IsawtheSoutherner’shandgriphishatashewasturningitround。Hehelditstillnow，andhisotherhandfounditandgraduallycrumpledthesoftcrownin。Itmeanteverythingtohim:
　　recognition，higherstation，betterfortune，aseparatehouseofhisown，and——perhaps——onestepnearertothewomanhewanted。I
　　don’tknowwhatwordshemighthavesaidtotheJudgehadtheybeenalone，buttheJudgehadchosentodoitinourpresence，thewholethingfrombeginningtoend。TheVirginiansatwiththedampcomingoutonhisforehead，andhiseyesdroppedfromhisemployer’s。
　　“Thankyu’，“waswhathemanagedatlasttosay。
　　“Well，now，I’mgreatlyrelieved！“exclaimedtheJudge，risingatonce。Hespokewithhaste，andlightly。“That’sexcellent。Iwasinsomethingofahole，“hesaidtoOgdenandme；“andthisgivesmeonethinglesstothinkof。Savesmealotofparticulars，“hejocoselyaddedtotheVirginian，whowasnowalsostandingup。“Beginrightoff。Leavethebunkhouse。Thegentlemenwon’tmindyoursleepinginyourownhouse。“
　　Thushedismissedhisnewforemangayly。Butthenewforeman，whenhegotoutside，turnedbackforonegruffword，——“I’lltrytopleaseyu’。“Thatwasall。Hewasgoneinthedarkness。Buttherewaslightenoughforme，lookingafterhim，toseehimlayhishandonashoulder-highgateandvaultitasifhehadbeenthewind。Soundsofcheeringcametousafewmomentslaterfromthebunkhouse。Evidentlyhehad“begunrightaway，“astheJudgehaddirected。Hehadtoldhisfortunetohisbrothercow-punchers，andthiswastheiranswer。
　　“IwonderifTrampasisshoutingtoo？“inquiredOgden。
　　“Hm！“saidtheJudge。“ThatisoneoftheparticularsIwashmyhandsof。“
　　Iknewthatheentirelymeantit。Iknew，oncehisdecisiontakenofappointingtheVirginianhislieutenantforgoodandall，that，likeawisecommander-in-chief，hewouldtrusthislieutenanttotakecareofhisownbusiness。
　　“Well，“Ogdenpursuedwithinterest，“haven’tyoulandedTrampasplumpathismercy？“
　　ThephrasetickledtheJudge。“ThatiswhereI’velandedhim！“hedeclared。“AndhereisDr。MacBride。“
　　Thundersatimminentuponthemissionary’sbrow。Manyweretobeathismercysoon。Butforushehadsunshinestill。“Iamtrulysorrytobeturningyouupsidedown，“hesaidimportantly。“Butitseemsthebestplaceformyservice。“Hespokeofthetablespushedbackandthechairsgatheredinthehall，wherethestormwouldpresentlybreakuponthecongregation。“Eight-thirty？heinquired。
　　Thiswasthehourappointed，anditwasonlytwentyminutesoff。
　　Wethrewtheunsmokedfractionsofourcigarsaway，andreturnedtoofferourservicestotheladies。Thisamusedtheladies。Theyhaddonewithoutus。Allwasreadyinthehall。
　　“Wegotthecooktohelpus，“Mrs。Ogdentoldme，“soasnottodisturbyourcigars。Inspiteofthecow-boys，Istillrecognizemyowncountry。“
　　“Inthecook？“Iratherdenselyasked。
　　“Oh，no！Idon’thaveaChinaman。It’sinthelengthofafter-dinnercigars。“
　　“Hadyoubeensmoking，“Ireturned，“youwouldhavefoundthemshortthisevening。“
　　“Youmakeitworse，“saidthelady；“wehavehadnothingbutDr。
　　MacBride。“
　　We’llsharehimwithyounow，“Iexclaimed。“Hasheannouncedhistext？I’vegotoneforhint，“saidMollyWood，joiningus。Shestoodontiptoeandspokeitcomicallyinourears。“’Isaidinmyhaste，Allmenareliars。’“Thismadeusmerryaswestoodamongthechairsinthecongestedhall。
　　Ilefttheladies，andsoughtthebunkhouse。Ihadheardthecheers，butIwascuriousalsotoseethemen，andhowtheyweretakingit。Therewasbutlittlefortheeye。Therewasmuchnoiseintheroom。Theyweregettingreadytocometochurch，——brushingtheirhair，shaving，andmakingthemselvesclean，amidtalkoccasionallyprofaneandcontinuouslydiverting。
　　“Well，I’maChristian，anyway，“onedeclared。
　　“I’maMormon，Iguess，“saidanother。
　　“IbelongtotheKnightsofPythias，“saidathird。
　　“I’maMohammedist，“saidafourth；“IhopeIain’tgoin’tohearnothin’toshockme。“
