a tract or somethin' o' that sort to give him, and
he come across a Shorter Catechism that he'd been questionin' the
children out of the Sunday before. And he pulled it out and says he:
'Sir, I would like to leave this little book with you as a token of
remembrance.' Sam said the showman took it and looked at it and turned
over the pages right slow, and at last he says: 'Great Jehosaphat! This
carries me back forty years, to the time when I was a little shaver,
goin' to church Sunday mornin' and listenin' to old Brother Bodley
preach from the day of creation down to the day of judgment, and sittin'
on the old horsehair sofa in the parlor all Sunday evenin' wrestlin'
with this very catechism and prayin' for the sun to go down and wishin'
I could cut all the Sundays out o' the almanac.' And he turned over the
pages o' the catechism and says he: 'Yes, here's all my old friends,
"Santification" and "Justification" and "Adoption."' Sam said he laughed
to himself, but there was a curious look in his eyes like he might cry,
too. And says he: 'Parson, I know you won't believe me, but there ain't
a question in this catechism that I can't answer.'

"And Parson Page, he looked amazed, as anybody would, and says he: 'Is
it possible?' And the showman handed him the book, and says he: 'I bet
you five dollars I can answer any question you ask me.' Well, of course,
Parson Page hadn't any notion of bettin' with the showman, but he took
the catechism and says he, jest as earnest as if he was hearin' a
Sunday-school class: 'What is sanctification?' And the showman says:
'Sanctification is an act of God's free grace wherein he pardoneth all
our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight only for the
righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone.'

"And Parson Page looked mighty pleased, and says he: 'That's a perfectly
correct answer, but that's justification, and I asked you what
sanctification is.' And the showman he thought a minute, and says he:
'You're right! You're right! I always did have trouble with
justification and sanctification, and I remember how mother'd say: "Now,
Samuel, can't you get it fixed in your mind that justification is an
act and sanctification is a work of God's free grace?" I thought I did
get it fixed one o' them Sunday evenin's when mother was workin' with
me, but I see now I didn't.'

"And then he pulled out his purse,--Mis' Page said she never saw as much
money at one time in all