover, he says all at once, still snufflin', mind you: 'Say,
that's all right,' he says. 'If I'm goin' to do it at all, I ought to do
it right for the credit of my folks. I ought to give this town a flash
of the right thing,' he says.

"Then he goes upstairs, leaning on the balusters, and gets his four
ten-dollar bills that had been folded away all neat at the bottom of his
trunk, and before I could think of anythin' wholesome to say--I was that
scandalised--they was goin' off across the street to the Horseshoe
Gamin' Parlour, this feller Hoover seemin' very sanguine and asking
Bernal whether he was sure they was a party in town could do it up right
after they'd went and won the money for it.

"Well, sir, I jest set there thinkin' how this boy Bernal Linford was
brought up for a preacher, and 'Jest look at him now!' I says to
myself--and I guess it was mebbe an hour later I seen 'em comin' out of
the swingin' blinds in the door of this place, and a laffin' fit to kill
themselves. 'High Mighty! they done it!' I says, watchin' 'em laff and
slap each other on the back till Hoover had to stop in the middle of the
street to cough. Well, they come into the Commercial office where I am
and I says, 'Well, boys, how much did you fellers win?' and Hoover says,
'Not a cent! We lost our roll,' he says. 'It's the blamedest funniest
thing I ever heard of,' he says, just like that, laffin' again fit to
choke.

"'_I_ don't see anythin' to laff at,' I says. 'How you goin' to live?'

"'How's he goin' to die?' says Bernal, 'without a cent to do it on?'

"'That's the funny part of it,' says Hoover. 'Linford thought of it
first. How _can_ I die now? It wouldn't be square,' he says--'me without
a cent!'

"Then they both began to laugh--but me, I couldn't see nothin' funny
about it.

"Wal, I left early next mornin', not wantin' to have to refuse 'em a
loan."

CHAPTER II

HOW A BROTHER WAS DIFFERENT

In contrast with this regrettable performance of Bernal's, which, alas!
bore internal evidence of being a type of many, was the flawless career
of Allan, the dutiful and earnest. Not only did he complete his course
at the General Theological Seminary with great honour, but he was
ordained into the Episcopal ministry under circumstances entirely
auspicious. Aunt Bell confided to Nancy that his superior presence quite
dwarfed the bishop who ordained him.

His or