“But I will.  I want you to go and tell him I’m here, and that I wish for some information respecting Moses.  I’ll have you discharged if you don’t go.”

“Don’t care if you want to see him about all the children of Israel, and the Pharaohs and Nebuchadnezzars.  I tell you you can’t.  That settles it.  Turn off your gas and quit.”

Then Peter resolved to give up the deacon and try Rev. Dr. Dox.  When he called at the parsonage, the doctor came down into the parlor.  Because of the doctor’s deafness there was a little misunderstanding when Peter said,

“I called, doctor, to ascertain if you could tell me who was the mother-in-law of Moses.”

“Well, really,” said the doctor, “there isn’t much preference.  Some like one kind of roses and some like another.  A very good variety of the pink rose is the Duke of Cambridge; grows large, bears early and has very fine perfume.  The Hercules is also excellent, but you must manure it well and water it often.”

“I didn’t ask about roses, but Moses.  You make a mistake,” shouted Peter.

“Oh, of course! by all means.  Train them up to a stake if you want to.  The wind don’t blow them about so and they send out more shoots.”

“You misunderstand me,” yelled Mr. Lamb.  “I asked about Moses, not roses.  I want to know who was the mother-in-law of Moses.”

“Oh yes; certainly.  Excuse me; I thought you were inquiring about roses.  The law of Moses was the foundation of the religion of the Jews.  You can find it in full in the Pentateuch.  It is admirable—­very admirable—­for the purpose for which it was ordained.  We, of course, have outlived that dispensation, but it still contains many things that are useful to us, as, for instance, the—­”

“Was Moses married?” shrieked Mr. Lamb.

“Married?  Oh, yes; the name of his father-in-law, you know, was Jethro, and—­”

“Who was his wife?”

“Why, she was the daughter of Jethro, of course.  I said Jethro was his father-in-law.”

“No; Jethro’s wife, I mean.  I want to know to settle a bet.”

“No, that wasn’t her name.  ‘Bet’ is a corruption of Elizabeth, and that name, I believe, is not found in the Old Testament.  I don’t remember what the name of Moses’ wife was.”

“I want to know what was the name of the mother-in-law of Moses, to settle a bet.”

“Young man,” said the old doctor, sternly, “you are trifling with a serious subject.  What do you mean by wanting Moses to settle a bet?”

Then Mr. Lamb rolled up a sheet of music that lay on the piano; and putting it to the doctor’s ear, he shouted,

“I made—­a—­bet—­that
—­I—­could—­find—­out—­what—­the—­name—­of Moses’—­mother-in-law—­was.  Can—­you—­tell—­me?”

“The Bible don’t say,” responded the doctor; “and unless you can get a spiritualist to put you in communication with Moses, I guess you will lose.”