al Crow arose. The fire of determination was in his ancient eye.

"You leave it to me," said he, and strode majestically from the room.

Encountering Deacon Rank in front of the _Banner_ office, he chanced
this somewhat offensive remark:

"Say, Deacon, what's this I hear about you?"

The deacon looked distinctly uneasy.

"You can always hear a lot of things about me that aren't true," he
said.

"I ain't so sure about that," said Anderson, eyeing him narrowly. "Hold
on! What's your hurry?"

"I--I got to step in here and pay my subscription to the _Banner_," said
the deacon.

"Well, that's something nobody'll believe when they hear about it," said
Anderson. "It'll be mighty hard fer the proprieter of the _Banner_ to
believe it after all these years."

"Times have been so dog-goned hard fer the last couple of years, I ain't
really been able to--"

"Too bad about you," broke in Anderson scornfully.

"Everything costs so much in these days," protested the deacon. "I ain't
had a new suit of clothes fer seven or eight years. Can't afford 'em. My
wife was sayin' only last night she needed a new hat,--somethin' she can
wear all the year round,--but goodness knows this ain't no time to be
thinkin' of hats. She--"

"She ain't had a new hat fer ten years," interrupted Anderson. "No
wonder the pore woman's ashamed to go to church."

"What's that? Who says she's ashamed to go to church? Anybody that says
my wife's ashamed to go to church is a--is a--well, he tells a story,
that's all."

"Well, why don't she go to church?"

"'Tain't because she's ashamed of her hat, let me tell you that,
Anderson Crow. It's a fine hat an' it's just as good as new. She's
tryin' to save it, that's what she's tryin' to do. She knows it's got to
last her five or six years more, an' how in tarnation can she make it
last that long if she wears it all the time? Use a little common sense,
can't you? Besides, I'll thank you not to stick your nose in my family
affairs any--"

"What's that you got in your pocket?" demanded Anderson, indicating the
bulging sides of the deacon's overcoat.

"None of your business!"

"Now, don't you get hot. I ask you again, civil as possible,--what you
got in your pocket?"

"I'm a respectable, tax-paying, church-going citizen of this here town,
and I won't put up with any of your cussed insinuations," snapped the
deacon. "You act as if I'd stole something. You--"

"I ain't accusin' you of stealin' anythin