," said
Hartigan; and they wrangled till the blacksmith halted in his raking of
the coals, turned to Hartigan, and beating in the air with his coal rake
like a band leader with his baton, he said with punctuated emphasis: "My
creed tells me I must suffer for my own doings just as surely as if I
lay my finger on this anvil and hit it a crack with the hammer, and no
man can save me from that, and if you tell me that God is a wild beast
and merely wants a victim to punish, no matter who, then I want to know
where the justice comes in. There is not any greater wickedness than to
let the guilty escape, except it be to punish the innocent; and that's
the whole sum and substance of your religion, which was neatly summed up
by old Blue Horse down at Pine Ridge. After he had heard the missionary
explaining it for about the thousandth time, he said: 'Ho, me see now;
your God is my devil.'

"I tell you there's only one sum and substance of all religion that's
worth while, and that is to be a kind, decent neighbour, do your work,
and help others to do theirs. You will find that set forth, straight as
a string, in your own textbook, where it says, 'Love your neighbour as
yourself.'" And the blacksmith drew the radiant iron from the forge to
pound, pound, pound, amid the laughter that proclaimed the defeat of the
Preacher.

Hartigan was never strong on theology. At college he had neglected the
chance to learn the cut and parry in that strangest of all games, and
the puzzle for which he had no quick answer was that of the burnt
finger. In the smithy debates the answer had to be quick, or it was no
answer at all. He had lost the chance and was mortified to see the
verdict of the crowd against him.

"Jack," he said, "I want you to come to church and see how simple it all
is."

"Church. Huh! I think I see myself," said the blacksmith.

"That's not fair," said Hartigan. "You condemn church without going to
see what it is."

"Oh, I've been there a-plenty."

"When?"

"Twenty years ago."

"Oh, pshaw! It's all changed since then."

"Is it? That's a good one. I thought God's religion was unchangeable for
ever and ever. I tell you, young fellow, if you keep on working and
thinking you will wind up with a religion of common sense and kindness
which, as near as I can make out, is what the man Jesus did preach."

"Then why don't you come to hear it?" retorted Hartigan.

"Because ye don't preach it."

"That's not a fair way to put