nose and flashing black eyes--preached, and he thundered
out the "Law" to his hearers as a man might use a goad on a refractory
team of oxen. Mr. Middler was a faint echo of the old Elder on most
occasions. He seemed afraid of taking his text from the New Testament.
It was Law, not Love, that was preached at the Poketown Union Church;
and although the dissertations may have been satisfactory to the older
members, they did not attract the young people to service, or feed them
when they _did_ come!

Janice often wondered if the loud "Amens!" of Elder Concannon, down in
the corner, were worth as much to poor little Mr. Middler as would have
been a measure of vital interest shown in the church and its work by
some of the young people of the community.

There was a Ladies Sewing Circle. There is always a Ladies Sewing
Circle! But, somehow, the making up of barrels of cast-off clothing for
unfortunate missionaries in the West, or up in Canada, or the sewing
together of innumerable ill-cut garments, which must, of course, be
"misfits" for the unknown infants for whom they were intended,--all this
never could seem sufficient to "feed the spirit," to Janice Day's mind.

Once or twice she went with Aunt 'Mira (who was proud of her new clothes
and would occasionally go about to show them, now) to the sewing
society meeting. But there were few other young girls there, and the
gossip was not seasoned to her taste.

One day came a letter from Daddy's friend and business associate in
Juarez. For three weeks Janice had not received a word from her father.
The man in Juarez wrote:

"DEAR MISS JANICE:--

"Communication is quite shut off from the district in which
your father's property lies. From such spies as have been
able to get to me, I learn that a disastrous battle has been
fought near the place and that the Constitutionalists have
swept everything before them. They have overrun that part of
Chihuahua and, that being the case, foreigners are not
likely to be well treated or their property conserved.

"I write this because I think it my duty to do so. You
should be warned that the very worst that can happen must be
expected. I have not heard directly from Mr. Day for a
fortnight, and then but a brief message came. He was then
well and free, but spoke of being probably obliged to desert
his post, after all.

"Just what has become of him I cannot g