implying a fresh burst of confidence, while his whole visage seemed
twinkling with merriment.

"Lemme tell yer some'h'n', boss. You ain't a ma'ied man, is yer?"

I assured him that I was not married.

"Well, sir, I gwine gi'e you my advice. An' I'm a man o' 'spe'unce. I
been ma'ied three times, an' of cose I done consider'ble co'tin' off'n
an' on wid all three, not countin' sech p'omiskyus co'tin' roun' as any
widder gemman is li'ble ter do, an' I gwine gi'e you some good advice.

"Ef ever you falls in love wid air cross-eyed lady, an' craves ter
co't'er, you des turn down de lamp low 'fo' yer comes ter de fatal
p'int, ur else set out on de po'ch in de fainty moonlight, whar yer
can't see 'er eyes, caze dey's nothin' puts a co'tin' man out, and meek
'im lose 'is pronouns wuss 'n a cross-eye. An' ef it hadn't o' been dat
_I knowed what a cook she was_, tell de trufe, de Widder Simpson's
cross-eye would o' discour'ged me off enti'ely.

"But now," he continued, chuckling; "but now I done got usen ter it;
it's purty ter me--seem like hit's got a searchin' glance dat goes out'n
its way ter fin' me."

Needless to say, I found the old man amusing, and when we parted at the
cross-roads I was quite willing to promise to drop in some time to hear
one of his sermons.

Although somewhat famed as a preacher, Jordan had made his record in
the pulpit not so much on account of any powers of oratory, _per se_,
as through a series of financial achievements.

During the two years of his ministry he had built a new church edifice,
added the imposing parsonage which he occupied, and he rode about the
country on his pastoral missions, mounted on a fine bay horse--all the
result of "volunteer" contributions.

And Jordan stood well with his people; the most pious of his fold
according him their indorsement as heartily as they who hung about the
outskirts of his congregation, and who indeed were unconsciously
supplying the glamour of his distinguished career; for the secret of
Jordan's success lay especially in his power of collecting money from
_sinners_. So it came about that, without adding a farthing to their
usual donations, the saints reclined in cushioned pews and listened to
the words of life from a prosperous, well-fed preacher, who was
manifestly an acceptable sower of vital seed--seed which took root in
brick and mortar, branched out in turret and gable, and flowered before
their very eyes in crimson upholstery.

The trut