I've never bin in, but ther's nothin' like tryin'. This
meetin' 'll cum to order to wunst."

"Hats off in church, gentlemen!" commanded Pentecost.

Off came every hat, and some of the boys knelt down, as Mose knelt
beside the bench, and said:

"Oh, Lord, here's Billy Bent needs 'tendin' to! He's panned out his last
dust, an' he seems to hev a purty clear idee that this is his last
chance. He wants you to give him a lift, Lord, an' it's the opinion of
this house thet he needs it. 'Tain't none of our bizness what he's done,
an' ef it wuz, you'd know more about it than we cud tell yer; but it's
mighty sartin that a cuss that's been in the digging fur years needs a
sight of mendin' up before he kicks the bucket."

"That's so," responded two or three, very emphatically.

"Billy's down, Lord, an' no decent man b'lieves that the Lord 'ud hit a
man when he's down, so there's one or two things got to be done--either
he's got to be let alone, or he's got to be helped. Lettin' him alone
won't do him or anybody else enny good, so helpin's the holt, an' as
enny one uv us tough fellers would help ef we knew how to, it's only
fair to suppose thet the Lord'll do it a mighty sight quicker. Now, what
Billy needs is to see the thing in thet light, an' you ken make him do
it a good deal better than _we_ ken. It's, mighty little fur the Lord to
do, but it's meat an' drink an' clothes to Billy just now. When we wuz
boys, sum uv us read some promises ef you'rn in thet Book thet wes writ
a good spell ago by chaps in the Old Country, an' though Sunday-school
teachers and preachers mixed the matter up in our minds, an' got us all
tangle-footed, we know they're dar, an' you'll know what we mean. Now,
Lord, Billy's jest the boy--he's a hard case, so you can't find no
better stuff to work on--he's in a bad fix, thet we can't do nuthin'
fur, so it's jest yer chance. He ain't exactly the chap to make an A
Number One Angel ef, but he ain't the man to forget a friend, so he'll
be a handy feller to hev aroun'."

"Feel any better, Billy?" said Mose, stopping the prayer for a moment.

"A little," said Billy, feebly; "but you want to tell the whole yarn.
I'm sorry for all the wrong I've done."

"He's sorry for all his deviltry, Lord--"

"An' I ain't got nothin' agin the Judge," continued the sufferer.

"An' he don't bear no malice agin the Judge, which he shouldn't, seein'
he generally gin as good as he took. An' the long an' short of it, Lord,