himself."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Why, he wants to run things, that's what. As long as you agree with
Elihu, why, everything's all right. When you don't, the Bible's against
you. That's the way he is."

"Did he ever disagree with you?" I asked, suspecting some personal
animus in the matter.

"Me and Elihu was always good friends as long as I agreed with him," he
went on bitterly. "We've been raised together, man and boy, for pretty
near sixty years. We never had a word of any kind but what was friendly,
as long as I agreed with him, but just as soon as I didn't he took a set
against me, and we ain't never spoke a word since."

"What was the trouble?" I inquired sweetly, anxious to come at the
kernel of this queer situation.

"Well," he said, dropping his work and looking up to impress me, "I'm a
man that'll sometimes say what I don't believe; that is, I'll agree with
what I hadn't ought to, just to be friendly like. I did that way a lot
o' times with Elihu till one day he came to me with something about
particular salvation. I'm a little more liberal myself. I believe in
universal redemption by faith alone. Well, Elihu came to me and began
telling me what he believed. Finally he asked me something about
particular salvation and wanted to know whether I didn't agree with him.
I didn't, and told him so. From that day on he took a set against me,
and he ain't never spoke a word to me since."

I was unaware that there was anything besides a religious disagreement
in this local situation until one day I happened to come into a second
friendly contact with the postmaster. We were speaking of the
characteristics of certain individuals, and I mentioned Burridge.

"He's all right when you take him the way he wants to be taken. When you
don't you'll find him quite a different man."

"He seems to be straightforward and honest," I said.

"There ain't anything you can tell me about Elihu Burridge that I don't
know," he replied feelingly. "Not a thing. I've lived with him, as you
might say, all my life. Been raised right here in town with him, and we
went to school together. Man and boy, there ain't ever been a thing that
Elihu has agreed with, without he could have the running of it. You
can't tell me anything about him that I don't know."

I could not help smiling at the warmth of feeling, although something
about the man's manner bespoke a touch of heart-ache, as if he were
privately grieving.

"What was the