way, but the face that held my eyes was that of old
man Nelson. It was white, fierce, hungry-looking, his sunken eyes
burning, his lips parted as if to cry. The minister went on.

"I didn't mean to tell you this, men; it all came over me with a rush;
but it is true, every word, and not a word will I take back. And,
what's more, I can tell you this: what He did for me He can do for any
man, and it doesn't make any difference what's behind him, and"--leaning
slightly forward, and with a little thrill of pathos vibrating in his
voice--"oh, boys, why don't you give Him a chance at you? Without Him
you'll never be the men you want to be, and you'll never get the better
of that that's keeping some of you now from going back home. You know
you'll never go back till you're the men you want to be." Then, lifting
up his face and throwing back his head, he said, as if to himself,
"Jesus! He shall save His people from their sins," and then, "Let us
pray."

Graeme leaned forward with his face in his hands; Baptiste and Blaney
dropped on their knees; Sandy, the Campbells, and some others stood up.
Old man Nelson held his eye steadily on the minister.

Only once before had I seen that look on a human face. A young fellow
had broken through the ice on the river at home, and as the black water
was dragging his fingers one by one from the slippery edges, there came
over his face that same look. I used to wake up for many a night after
in a sweat of horror, seeing the white face with its parting lips and
its piteous, dumb appeal, and the black water slowly sucking it down.

Nelson's face brought it all back; but during the prayer the face
changed and seemed to settle into resolve of some sort, stern, almost
gloomy, as of a man with his last chance before him.

After the prayer Mr. Craig invited the men to a Christmas dinner next
day in Black Rock. "And because you are an independent lot, we'll charge
you half a dollar for dinner and the evening show." Then leaving a
bundle of magazines and illustrated papers on the table--a godsend to
the men--he said good-by and went out.

I was to go with the minister, so I jumped into the sleigh first and
waited while he said good-by to Graeme, who had been hard hit by the
whole service and seemed to want to say something. I heard Mr. Craig say
cheerfully and confidently: "It's a true bill: try Him."

Sandy, who had been steadying Dandy while that interesting broncho was
attempting with great su