near her. Frederick was between Teola and the little
girl, and they were all earnestly watching their father--something was
going to happen, but they did not know what. The deep voice broke out
into a prayer, followed by a soulful anthem from the choir.

Minister Graves rose with dignity, and began his sermon.

"It is my intention," said he, "to divide my sermon this morning
directly in two, because my subjects are so entirely different. Before
the expiration of it, you will see the force of my argument and will, I
hope, profit by it."

He continued by saying, a house divided against itself would surely
fall, that even a stone structure built upon sand would slip into the
sea.

"Brethren, the sea of which I speak is a sea of discontent and
disobedience. From my reading text you will see that God commanded that
woman should be obedient, that she should obey her husband to the
letter--to the letter, brethren."

There was a decided rustle of silken petticoats in the church.

"It was the disobedience of our first mother," spoke the clergyman,
"that threw Adam into ill-repute with his Creator, and also Adam's love
for her that drove him from the Garden of Eden. Brethren, God is good to
mankind, ever ready to listen to his appeals. If Adam had only believed
in the greatness as well as the goodness of God, he would have spurned
the woman who had dared to so flagrantly disobey, instead of following
her from the garden.

"Adam had more than one rib," went on the minister, "and how readily and
kindly would God have disposed of the first sinning Eve and under the
pleasant sleep of the man, Adam, extracted another rib out of which he
would have constructed another and yet more beautiful woman. Some of us
are finding it impossible to keep order in our families, and until we
do, we cannot expect to live to the glory of God."

A loud hacking cough came from Deacon Hall's pew and many heads were
turned toward it. This disconcerted the clergyman for a moment, but he
picked up the threads of his sermon and resumed:

"If every man in this little city would rely upon the goodness of God to
supply him with another Eve, when the woman joined to him in holy
matrimony disobeys His law, it would be a simple matter to re-establish
order in his household. Just as happiness was given to Lot after the
turning to salt of his wife."

The minister paused--the silence was so deathly that it appalled him. He
allowed his eyes to fall upon th