stood it so long."

Still Bill did not speak. He could remember that when the dispute had
been at its height these had not been the sentiments of Pastor Graves.
In fact, when a delegation had gone to the parsonage to demand obedience
to the constitution of the church, the Dominie had replied that the
ladies had come out victorious in the matter, and that it was an
old-fashioned idea to forbid the women to speak or pray in public if
they so wished; and the crest-fallen delegates had gone away from the
rectory, and Bill Hopkins, with several others, from the church.

Seeing that not one of the respectable "Ameners" was going to help him,
the Dominie sputtered out his wrath in another direction.

"If Young had kept his hands off that Skinner business, there wouldn't
have been the slightest chance of the fisherman winning out."

"Ah! here's where the shoe pinches," thought Hopkins; "the parson needs
help to wrest Skinner's squatter rights from him."

But he did not voice his thoughts.

"I guess that's right, Dominie," were his spoken words. "Skinner didn't
have many friends in the court until that girl came in. She certainly
did make a change in the ideas of most people in this town."

"Fools! to let a child like that break up the dignity of a court-room."
Graves settled back angrily in his chair. He had lost in the game he was
about to play with Bill Hopkins--lost before the game had begun.

"Skinner can thank his kid for his life, nevertheless," interjected
Jones, "for another jury will never convict him.

"Think not?" queried the druggist.

Bates' question remained unanswered, for Dominie Graves turned the
subject again.

"Bill, if I come out strong in the church and give you your own way in
the disputed question, then you must do something for me. I'll speak to
you later about it."

"Pretty far along in the day," was Bill's answer, "but as you please,
Dominie. I don't know what you want, but most of your friends will stick
by you if the church is run on its old plan and according to the creed
and the Bible."

When Minister Graves walked home he felt that in spite of family
differences he had scored a point in getting from Hopkins a tacit
consent to come back into his congregation.

CHAPTER XVI

When the family gathered about the table the next morning in the
rectory, the Dominie told his wife solemnly that he wished to talk with
her after the children had gone to school. Breakfast over, he broa