in the midst
of the little congregation arose, and a second later a hoarse voice
from one of the back seats, a voice which most persons present could
identify as that of Sam Kimper's son Tom, exclaimed,--

"Great Lord! it's Reynolds Bartram!"

CHAPTER XV.

The story that Reynolds Bartram had "stood up for prayers" went through
Bruceton and the surrounding country like wildfire. Scarcely anyone
believed it, no matter by whom he was told: the informer might be a
person of undoubted character, but the information was simply
incredible. People would not believe such a thing unless they could see
it with their own eyes and hear it with their own ears: so the special
meetings became at once so largely attended that they were held in the
body of the church instead of the little basement called the
"lecture-room."

The most entirely amazed person in the town was Deacon Quickset. Never
before had he been absent, unless sick, from any special effort of his
church to persuade the sinners to flee from the wrath to come; but when
Dr. Guide announced that he should ask Sam Kimper to assist him in the
special meetings, the deacon's conscience bade him halt and consider.
Dr. Guide was wrong,--there could be no doubt of that: would it be
right, then, merely for the sake of apparent peace and unity, for him,
the deacon, to seem to agree with his pastor's peculiar views? The
deacon made it a matter of prayer, and the result was that he remained
at home.

That Reynolds Bartram had been the first-fruits of the new special
effort was a statement which the deacon denied as soon as he heard it.
Frequent repetition of the annoying story soon began to impress him
with its probability, and finally a brother deacon, who had been
present, set all doubt at rest by the assertion that Bartram had not
only been converted, but was assisting at the meetings. When, however,
the attending deacon went on to inform his absentee brother that
Bartram had attributed his awakening and conversion to the influence of
Sam Kimper, Deacon Quickset lost his temper, and exclaimed,--

"It's all a confounded lie! It's a put-up job!"

"Brother Quickset!" exclaimed the astonished associate, with a most
reproving look.

"Oh, I don't mean that _you lie_," explained the angry defender of the
faith. "If you heard Bartram say it, he _did_ say it, of course. But
there's something wrong somewhere. The minister's rather lost his head
over Sam Kimper, just becau