boys; I see the Elder's come. By gum, there's
Harkey!" They all looked toward Harkey, who had just driven up to the
door.

Harkey came into church holding his smooth, serious face a little one
side, in his usual way, quiet and dignified, as if he were living up to
his Sunday suit of clothes. He seemed to be unconscious of the attitude
in which he stood toward most of his neighbors.

Bill and Sarah were not present, and that gave additional color to the
story of trouble between the sisters.

After the sermon Deacon Harkey led the Sunday School, and the critics of
his action were impressed more than usual with his smooth and quiet
utterance. Emma seemed more than ordinarily worn and dispirited.

It was perfectly natural that Mrs. Gray should be the last person to
know of the division which had slowly set in between the two sisters and
their factions. Charitable and guileless herself, it was difficult for
her to conceive of slander and envy.

Nevertheless, a division had come about, slowly, but decisively. The
entire Coolly was involved in the discussion before Mrs. Gray gave it
any serious attention, but one day, when Sarah came in upon her and
poured out a mingled flood of sorrow and invective, the good soul was
aghast.

"Well, well, I swan! There, there! I wouldn't make so much fuss over
it!" she said, stripping her hands out of the biscuit dough in order to
go over and pat Sarah on the shoulder. "After all that to-do gettin'
settled, seems 's if you ought 'o _stay_ settled. Good land! It ain't
anything to have a fuss over, anyway!"

"But it is _our_ cow-bell. It belonged on the black farrer cow, that Jim
turned his nose up at, and he sneaked around and got it just to spite
us."

"Oh, I guess not," she replied incredulously.

"Well, he did; and Emmy put him up to it, and I know she did," said
Sarah in a lamentable voice.

"Sary Ann," said Mrs. Gray, as sharply as any one ever heard her speak,
"that's a pretty way to talk about your sister, ain't it?"

"Well, Mrs. Jim Harkey said--"

"You never mind what Mrs. Jim Harkey said; she's a _snoop_ and everybody
knows it."

"But she wouldn't tell that, if it weren't so."

"Well, I tell you, I wouldn't pay no attention to what she said, and I
wouldn't make such a fuss over an old cow-bell, anyway."

"But the cow-bell is only the starting point; she ain't been near the
house since, and she says all kinds of mean, nasty things about us."

"All comes through M