refuseth instruction
despiseth his own soul; but he that heareth reproof getteth
understanding."

The parting admonition, delivered to the young people in general and,
Alfred felt, to himself in particular, was: "Choose a good name; a good
name is rather to be chosen than great riches and loving favor rather
than silver and gold."

Alfred felt that the latter part of the sermon was directed at his
ambitions to become a clown, get rich and buy a farm. He wondered who
had informed the preacher of his ambitions.

When the congregation stood up and sang, Alfred's voice could be heard
above those around him. When the plate was passed he placed his last
dollar on the coppers and dimes on it.

When the minister requested that all the young people who desired the
prayers of the congregation for their future guidance, stand up, Alfred
remained seated. There was no contriteness in his heart; no impression
had been made upon him. He forgot his surroundings; he felt no
embarrassment that all stared at him, their looks seeming to say: "Well,
how did you like it? Hit you pretty hard, did it not?"

Alfred forgot the sermon, forgot the surroundings; other thoughts swayed
his mind. "I'll make Uncle Tom, I'll make this congregation, I'll make
this whole town acknowledge my worth. I've not done anything I'm ashamed
of." Then the five dollars he owed the blind family flashed upon his
mind. "I'll pay them, I'll pay every cent I owe."

He passed out of the church unconscious of the gaze of a half hundred
young men lined up on either side of the door waiting for the girls to
run the gauntlet, each one offering an arm to the girl he fancied; if
rejected he was termed "sacked" and the rejected one felt the ridicule
of his fellows for many days thereafter. Lucy Fowler "sacked" John
Albright that night. Lin was so full of this affair that she seemed to
forget the sermon in her eagerness to recount the other incident. Alfred
interrupted her by sneakingly inquiring as to how she liked the sermon.

Lin forthwith straightened up: "Well, ef I wanted tu tell jes what I
thot, I'd say he gin ye particular fits, but preachin' is preachin',
nobody takes hit to tharselves, they jes think hit's fur everybody. Now
I reckon ye think the hull blast wus fer ye. S'posen he'd preached on
dram drinkin'. I reckon the fellur thet guzzles wud take hit all tu
hisself. No, sonny, religun's fur everybody an' ye kan't thro preachin'
bricks ye don't hit somebody. S