tic and
unassailable. Before the close, however, the minister came to deal with
the needs of his own people. Old and young, absent and present, the
sick, the weary, the sin-burdened--all were remembered with a warmth
of sympathy, with a directness of petition, and with an earnestness of
appeal that thrilled and subdued the hearts of all, and made even the
boys, who had borne with difficulty the last half-hour of the long
prayer, forget their weariness.

The reading of Scripture followed the prayer. In this the minister
excelled. His fine voice and his dramatic instinct combined to make this
an impressive and beautiful portion of the service. But to-day much of
the beauty and impressiveness of the reading was lost by the frequent
interruptions caused by the entrance of late comers, of whom, owing to
the bad roads, there were a larger number than usual. The minister was
evidently annoyed, not so much by the opening and shutting of the door
as by the inattention of his hearers, who kept turning round their heads
to see who the new arrivals were. At length the minister could bear it
no longer.

"My dear people," he said, pausing in the reading, "never mind those
coming in. Give you heed to the reading of God's Word, and if you must
know who are entering, I will tell you. Yes," he added, deliberately,
"give you heed to me, and I will let you know who these late comers
are."

With that startling declaration, he proceeded with the reading, but had
not gone more than a few verses when "click" went the door-latch. Not
a head turned. It was Malcolm Monroe, slow-going and good-natured, with
his quiet little wife following him.

The minister paused, looking toward the door, and announced: "My dear
people, here comes our friend Malcolm Monroe, and his good wife with
him, and a long walk they have had. Come away, Malcolm; come away; we
will just wait for you."

Malcolm's face was a picture. Surprise, astonishment, and confusion
followed each other across his stolid countenance; and with quicker pace
than he was ever known to use in his life before, he made his way to
his seat. No sooner had the reading began again when once more the
door clicked. True to his promise, the minister paused and cheerfully
announced to his people: "This, my friends, is John Campbell, whom
you all know as 'Johnnie Sarah,' and we are very glad to see him, for,
indeed, he has not been here for some time. Come away, John; come away,
man," he added, imp