by a painful embarrassment that proved an effectual barrier to
all intercourse with him. The minister talked lightly and amusingly, but
the boy never raised his eyes from his plate, and only spoke when he was
compelled to answer some direct questions.

Harold Dokesbury knew that unless he could overcome this reserve, his
power over the youth was gone. He bent every effort to do it.

"What do you say to a turn down the street with me?" he asked as he
rose from breakfast.

'Lias shook his head.

"What! You haven't deserted me already?"

The older people had gone out, but young Gray looked furtively about
before he replied: "You know I ain't fittin' to go out with
you--aftah--aftah--yestiddy."

A dozen appropriate texts rose in the preacher's mind, but he knew that
it was not a preaching time, so he contented himself with saying,--

"Oh, get out! Come along!"

"No, I cain't. I cain't. I wisht I could! You needn't think I's ashamed,
'cause I ain't. Plenty of 'em git drunk, an' I don't keer nothin' 'bout
dat"--this in a defiant tone.

"Well, why not come along then?"

"I tell you I cain't. Don't ax me no mo'. It ain't on my account I won't
go. It's you."

"Me! Why, I want you to go."

"I know you does, but I mustn't. Cain't you see that dey'd be glad to
say dat--dat you was in cahoots wif me an' you tuk yo' dram on de sly?"

"I don't care what they say so long as it isn't true. Are you coming?"

"No, I ain't."

He was perfectly determined, and Dokesbury saw that there was no use
arguing with him. So with a resigned "All right!" he strode out the gate
and up the street, thinking of the problem he had to solve.

There was good in Elias Gray, he knew. It was a shame that it should be
lost. It would be lost unless he were drawn strongly away from the paths
he was treading. But how could it be done? Was there no point in his
mind that could be reached by what was other than evil? That was the
thing to be found out. Then he paused to ask himself if, after all, he
were not trying to do too much,--trying, in fact, to play Providence to
Elias. He found himself involuntarily wanting to shift the
responsibility of planning for the youth. He wished that something
entirely independent of his intentions would happen.

Just then something did happen. A piece of soft mud hurled from some
unknown source caught the minister square in the chest, and spattered
over his clothes. He raised his eyes and glanced about quickly,