ve out of the yard. Not
until they reached the main road did she trust herself to speak to the
dazed lad beside her.

"What a disagreeable women!" she ejaculated at last. "I don't wonder
you ran away, Chester--I don't, indeed! Though, mind you, I don't
think it was right, for all that. But I'm gladder than words can say
that she wouldn't take you back. You are mine now, and you will stay
mine. I want you to call me Aunt Salome after this. Get up, horse! If
we can catch that train at Roxbury, we'll be home by night yet."

Chester was too happy to speak. He had never felt so glad and grateful
in his life before.

They got home that night just as the sun was setting redly behind the
great maples on the western hill. As they drove into the yard,
Clemantiny's face appeared, gazing at them over the high board fence
of the cow-yard. Chester waved his hand at her gleefully.

"Lawful heart!" said Clemantiny. She set down her pail and came out to
the lane on a run. She caught Chester as he sprang from the wagon and
gave him a hearty hug.

"I'm glad clean down to my boot soles to see you back again," she
said.

"He's back for good," said Miss Salome. "Chester, you'd better go in
and study up your lessons for tomorrow."

The Strike at Putney

The church at Putney was one that gladdened the hearts of all the
ministers in the presbytery whenever they thought about it. It was
such a satisfactory church. While other churches here and there were
continually giving trouble in one way or another, the Putneyites were
never guilty of brewing up internal or presbyterial strife.

The Exeter church people were always quarrelling among themselves and
carrying their quarrels to the courts of the church. The very name of
Exeter gave the members of presbytery the cold creeps. But the Putney
church people never quarrelled.

Danbridge church was in a chronic state of ministerlessness. No
minister ever stayed in Danbridge longer than he could help. The
people were too critical, and they were also noted heresy hunters.
Good ministers fought shy of Danbridge, and poor ones met with a chill
welcome. The harassed presbytery, worn out with "supplying," were
disposed to think that the millennium would come if ever the
Danbridgians got a minister whom they liked. At Putney they had had
the same minister for fifteen years and hoped and expected to have him
for fifteen more. They looked with horror-stricken eyes on the
Danbridge theologi