to himself as he crossed the
room to where Helen was seated. Pausing a moment beside her he said in
a low tone, "The Don has had an offer on the new railway construction
in the West--two years' appointment. Go and talk to him about it. Looks
fierce, doesn't he?" And Helen, nodding intelligently, lingered a
moment and then moved to where The Don sat, while Brown went toward the
piano. "Must get these youngsters inoculated with the Occidental
microbe," he muttered as he took his place beside Mrs. Fairbanks, who
was listening with pleased approval to the "Maying" duet, the pauses of
which Brown industriously employed in soothing her ruffled feelings. So
well did he succeed that when he proffered the humble request that the
young ladies should be allowed to accompany him to Shock's church in
the morning, Mrs. Fairbanks gave a reluctant assent.

"Undoubtedly, I am a great strategist," said Brown to himself next
morning as he sat watching with surreptitious glances the faces of the
young ladies beside him. The preacher was at his best. The great land
where his life mission lay, with its prairies, foot-hills mountains,
and valleys, and all their marvellous resources, was spread out before
the eyes of the congregation with all the passionate pride of the
patriot. The life of the lonely rancher and of his more lonely wife,
the desperate struggle for manhood by the mean of the mine and the
railroad and the lumber camp, the magnitude of the issues at stake; the
pathos of defeat, the glory of triumph, were all portrayed with a power
that compelled the sympathy of his hearers, while the shrewd
common-sense vein that ran through all convinced their intellects and
won their confidence. Perplexity, wonder, horror, compassion, filled
their hearts and were reflected with rapid succession on their faces,
as he told his stories of the wreck of human lives and consequent agony
of human hearts.

"By Jove! they've got it," exclaimed Brown to himself. "The dear Mrs.
Fairbanks has no anti-toxine for this microbe." His eyes turned to
Shock and there were held fast. "He's got it, too, confound him," he
grumbled. "Surely, he wouldn't be beast enough to leave his old mother
alone." The mother's face was a strange sight. On it the anguish of her
heart was plainly to be seen, but with the anguish the rapt glory of
those who triumph by sacrifice.

As the congregation broke up the young ladies hurried to greet Mrs.
Macgregor. From the day of the foo