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“You’ve done a fine work in softening the hearts of these people. We had almost despaired of doing anything with them. Yes, you have done a won-der-ful work, and now we must reorganize a regular society here. I will be out again when you get stronger, and we’ll see about it.”

Wallace was too weak to take any stand in the talk, and so allowed him to get up and go away without protest or explanation of his own plans.

When Herman came down on Saturday, he told him of the Baptist minister’s visit and the proposition. Herman stretched his legs out toward the fire and put his hands in his pockets. Then he rose and took a strange attitude, such as Wallace had seen in comic pictures–it was, in fact, the attitude of a Bowery tough.

“Say, look here! If you want ‘o set dis community by de ears agin, you do dat ting–see? You play dat confidence game and dey’ll rat ye–sure! You invite us to come into a non-partisan deal–see?–and den you springs your own platform on us in de joint corkus–and we won’t stand it! Dis goes troo de way it began, or we don’t play–see?”

Out of all this Wallace deduced his own feeling–that continued peace and good-will lay in keeping clear of all doctrinal debates and disputes–the love of Christ, the desire to do good and to be clean. These emotions had been roused far more deeply than he realized, and he lifted his face to God in the hope that no lesser thing should come in to mar the beauty of His Church.

There came a day when he walked out in the sunshine, and heard the hens caw-cawing about the yard, and saw the young colts playing about the barn. And the splendor of the winter day dazzled him as if he were looking upon the broad-flung robe of the Lord Most High. Everywhere the snow lay ridged with purple and brown hedges. Smoke rose peacefully from chimneys, and the sound of boys skating on a near-by pond added the human element.

The trouble of concealing the work of the community upon the church increased daily, and Mattie feared that some hint of it had come to him. She had her plan. She wanted to drive him down herself, and let him see the reburnished temple alone. But this was impossible. On the day when he seemed able to go, her father drove them all down. Marsden was there also, and several of his women-folks, putting down a new carpet on the platform. As they drew near the church, Wallace said:

“Why, they’ve fixed up the sheds!”

Mattie nodded. She was trembling with the delicious excitement of it–she wanted him hurried into the church at once. He had hardly time to think before he was whirled up to the new porch, and Marsden came out, followed by several women. He was bewildered by it all. Marsden helped him out with hearty voice, sounding:

“Careful now! Don’t hurry!”

Mattie took one arm, and so he entered the church. Everything repainted! Everything warm and bright and cozy!

The significance of it came to him like a wave of light, and he took his seat in the pulpit chair and stared at them all with a look on his pale face which moved them more than words. He was like a man transfigured by an inward glow. His eyes for an instant flamed with this marvellous fire, then darkened, softened with tears, and his voice came back in a sob of joy, and he could only say:

“Friends–brethren!”

Marsden, after much coughing, said:

“We all united on this. We wanted to have you come to the church and–Well, we couldn’t bear to have you see it again the way it was.”

He understood it now. It was the sign of a united community. It set the seal of Christ’s victory over evil passions, and the young preacher’s head bowed in prayer, and they all knelt, while his weak voice returned thanks to the Lord for his gifts.

Then they all rose and shook off the oppressive solemnity, and he had time to look around at all the changes. At last he turned to Mattie and reached out his hand–he had the boldness of a man in the shadow of some mighty event which makes false modesty and conventions shadowy things of little importance. His sharpened interior sense read her clear soul, and he knew she was his, therefore he reached her his hand, and she came to him with a flush on her face, which died out as she stood proudly by his side, while he said:

“And Martha shall help me.”

Therefore, this good thing happened–that in the midst of his fervor and his consecration to God’s work, the love of woman found a place.