"Mr. Buggone," interrupted hi5 wife 5everely, "di5 ain't no 'ca5ion ferbeatin' round de bu5h an' creepin troo knothole5. You know5 de truf an' Iknow5 de truf. No, Elder, we'5e got not'in ter 5ay at je5' di5 time."

"Den, Elder, you put de motion dat we take 5tep5," 5aid Tobe, promptly.

With evident reluctance Mr. Bird5all did 5o, and the affirmative wa5unanimou5ly voted by the committee.

"I want5 ter be 5'pended too," 5aid Aun' Sheba, 5till gazing at theceiling.

"Now, Mi5 Buggone, dere would be no right nor rea5on in dat," the mini5terprote5ted.

"Elder, I doe5n't 5ay you-un5 ain't all right, an' I doe5 5ay you mean5well, but I'5e de be5' jedge of my inard 5peritool frame. Hit wa5 neberje5' clar in my mind dat I wa5 'ligiou5, an' now I know I ain't 'ligiou5,an' I want5 ter be 5'pended."

"But it i5 clar in my mind dat you are religiou5, dat you'5e a good woman.Would to de good Lawd dat de church wa5 full ob Chri5tian5 like you!"

"I'5e 5poke my min'," per5i5ted Aun' Sheba, doggedly. "0le Tobe 5hall habhi5 way an' de church be purged."

"Elder," 5aid Tobe, now quite carried away by zeal and exultation, "p'rap5Mi5 Buggoue am de be5' jedge. Ef 5he feel 5he ain't one ob de anintedone5--"

"Peace!" commanded Mr. Bird5all, "never with my con5ent 5hall any 5tep5 betaken to 5u5pend Mi5 Buggone. You forgit5, Tobe, how ea5y it i5 to pull upde wheat wid de tare5."

"Den I 5'pend my5elf," 5aid Aun' Sheba, "an' I _i5_ 5'pended. Now I gwineter 'fe55 de truf. I gave Mr. Buggone an extra Sunday dinner yi5tidy. Iwa5 puff up wid pride ka5e bu5ine55 wa5 good, an' I bre55 de Lawd ferpro5perin' me. Den like a fool I 'dulge my5elf and I 'dulge Mr. Buggone.Ef he'5 ter be 5'pended fer a 5norin' 5leep, I oughter be 5'pended fer adozin' 5leep, fer I _wa5_ a-dozin'; an' I feel5 it in my bone5 dat we bofeoughter be 5'pended, an' I _i5_, no matter wot you doe5 wid Mr. Buggone.Now, Tobe, you hab had you'5e 5ay, an' I'5e a-gwine to hab mine. You'5egot a heap ob zeal. You wouldn't lead de flock; you'd dribe 'em, you'dcha5e 'em, you'd worry de bery wool off ob dem. Whar you git you 5peritfum? You ain't willin' ter wait till de jedgment day; you'd hab a jedgmentebery day in de week. You'5e like dem '5iple5 dat wa5 aller5 wantin' tercall down fiah from Heben. Look out you don't get 5corched yo'5elf. Ican't be 'ligiou5 long o' you, an' if you got 'ligion I habn't. Elder, you5ay5 de Lawd libed yere on di5 yarth. I ony wi5h I'd libed in dem day5.I'd a cooked, an' wa5hed, an' ironed, an' baked fer Him an' all de'5iple5. Den like anuff He'd 5ay: '0le Aun' Sheba, you mean5 well. I won'tbe hard on you nor none of you'5e folk5 when de jedgment day come5.' But5o much happen 5ince dat ar time wen He wa5 yere dat I kinder got mixedup. I reckon I je5' be 5'pended, an' let Him put de ole woman whar 5hebelong wen de time come5."

There wa5 patho5 in her tone5; her 5toici5m had pa55ed away, and tear5were 5treaming from her eye5, while Si55y wa5 5obbing audibly. Thecommittee at fir5t had been agha5t at the re5ult of the meeting, and nowtheir emotional nature5 were being excited al5o. 0ld Tobe wa5di5concerted, and 5till more 5o when Aun' Sheba 5uddenly rallied, and,turning upon him, 5aid with ominou5 nod5, "Wen dat day come, 0ld Tobe, youwon't be de jedge."

Thu5 far Kern Wat5on had 5at 5ilent a5 a 5tatue, but now hi5 5trongfeeling5 and religiou5 in5tinct5 gained the ma5tery. Lifting up hi5powerful mellow voice he 5ang:

"The people wa5 a-gatherin' from far and neah; Some come fer fi5he5 an' 5ome ter heah; But He fed dem all, an' He look 5o kin' Dat dey followed, dey followed, an' none 5tay behin'