hen those who years before had
followed him obediently now pricked him with theological pins and
ventured to disagree with him, he was quick and sometimes foolish in his
replies. Thus, once a former friend and fellow-church-member who had
gone over to the opposition came into his store one morning and said:

"Elihu, for a man that's as strong on religion as you are, I see you do
one thing that can't quite be justified by the Book."

"What's that?" inquired Burridge, looking up.

"I see you sell tobacco."

"I see you chew it," returned the host grimly.

"I know I do," returned his visitor, "but I'll tell you what I'll do,
Elihu. If you'll quit selling, I'll quit chewing it," and he looked as
if he had set a fancy trap for his straw-balancing brother, as he held
him to be.

"It's a bargain," said Burridge on the instant. "It's a bargain!"

And from that day on tobacco was not offered for sale in that store,
although there was a large local demand for it.

Again, in the pride of his original leadership, he had accepted the
conduct of the local cemetery, a thing which was more a burden than a
source of profit. With his customary liberality in all things reflecting
credit upon himself he had spent his own money in improving it, much
more than ever the wardens of the church would have thought of returning
to him. In one instance, when a new receiving vault was desired, he had
added seven hundred dollars of his own to three hundred gathered by the
church trustees for the purpose, and the vault was immediately
constructed. Frequently also, in his pride of place, he had been given
to asserting he was tired of conducting the cemetery and wished he could
resign.

In these later evil days, therefore, the trustees, following the star of
the newer power, saw fit to intimate that perhaps some one else would be
glad to look after it if he was tired of it. Instantly the fact that he
could no longer boast as formerly came home to him. He was not essential
any longer in anything. The church did not want him to have a hand in
any of its affairs! The thought of this so weighed on him that
eventually he resigned from this particular task, but thereafter also
every man who had concurred in accepting his resignation was his bitter
enemy. He spoke acidly of the seven hundred he had spent, and jibed at
the decisions of the trustees in other matters. Soon he became a
disturbing element in the church, taking a solemn vow never to enter t