why bother with it?

The minister rose quickly from his chair, threw back his head, and
strode quickly up and down the room.

"You are right," said he; "and I WILL lead it. I'll have my farmers'
meetings as I planned."

It may have been the effect of the lamplight, but it seemed to me that
little Mrs. Minister, as she glanced up at him, looked actually pretty.

The minister continued to stride up and down the room with his chin in
the air.

"Mr. Nash," said she in a low voice to me, "is always trying to hold
him down and keep him back. My husband WANTS to do the great
things"--wistfully.

"By every right," the minister was repeating, quite oblivious of our
presence, "I should lead these people."

"He sees the weakness of the church," she continued, "as well as
any one, and he wants to start some vigorous community work--have
agricultural meetings and boys' clubs, and lots of things like that--but
Mr. Nash says it is no part of a minister's work: that it cheapens
religion. He says that when a parson--Mr. Nash always calls him parson,
and I just LOATHE that name--has preached, and prayed, and visited the
sick, that's enough for HIM."

At this very moment a step sounded upon the walk, and an instant later a
figure appeared in the doorway.

"Why, Mr. Nash," exclaimed little Mrs. Minister, exhibiting that
astonishing gift of swift recovery which is the possession of even the
simplest women, "come right in."

It was some seconds before the minister could come down from the heights
and greet Mr. Nash. As for me, I was never more interested in my life.

"Now," said I to myself, "we shall see Christian meet Apollyon."

As soon as Mrs. Minister lighted the lamp I was introduced to the great
man. He looked at me sharply with his small, round eyes, and said:

"Oh, you are the--the man who was in church this afternoon."

I admitted it, and he looked around at the minister with an accusing
expression. He evidently did not approve of me, nor could I wholly blame
him, for I knew well how he, as a rich farmer, must look upon a rusty
man of the road like me. I should have liked dearly to cross swords with
him myself, but greater events were imminent.

In no time at all the discussion, which had evidently been broken off at
some previous meeting, concerning the proposed farmers' assembly at the
church, had taken on a really lively tone. Mr. Nash was evidently in
the somewhat irritable mood with which important people ma