he, personally, had had about enough of the
gummed-up, infernal town. He declared that he was going to leave. Mr.
Bangs was more certain about his departure when he arrived back at
Files's tavern that evening. Mr. Files informed him that there would
be no more accommodations at the tavern after that night. Mr. Files,
questioned, refused to say whether he intended to close the tavern or
was merely going away; he would reveal nothing about his further plans.

Mr. Bangs went out and sat on the porch bench with his helper, and
irefully asked that bewildered person what the ding-dong the matter was
with the dad-fired town, anyway?

In default of specific knowledge the aide tried to be humorous. He told
Mr. Bangs that it looked as if the hive was getting ready to swarm. His
facetiousness fell flat; Mr. Bangs scowled. The helper became serious.

"I've been watching the old hystrampus they call the Prophet. Everywhere
we've been the past few days, he seems to be just coming or just going.
Noticed him, haven't you?"

"Of course I've noticed him."

"I don't know what his religious persuasion is, because he hasn't done
any talking where I could overhear him. But he seems to be getting
busier all the time. Do you know what he preaches?"

"I'm working for the state prison, not the state insane asylum."

"Well," drawled the other, "though I don't know what he's preaching,
the general fussed-up condition here in this town reminds me of what
happened in Carmel when I lived there as a boy. One of them go-upper
preachers struck town. He finally got most of our neighbors into a state
of whee-ho where the womenfolks made ascension robes for all concerned
and the menfolks built a high platform and they all climbed up on it and
waited all one night for Gabr'el's trump to sound."

"What's that got to do with this town?" demanded Mr. Bangs, impatiently.

"Why, considering how near busted the town is--and all the timber cut
off and the farms run out--I wouldn't wonder a mite if the right kind of
a preacher could get 'em into a frame of mind where they'd be willing to
start for anywhere--even straight down, provided they couldn't arrange
matters so as to go straight up, like the Carmel folks planned on. Not
as how I say that these folks are going to get up and hump it out of
Egypt! But there's a whole lot of restle-ness in 'em! That's plain
enough to be seen!"

"If there's half as much of it in 'em as there is in me, right now,
they'l