Bodin was sending her daughter, Stella, some little overalls made
over for the twins from their grandpa's and a bottle of home made cough
medicine "and one of my first squash pies for Al. And here's a pie for
your trouble, Hank, and a few of these cookies you said you like."

Hank stowed everything carefully away, with no show of nervous haste,
and when they were well started remarked to John Churchill Knight:

"You know the best part of staying sober is that you get taken in on so
many things and almost you might say into so many families. People
tell you things and ask your help and advice and by gum after awhile
you get to feeling that maybe you're somebody too instead of jest a
mess of miserableness. Why, I've got friends jest about everywhere, I
guess.

"There's them as asks me sarcastic like if I don't find this kind of
work dry and lonesome but I jest ask them to come along and see. Why,
do you see that there house yonder? Those folks are relatives of Billy
Evans' and as soon as ever I turn this corner, Mollie, that's the
youngest girl, will start the graphophone going with my favorite piece.
The last time I come by I found a box of candy on the mail box for me.
That was from Winnie, the oldest, for bringing home her new dress from
the dressmaker's.

"Yes, sir, it's jest wonderful how human and pleasant everybody is.
Why, if I jest keep on a-being sober and associating with folks like
this--why--I'm jest naturally bound to be kind of decent myself. And
when you think of what I was--well--there's no use in talking--I was
low--jest low. Ask anybody but Billy Evans and they'll tell you fast
enough. Of course Billy's naturally prejudiced and his word ain't
hardly to be credited.

"And here I am on a nice summer morning riding with the minister and
with the whole country acting as if I'd always been decent."

Maybe it was Hank who first called him the minister. It may of course
have been that old Mrs. Rosenwinkle, who, not knowing his name for some
time, explained him to her daughter as "the new preacher of the lost."

At any rate, when Fanny Foster came to make her periodical report it
was found that to the lonely, the outcast and the generally unfit
Cynthia's son was "the new minister." And his influence was already
felt by those who as yet regarded him as just a Green Valley boy who
was helping out. Fanny Foster voiced this sentiment in Joe Baldwin's
shop when she was paying for the four patches J