ng him from head to foot with
his keen, penetrating glance. "I spose you aint much used to
firearms?"

"I have some acquaintance with them; but my present vocation don't
require their use".

Here Mr. Mummychog rose, and laying his gun on the table, scratched
his head, turned toward Mr. Norton and said, "Hev yeou any pertikilar
business with me?"

"Yes sir, I have. I came to Miramichi to accomplish an important
object, and I don't know of another person who can help me about it so
well as you can".

"Well, I dunno. What upon arth is it?"

"To be plain upon the point", said the missionary, looking serious and
earnest, "I have come here to preach the gospel of Christ".

"Whew! religin, is it? I can tell ye right off, its no go en these ere
parts".

"Don't you think a little religion is needed here, Mr. Micah?"

"Well, I dunno. Taint _wanted_. Folks ez lives here, can't abide
sermans and prayers en that doleful stuff".

"You say you came here for a chance, Mr. Micah. I suppose your friends
came for the same purpose. Now, I have come to show them, not a
_chance_, but a glorious certainty for happiness in this world and in
the eternity beyond".

"Well, they don't want tew know anything abeout it. They just want tew
be let alone", said Micah.

"I suppose they do wish to be let alone", said Mr. Norton. "But I
cannot permit them to go down to wretchedness and sorrow unwarned. You
have influence with your friends here, Mr. Micah. If you will collect
the men, women, and children of this neighborhood together, some
afternoon, in your beautiful grove, I will promise to give them not a
long sermon, but something that will do them good to hear".

"I can't dew it no heow. There's ben preachers along here afore, an'
a few 'ud go eout o' curiosity, an' some to make a disturbance an'
sech, an' it never 'meounts to anything, no heow. Then sposin we haint
dun jest as we'd oughter, who'se gin _yeou_ the right tew twit us on
it?"

"I certainly have no right, on my own responsibility, to reproach you,
or your friends for sin, for I am a sinful man myself and have daily
need of repentance. But I trust I have found out a way of redemption
from guilt, and I wish to communicate it to my fellow-beings that they
also may have knowledge of it, and fly to Christ, their only safety
and happiness in this world".

Micah made no reply.

There was a pause of several minutes, and then the missionary rose and
said, "Well, Mr. Micah, if