s, till some of his friends began to think he ought to have his
name placed on the Circuit plan as an exhorter. It was accordingly
mentioned to him, but for some time met with no very favourable
response from Abe. "Come on t' plan," exclaimed he; "nay, not soa,
unless you want to mak' a clerk o' me; but I can say Amen, without
being planned."

However, circumstances sometimes happen which have more force of
argument in them than anything that men can say. It occasionally
transpired, that some local preacher who was planned to preach in Salem
Chapel did not come to his appointment, and some person in the
congregation had to take the vacant place, and conduct the service as
well as he might be able without any previous preparation. Now it
appears that Abe found himself placed just in this very unenviable
position. The congregation were all in the chapel; the hour of service
had come, and passed, yet no preacher arrived; the people were
whispering and looking at the clock; one brother went to the door to
see if there were any sign of the preacher's coming; two or three of
the leading brethren were whispering together, and then one of them
came over to Abe and said, "I'm afraid there's going to be no preacher,
thou'll be like to try and talk a bit this morning."

"Me, noa, I canna praach, mun," said Abe, evidently agitated.

"Aye, but thou can; thou'll have to try, and we'll pray for thee."

Abe turned pale, looked up at the little pulpit, then down on the
ground, and then said, "I've now't to talk abaat, noa, I canna tak'
it." Then another brother came and united his persuasion to that of
the man already with him, and at length Abe arose and went into the
singing pew in front of the pulpit, pale and trembling, and announced a
hymn. The service began, and grew into a kind of compromise between a
prayer meeting and preaching. The preacher took a text, and in his own
style did his best to speak from the words,--the probability is he _did
speak from them_, further from them than critical hearers would judge
proper, but what of that? He did his best, and there were none in the
congregation but knew him and knew his consistent life; and although
what he said was very unpreaching-like, it did not matter; the people
were well pleased, and Abe was very glad when it was over.

After the first time this occurred again and again in Salem, until Abe
began to be looked upon as the general stop-gap, as they called him.
But