　　Andtheywentonwiththeirjoking。ButTrampaswasoutofthejoking。Helayonhisbedreadinganewspaper，andtooknopainstolookpleasant。MyeyeswereconsideringhimwhentheblitheScipiocamein。
　　“Don’tlooksobashful，“saidhe。“There’sonlyusgirlshere。“
　　HehadbeenhelpingtheVirginianmovehisbelongingsfromthebunkhouseovertotheforeman’scabin。HehimselfwastooccupytheVirginian’soldbedhere。“AndIhopesleepin’initwillbringmesomeofhisluck，“saidScipio。“Yu’doughtto’veseenuswhenhetoldusinhisquietway。Well，“Scipiosighedalittle，“itmustfeelgoodtohaveyourfriendsgladaboutyou。“
　　“EspeciallyTrampas，“saidI。“TheJudgeknowsaboutthat，“I
　　added。
　　“Knows，doeshe？What’shesay？“Scipiodrewmequicklyoutofthebunkhouse。“Saysit’snobusinessofhis。“
　　“Saidnothingbutthat？“Scipio’scuriosityseemedstrangelyintense。“Madenosuggestion？Notathing？“
　　“Notathing。Saidhedidn’twanttoknowanddidn’tcare。“
　　“Howdidhehappentohearaboutit？“snappedScipio。“Youtoldhim！“heimmediatelyguessed。“Heneverwould。“AndScipiojerkedhisthumbattheVirginian，whoappearedforamomentinthelightedwindowofthenewquartershewasarranging。“Heneverwouldtell，“Scipiorepeated。“AndsotheJudgenevermadeasuggestiontohim，“hemuttered，noddinginthedarkness。“Soit’sjusthisownnotion。Justlikehim，too，cometothinkofit。OnlyIdidn’texpect——well，Iguesshecouldsurprisemeanydayhetried。“
　　“You’resurprisingmenow，“Isaid。“What’sitallabout？“
　　“Oh，himandTrampas。“
　　“What？Nothingsurelyhappenedyet？“IwasascuriousasScipiohadbeen。
　　“No，notyet。Buttherewill。“
　　“GreatHeavens，man！when？“
　　“JustassoonasTrampasmakesthefirstmove，“Scipiorepliedeasily。
　　Ibecamedignified。ScipiohadevidentlybeentoldthingsbytheVirginian。
　　“Yes，Iupandaskedhimplumbout，“Scipioanswered。“Iwasliftin’histrunkinatthedoor，andIcouldn’tstanditnolonger，andIaskedhimplumbout。’Yu’vesuregotTrampaswhereyu’wanthim。’That’swhatIsaid。Andheupandansweredandtoldme。SoIknow。“AtthispointScipiostopped；Iwasnottoknow。
　　“Ihadnoidea，“Isaid，“thatyoursystemheldsomuchmeanness。“
　　“Oh，itain’tmeanness！“Andhelaughedecstatically。
　　“Whatdoyoucallit，then？“
　　“He’dcallitdiscretion，“saidScipio。Thenhebecameserious。
　　“It’stooblamedgrandtotellyu’。I’llleaveyu’toseeithappen。Keeparound，that’sall。Keeparound。IprettynearwishIdidn’tknowitmyself。“
　　WhatwithmyfeelingsatScipio’sdiscretion，andmyhumancuriosity，Iwasnotinthatmoodwhichbestprofitsfromasermon。Yeteventhoughmyexpectationshadbeencruellyleftquiveringinmidair，IwasnotsurehowmuchIreallywantedto“keeparound。“YouwillthereforeunderstandhowDr。MacBridewasabletomakeaprayerandtoreadScripturewithoutmybeingconsciousofawordthathehaduttered。ItwaswhenIsawhimopeningthemanuscriptofhissermonthatIsuddenlyrememberedI
　　wassitting，sotospeak，inchurch，andbeganoncemoretothinkofthepreacherandhiscongregation。Ourchairswereinthefrontline，ofcourse；but，beingnextthewall，Icouldeasilyseethecow-boysbehindme。Theywereperfectlydecorous。IfMrs。
　　Ogdenhadlookedforpistols，daredevilattitudes，andsoforth，shemusthavebeengreatlydisappointed。Exceptfortheirweather-beatencheeksandeyes，theyweresimplyAmericanyoungmenwithmustachesandwithout，andmighthavebeensitting，say，inDanbury，Connecticut。EvenTrampasmergedquietlywiththegeneralplacidity。TheVirginiandidnot，tobesure，looklikeDanbury，andhisframeandhisfeaturesshowedoutofthemass；
　　buthiseyeswereuponDr。MacBridewithacreamlikepropriety。
　　OurmissionarydidnotchooseMissWood’stext。HemadehisselectionfromanotherofthePsalms；andwhenitcame，Ididnotdaretolookatanybody；Iwasmuchnearerunseemlyconductthanthecow-boys。Dr。MacBridegaveushistextsonorously，“’Theyarealtogetherbecomefilthy；Thereisnoneofthemthatdoethgood，no，notone。’“Hiseyeshowedusplainlythatpresentcompanywasnotexceptedfromthis。Herepeatedthetextoncemore，then，launchinguponhisdiscourse，gavenoneofusarayofhope。
