lcomed the
diversion. The subject was to him extremely painful.

"We will be glad," he said to Yankee, "to hear you, Mr. Latham."

"Well," said Yankee, slowly, "from your remarks I gathered that you
wanted information about the doings of--" he jerked his head toward the
house behind him. "Now, I want to say," he continued, confidentially,
"you've come to the right shop, for I've ate and slept, I've worked and
fought, I've lived with him by day and by night, and right through he
was the straightest, whitest man I ever seen, and I won't except the
boss himself." Yankee paused to consider the effect of this statement,
and to allow its full weight to be appreciated; and then he continued:
"Yes, sir, you may just bet your--you may be right well sure,"
correcting himself, "that you're safe in givin'"--here he dropped
his voice, and jerked his head toward the house again--"in givin' the
highest marks, full value, and no discount. Why," he went on, with an
enthusiasm rare in him, "ask any man in the gang, any man on the river,
if they ever seen or heard of his doin' a mean or crooked thing, and if
you find any feller who says he did, bring him here, and, by"--Yankee
remembered himself in time--"and I give you my solemn word that I'll eat
him, hat and boots." Yankee brought his bony fist down with a whack into
his hand. Then he relapsed into his lazy drawl again: "No, siree, hoss!
If it's doin's you're after, don't you be slow in bankin' your little
heap on HIS doin's."

Donald Ross grasped Yankee's hand and shook it hard. "I will be thanking
you for that word," he said, earnestly.

But Peter felt that the cause of truth demanded that he should speak
out. "Mr. Latham," he said, solemnly, "what you have been saying is
very true, no doubt, but if a man is not 'born again he cannot see the
kingdom of God.' These are the words of the Lord himself."

"Born again!" said Yankee. "How? I don't seem to get you. But I guess
the feller that does the right thing all round has got a purty good
chance."

"It is not a man's deeds, we are told," said Peter, patiently, "but his
heart."

"There you are," said Yankee, warmly, "right again, and that's what I
always hold to. It's the heart a man carries round in his inside. Never
mind your talk, never mind your actin' up for people to see. Give me the
heart that is warm and red, and beats proper time, you bet. Say! you're
all right." Yankee gazed admiringly at the perplexed and hopeless Pete