"But, mother, great as his scholarship may be, he has a power that is greater; it is seen in his eyes and in every feature of his handsome countenance, and felt in the touch of his hand. Its source is not purely intellectual. I perceive it intuitively, but cannot explain it.
"Why, mother, I never thought Penloe was the kind of man he is. From what I had heard about him, I thought he was one of those quiet, goody-goody men, but instead of that he is a scholar of the most advanced school of thought."
Her mother said: "Stella, do you know why Penloe took the subject he did to-day and spoke from it? I think I know; it was this: not that he liked such subjects more than any others, and perhaps not so much; but he knew that if such ideas were presented to the public, it had to be done by those who were not in bondage to name and fame and salary. It had to be done by those bold, fearless thinkers who will speak the truth regardless of frowns and smiles. And Penloe did it because he knew there was no one else that would do it. It was pioneer work."
Stella said: "I think so, mother, and he certainly seems well qualified to do such noble pioneer work."
Mr. and Mrs. Herne, on their way home from church, talked the matter over. Mr. Herne said: "Penloe is the most remarkable man I have seen; so young and yet so gifted in every way. The secret of his power I do not know anything about, but he possesses a power such as no other man I have ever seen. I could not keep away from church if he was going to speak every Sunday."
Mrs. Herne said: "He has the clearest and brightest eyes I ever saw. I never get tired of looking into them. At times his face brightened so much during his speaking it looked angelic."
They were both very much impressed with the sincerity and earnestness of the man, but were not prepared to pass an opinion on the subject of his discourse. They thought well of his ideas, but did not know how they would work. It set them both to thinking, and it was their intention to try if possible to cultivate the acquaintance of Penloe.
The Roseland Gazette, which was published every Saturday, had the following:
"Last Monday and Tuesday strange stories began to be circulated through this city by persons coming in from Orangeville, concerning what was said in the Congregational Church there last Sunday. It seems that the Rev. B.F. Holingsworth, of this city, was called away to see a sick sister, and he got a man who goes by the name of Penloe to fill his place. The stories that were put in circulation are of a wild and varied character. Some started the rumor that Penloe preached that we all ought to go naked. Another story was, that he said we all ought to bathe together, regardless of sex, in a nude state. Then some said, he told the people that all families ought to sleep in one large room, to appear as much in a nude condition as possible, so as to satisfy all curiosity. These and other like stories aroused so much interest among the people of this city, that it has been the upper-most topic of conversation among them, and led to the inquiry whether it was so, and was the man a crazy crank or a fool, and how came such a man to be asked to preach.
"Our reporter went out to Orangeville to learn what he could concerning the matter. He first of all went to see Penloe to get a certified statement, but that gentleman could not be found anywhere. He had an interview with Mr. Saunders, the merchant of Orangeville, who said he was at church last Sunday and heard the sermon.