hearts and hardened those very hearts against all to whom
love came less fortunately than it had come to them. How could there be
'hope for the world, no matter what it might do about its material
affairs, while heart closed against heart like that, while men and women
drew their own portions of joy and shut themselves in with them, refusing
to see that they were one with all who drew, or would draw. It seemed the
most cruel, the most wrong thing of all the world that men--and above
all, women--should turn their most unloving face upon the face of love.

Of which things she thought again as she passed various Centralias
and wondered if there were Anns longing for love in all those
unlovely places.

She came at last, after crossing a long stretch of nothingness, to the
town where Ann had lived, town from which she had gone forth to hear
grand opera and find the loveliness of life. But as she stepped from the
train and approached a group of men lounging at the station it came to
her that "Ann's father," particularly as Ann had not been Ann in
Centralia, was a somewhat indefinite person to be inquiring for.

After a moment's consideration she approached the man who looked newest
to his profession and asked how many churches there were in Centralia.
Thereupon one man beat open retreat and all viewed her with suspicion.
But the man of her choice was a brave man and ventured to guess that
there were four.

One of his comrades held that there were five. A discussion ensued
closing with the consensus of opinion in favor of the greater number.

Then Katie explained her predicament; she wanted to find a man who was a
minister in Centralia and she didn't know his name. Reassured, they
gathered round interestedly. Was he young or old? Katie cautiously placed
him in the forties or fifties. Then they guessed and reckoned that it
couldn't be either the Reverend Lewis or that new fellow at the Baptist.
Was he--would she say he was one to be kind of easy on a fellow, or did
she think he took his religion pretty hard?

Katie was forced to admit that she feared he took it hard. With that they
were agreed to a man that it must be the Reverend Saunders.

She was thereupon directed to the residence of the Reverend Saunders.
Right down there was a restaurant with a sign in the window "Don't Pass
By." But she was to pass by. Then there was the church said "Welcome."
No, that was not the Reverend Saunders' church. It was the church where