in."

"Well, we think so," answered Hartigan.

"Good," said Higginbotham. "I have always felt that it was wisest to
associate myself with the church that was spiritually strongest. I am
not in sympathy with narrow views." He did not mention the fact that in
Bootlebury he had associated himself with the Unitarians for the same
reason.

A loud sizzling in the next room caused Hannah to spring up heavily and
return to the kitchen.

Jim was more interested in their venturesome trip across the Plains than
in reasons for doctrinal affiliation, and he steered the conversation by
saying:

"How did you come out on the Plains trip?"

And John bubbled on with a mixture of fun, pathos, and frank admiration
for his wife that appealed strongly to both hearers. His gift of
language was copious without being varied or clever, but his homely
phrases carried the thought.

"I'll not forget the morning of our journey. It was raining by the
bucketfuls. 'Well,' says I, 'for a semi-arid country this is going
some'; and I felt so homesick and sore, I said, 'Hannah, let's not go
any farther'; and Hannah she just looked at me and said, 'See here,
John, I've come out so far to go to the Black Hills and I'm going.'
Then, when the weather let up a little, we started out; and, after a
couple of hours we stuck in a muddy creek and were all day getting
across. Next day a couple more gullies just as bad, and the rain came
down till ever hole in the prairie was a pond; and I tell you I wished
I'd bought a boat instead of the buckboard. And the mosquitoes, oh, my!
Well, we floundered around about three days and got all our stuff wet
and half spoiled. Then we found we'd missed the way and had to flounder
three days back again. I tell you, I felt pretty much discouraged. Then
we saw something a-coming. It turned out to be a settler going back. He
said there was nothing but pond holes and bogs, the mosquitoes were
awful, the boom was bust, and the Sioux on the war path. I felt pretty
sick. That was a finisher; and when that man says, 'You better come back
with us,' I was for going. But Hannah, she just boiled up and she says,
'John Higginbotham, if you want to go back with that bunch of
chicken-hearts, you can go. I'm going to the Black Hills, if I have to
go alone.' I tried to make her see it my way, but she got into the
buckboard, gathered up the reins, and headed for the West. I had to get
in behind as best I could. We didn't talk much. We weren