rhead or
the undercut have a simple answer; but the end-on straight thrust is
baffling. Jim knew this of old, and a moment later the big woodsman was
on the floor with a bloody nose, a sense of shock, and a disposition to
surrender.

"Now come, every one of ye, and join in our prayer meeting. Come on," he
beckoned to the other two, "or it will be me duty to knock sense into
ye."

And so he gathered that graceless group around him. Kneeling in their
midst, he prayed for help to make them see that he wanted to be their
friend, that he was acting for their interests, that he knew as well as
they did the hankering for drink.

"O Lord, you know. And I know that anyway that stuff was not whiskey at
all, at all; that it would not burn in the fire, and I'll bet it would
freeze if it were put out of doors"; and having contributed these expert
remarks, he closed with, "Amen."

"And now we will sing a hymn," and he led them in "Come to Jesus." But
it was not a success, so he fell back on the praying, which was his
specialty, and more than once his congregation joined in with an "amen."
Sulky Big Pat had to be threatened again, for he was of fighting stock;
but the prayer meeting closed without further hostilities and the orgy
had been made physically impossible. As he rose, Hartigan said in his
inimitable way:

"Now, friends, I want to apologize to you all for seeming uncivil, but
there are times when a man has to be a little abrupt, and if I have hurt
your feelings or annoyed you in any way I am very sorry for it, because
I'd rather be friends. Let's shake hands before I leave, and I will be
glad to see any of you in church."

Then a strange thing happened. The little man had shaken hands
effusively, the big one sulkily, but there was one there who took the
Preacher's hand warmly and in a husky voice said:

"Mr. Hartigan, I want you to know you have made me think different. I am
coming to church. I know you are right." Then turning to a woman by his
side: "This is my wife--she feels as I do."

"Thank you for coming to-night," said the woman. "You _will_ pray for
us, won't you? We will try; only it is terribly hard, once you have
taken on the habit."

"Sure, it's myself that knows it," said Hartigan. "I've been through it
all, I tell you."

There was a brotherly warmth in the Preacher's handclasp and in his
words as he turned to go out in the calm and beautiful blue night. The
Black Hills' coyotes howled and Blazing