l you something, Mr. Bellamy," he said. "Marty is a farmer's
boy who loves the country. If he has the right sort of backing, I
shouldn't wonder he stayed here a good long time. He's got enough plans
ahead for this circuit of his."

Mr. Bellamy laughed. "He has that; if he waits to get 'em all going
we're sure of him for a while. Why, he wants to make the church the most
important business in the whole neighborhood; and, what's more, he's
getting some of us to see it that way too."

"Yes, I guess that's his dream," J.W. said. "And it's so much better
than the reality up around where I used to live that I wouldn't head him
off if I were you."

"Head him off!" Mr. Bellamy laughed again. "Why, do you know what he did
in the fall, when some of us told him we couldn't do much for missions?
He phoned all over the neighborhood the day before he set out with a
ton-and-a-half truck he had hired for the job. Told us to put into the
truck anything we could spare. And what do you think? Before night he
drove into Hill City with a big overload, even for that truck, of wheat,
corn, butter, eggs, chickens, sausage, apples, potatoes, and dear knows
what. Sold the lot for sixty-nine dollars. He paid nine dollars for the
truck--got a rate on it--and turned in for missions sixty dollars. We've
never given more than twenty, in cash."

"But that wasn't all. Next Sunday he reported, and before any of us
could say 'Praise the Lord!' says he, 'Don't think the Lord's giving any
of us much credit for that stuff. We owe him a good deal more than a few
eggs that we'll never miss. I just wanted to show you that when we
country people really start paying our tithe to the Almighty our
missionary and other offerings will make that truckload look like the
crumbs from our tables. I've proved that we're rich, instead of being
too poor to provide for missions. And it's all our Father's, you know.
When we pay him our tithe we admit that in the only practical way,'
Funny thing was the whole business had been so queer, nobody got mad
over his plain talk. Some of us have begun to tithe, and to enjoy it.
Yes; that young feller is quite a go-ahead young feller."

J.W. rather admired the tale of the truck; it was like Marty, right
enough, to get his tithing talk illustrated with a load of produce; but
there was more than a hint of a new Marty, with a new directness and
confidence.

So he asked, "What else is he doing that's making a difference?"

And the