r. The
minister's determination to attend a Come-Outer meeting, though it had
reached the sticking point only a half hour before, was the result of
considerable deliberation. He had argued with himself and had made up
his mind to find out for himself just what these people did. He was
finding out, certainly. His motives were good and he had come with no
desire to scoff, but, for the life of him, he could not help feeling
like a criminal. Incidentally, it provoked him to feel that way.

"O Lord," prayed Captain Hammond, the perspiration in beads on his
forehead, "Thou hast said that the pastors become brutish and have not
sought Thee and that they shan't prosper. Help us tonight to labor with
this one that he may see his error and repent in sackcloth and ashes."

They sang once more, a hymn that prophesied woe to the unbeliever.
Then Ezekiel Bassett rose to "testify." The testimony was mainly to the
effect that he was happy because he had fled to the ark of safety while
there was yet time.

"I found out," he shouted, "that fancy music and--ah--and--ah--sot
sermons and fine duds and suchlike wa'n't goin' to do ME no good.
I needed somethin' else. I needed good times in my religion"
("Hallelujah!") "and I've found 'em right here. Yes, sir! right here.
And I say this out loud," turning to glare at the intruder, "and I don't
care who comes to poke fun at me for sayin' it." ("Amen!")

A sharp-nosed female followed Mr. Bassett. She spoke with evident
feeling and in a voice that trembled and shook when her emotion carried
it aloft. SHE'D had enough of high-toned religion. Yes, and of them that
upheld it. When her brother Simeon was took bad with phthisic, "wheezin'
like a busted bellerses" and 'twas "up and down, trot, trot, trot," to
fetch and carry for him day in and night out, did the folks from the
Reg'lar church help her? She guessed NOT. The only one that came nigh
her was Laviny Pepper, and she came only to gas and gabble and find out
things that wa'n't none of her business. What help she got was from
a Come-Outer, from Eben Hammond, bless his good soul! ("Amen!") That
phthisic settled her for Reg'larism. Yes, and for them that preached it,
too. So there!

Captain Eben called for more testimony. But the testifiers were, to use
the old minstrel joke, backward in coming forward that evening. At an
ordinary meeting, by this time, the shouts and enthusiasm would have
been at their height and half a dozen Come-Outers on