　　Ihadhearditalloftenbefore；butpreachedtocow-boysittookonanewglareofuntimeliness，ofgrotesqueobsoleteness——asifsomeoneshouldsay，“Letmepersuadeyoutoadmirewoman，“andforthwithholdoutherbleachedbonestoyou。Thecow-boysweretoldthatnotonlytheycoulddonogood，butthatiftheydidcontriveto，itwouldnothelpthem。Nay，more:notonlyhonestdeedsavailedthemnothing，buteveniftheyacceptedthisespecialcreedwhichwasbeingexplainedtothemasnecessaryforsalvation，stillitmightnotsavethem。Theirsinwasindeedthecauseoftheirdamnation，yet，keepingfromsin，theymightneverthelessbelost。Ithadallbeensettledforthemnotonlybeforetheywereborn，butbeforeAdamwasshaped。Havingtoldthemthis，heinvitedthemtoglorifytheCreatorofthescheme。
　　Evenifdamned，theymustpraisethepersonwhohadmadethemexpresslyfordamnation。ThatiswhatIheardhimprovebylogictothesecow-boys。Stoneuponstonehebuilttheblackcellarofhistheology，leavingoutitsbeautifulparkandthesunshineofitsgarden。Hedidnottellthemthesplendorofitspast，thenoblefortressforgoodthatithadbeen，howitstonichadstrengthenedgenerationsoftheirfathers。No；wrathhespokeof，andneveronceoflove。Itwasthebishop’sway，Iknewwell，toholdcow-boysbyhomelytalkoftheirspecialhardshipsandtemptations。Andwhentheyfellhespoketothemofforgivenessandbroughtthemencouragement。ButDr。MacBrideneverthoughtonceofthelivesofthesewaifs。Likehimself，likeallmankind，theywereinvisibledotsincreation；likehim，theyweretofeelasnothing，tobesweptupinthepotentheatofhisfaith。Sohethrustouttothemnoneofthesweetbutallthebitterofhiscreed，nakedandsternasiron。Dogmawashisallinall，andpoorhumanitywasnothingbutfleshforitscanyons。
　　Thustokillwhatchancehehadforbeingofuseseemedtomemoredeplorablethanitdidevidentlytothem。Theirattentionmerelywandered。Threehundredyearsagotheywouldhavebeenfrightened；butnotinthiselectricday。IsawScipiostiflingasmilewhenitcametothedoctrineoforiginalsin。“Weknowofitstruth，“saidDr。MacBride，“fromtheseveretroublesanddistressestowhichinfantsareliable，andfromdeathpassinguponthembeforetheyarecapableofsinning。YetIknewhewasagoodman；andIalsoknewthatifamissionaryistobetactless，hemightalmostaswellbebad。
　　Isaidtheirattentionwandered，butIforgottheVirginian。Atfirsthisattitudemighthavebeenmerepropriety。Onecanlookrespectfullyatapreacherandbeinternallybreakingallthecommandments。ButevenwiththetextIsawrealattentionlightintheVirginian’seye。Andkeepingtrackoftheconcentrationthatgrewonhimwitheachminutemadethesermonshortforme。
　　Hemissednothing。Beforetheendhisgazeatthepreacherhadbecomeswerveless。Washeconvertorcritic？Convertwasincredible。ThuswasanhourpassedbeforeIhadthoughtoftime。
　　Whenitwasoverwetookitvariously。Thepreacherwasgenialandspokeofhavingnowbrokengroundforthelessonsthathehopedtoinstil。Hediscoursedforawhileabouttrout-fishingandabouttherumoreduneasinessoftheIndiansnorthwardwherehewasgoing。Itwasplainthathispersonalsafetynevergavehimathought。Hesoonbadeusgoodnight。TheOgdensshruggedtheirshouldersandwereamused。Thatwastheirwayoftakingit。
　　Dr。MacBridesattooheavilyontheJudge’sshouldersforhimtoshrugthem。AsaleadingcitizenintheTerritoryhekeptopenhouseforallcomers。Policyandgoodnaturemadehimbidwelcomeawidevarietyoftravellers。Thecow-boyoutofemploymentfoundbedandamealforhimselfandhishorse，andmissionarieshadbeforenowbeenwellreceivedatSunkCreekRanch。
　　“IsupposeI’llhavetotakehimfishing，“saidtheJudge，ruefully。
　　“Yes，mydear，“saidhiswife，“youwill。AndIshallhavetomakehisteaforsixdays。“
　　“Otherwise，“Ogdensuggested，“itmightbereportedthatyouwereenemiesofreligion。“