he floor and the fumes were
pretty strong and affected him a little. Didn't amount to much. I did
what I could. It was strong enough to affect me--unpleasantly, too. I
thought I'd just let you know in case there was anything said about it."

As soon as he was gone, Hannah appeared. Apparently, she had overheard
the conversation. "Well, did you catch on?"

"Partly; how did it strike you?"

"I think he is trying to save his own skin by dragging in the Preacher."

"I think so, too; but all the same, I won't use his story if it can be
dispensed with. The less we dig into this thing the better."

A little later the notice came from Dr. Jebb, inviting Deacon
Higginbotham to a meeting at his house that evening, for important
business. As he walked across the village Charlie Bylow stepped out from
a dark corner near Dr. Jebb's house.

"Say, Deacon," he began, "I've been waiting to see you. I know what is
on to-night. I want you to know it was a put-up job. It was the
schoolteacher worked it. The stuff was doped all right. The Preacher
went there to stop it as he did the other time, but they fooled him and
trapped him."

"Yes, I thought so," said the little deacon, "and how was it worked?"

"Well, I don't just exactly know. I haven't been on good terms with my
brother since I joined the church, so I don't go to his house any more;
but I heard some talk about its being the 'slickest thing ever.' I know
the Preacher went there to stop it and that they trapped him and that it
was Jack Lowe did it."

"Will you go before the deacons of the church and tell them that--if it
is necessary?"

"No," replied Bylow uneasily; "at least I don't want to go before any
meeting. I only know that's right; that's the way it happened; and I
don't want any one to blame Mr. Hartigan." Here Charlie abruptly ended
and went away.

Higginbotham turned back to his house. Hannah listened with the keenest
attention and then said: "It's easy to straighten it all out. I'll see
Belle and tell her to go to Jim at once and keep him from talking. You
know what he is when he gets going. He'll talk too much and spoil it
all." Thus these two loyal friends laid plans to screen him.

At Jebb's house, Higginbotham took the earliest occasion to warn Jim.

"Now don't talk. Simply answer one or two questions when asked and as
briefly as possible. 'Yes' or 'No' is enough. You know we've got to
satisfy the old Deacon Blight crowd somehow." And Jim promised to o