the traders had notified me that they would all be on hand.
Fortunately an ingenious suggestion was made--"He doesn't know the
way. Persuade his driver, after starting out, to gradually work round
and end up at the cooperative meeting." This was actually done, and
our friend was present willy-nilly. He proved a broken reed, however,
for in the face of the traders he went back on cooperation.

As fortune would have it, our own komatik fell through the ice in
taking a short cut across a bay, and we arrived late, having had to
borrow some dry clothing from a fisherman on the way. Our trader
friends had already appeared on the scene, and were joking the parson
for being tricked, saying that evidently we had made a mistake and
were really at Cape Norman, the place to which he had intended to go.

It was a dark evening, crisp and cold, and hundreds of dogs that had
hauled people from all over the countryside to the meeting made night
dismal outside. We began our meeting with prayer for guidance, wisdom,
and good temper, for we knew that we should need them all--and then
we came down to statistics, prices, debts, possibilities, and the
story of cooperation elsewhere.

The little house was crammed to overflowing. But the fear of the old
regime was heavy on the meeting. The traders occupied the whole time
for speaking. Only one old fisherman spoke at all. He had been an
overseas sailor in his early days, and he surprised himself by turning
orator. His effort elicited great applause. "Doctor--I means Mr.
Chairman--if this here copper store buys a bar'l of flour in St.
John's for five dollars, be it going to sell it to we fer ten? That's
what us wants to know."

Outside, after the meeting, Babel was let loose. The general opinion
was that there must be something to it or the traders would not have
so much to say against the project. The upshot of the matter was that
for a long time no one could be found who would take the managership;
but at length the best-beloved fisherman on the shore stepped into the
breach. He was not a scholar--in fact could scarcely read, write, and
figure--but his pluck, optimism, and unselfishness carried him
through.

That little store has been preaching its vital truths ever since. It is
a still small text, but it has had vast influences for good. There has
proved to be one difficulty. It is the custom on the coast to give all
meals to travellers free, both men and dogs, and lodging to boot.
Custo