“‘How much off for cash?’ Harry asked.
“‘Wal, sir, if you ain’t goin’ to ask me to charge it, ten dollars would do,’ the Deacon allowed.
“‘There’s a wonderful power in cash,’ said Harry, as he produced the money.
“‘You’re gettin’ some sense in your head,’ said the Deacon.
“The shovel was brought; and Harry, 190 who had expected to shoot a dog or two and had been practising for this very act, put his victim under three feet of soil in as many minutes. That also pleased the Deacon.
“‘Purty cordy, too,’ the latter said, as he turned to Marie. ‘Now, girl, take your choice. I want to know which is which, an’ stop bein’ bothered about it.’
“She made her choice then and there, and as to which of the two it may have been you will have no doubt when I tell you that Marie had planned every detail in this bit of strategy and Harry had been man enough to put it through.
“‘You know Zeb’s commandment has been a help to me,’ he said, when I offered congratulations. ‘“Be brave with your life, for it is very long.”’
“The Deacon has changed. His heart and mind are open. Every Sunday you may see him in a front seat, drinking at the new fount of inspiration; and it is a rule of 191 his life to make a new friend every day. I’m inclined to think that the old man has been saved at last.
“Yes, we try to reach everybody in one way or another.”