your yarn. What has struck your school?"

"A Polish priest, small and dark and dirty; he can't help the first
two, but with the Eagle River running through the country, he might
avoid the last."

"What is he up to?"

"I wish I knew. He introduced himself by ordering, upon pain of
hell fire, that no child attend my school; consequently, not a
Galician child has shown up."

"What are you going to do--quit?"

"Quit?" shouted Brown, springing to his feet.

"I apologize," said French hastily; "I ought to have known better."

"No, I am not going to quit," said Brown, recovering his quiet
manner. "If he wants the school, and will undertake to run it,
why, I'll give him the building and the outfit."

"But," said French, "isn't that rather funking it?"

"Not a bit" said Brown emphatically. "I am not sent here to
proselytize. My church is not in that business. We are doing
business, but we are in the business of making good citizens.
We tried to get the Government to establish schools among the
Galicians. The Government declined. We took it up, and hence this
school. We tried to get Greek Catholic priests from Europe to look
after the religion and morals of these people. We absolutely failed
to get a decent man to offer. Remember, I say decent man. We had
offers, plenty of them, but we could not lay our hands on a single,
clean, honest-minded man with the fear of God in his heart, and the
desire to help these people. So, as I say, we will give this man
a fair chance, and if he makes good, I will back him up and say,
'God bless you.' But he won't make good," added Brown gloomily,
"from the way he starts out."

French waited, and Brown went on. "He was called to marry a couple
the other day, got hopelessly drunk, charged them ten dollars, and
they are not sure whether they are married or not. Last Sunday he
drummed the people up to confession. It was a long time since they
had had a chance, and they were glad to come. He charged them two
dollars apiece, tried to make it five, but failed, and now he
introduces himself to me by closing my school. He may mean well,
but his methods would bear improvement. However, as I have said,
we will give him a chance."

"And meantime?" enquired French.

"Meantime? Oh! I shall stick to my pills and plasters,--we have ten
patients in the hospital now,--run the store and the mill, and try
to help generally. If this priest gets at his work and makes good,
I promise you I'll not bother