“I—­I ain’t afraid,” he proclaimed.  “They can call me a C-C-Come-Outer all they want to.  I—­I don’t care if they do.  Let ’em, I say; l-let ’em!  They can p-p-poke their fun and p-p-p-pup-pup-poke it, but I tell ’em to h-heave ahead and p-pup-pup-poke.  When I used to g-go to their old Reg’lar meetin’ house, all I done was to go to sleep.  But I don’t go to sleep here, glory hallelujah!  No, sir!  There’s too much b-b-blessed noise and we have too g-good times to g-go to sleep here.  That old K-Kyan Pepper called me t-town f-fool t’other day.  T-tut-town fool’s what he called me.  Says I to him, says I:  ’You-you-y-you ain’t got spunk enough to be a fool,’ I says, ’unless Laviny says you c-can be.  You old Reg’lar p-p-pepper shaker, you!”

By this time tee-hees from the children and chuckles from some of the older members interfered with Mr. Badger’s fervent but jerky discourse.  Captain Eben struck the table smartly.

“Silence!” he thundered.  “Silence!  Brother Badger, I beg your pardon for ’em.  Go on!”

But Josiah’s train of thought had evidently been derailed by the interruption.

“I—­I—­I cal’late that’s about all,” he stammered and sat down.

The captain looked over the meeting.

“I’m ashamed,” he said, “ashamed of the behavior of some of us in the Lord’s house.  This has been a failure, this service of ours.  We have kept still when we should have justified our faith, and allowed the presence of a stranger to interfere with our duty to the Almighty.  And I will say,” he added, his voice rising and trembling with indignation, “to him who came here uninvited and broke up this meetin’, that it would be well for him to remember the words of Scriptur’, ’Woe unto ye, false prophets and workers of iniquity.’  Let him remember what the Divine wisdom put into my head to read to-night:  ’The pastors have become brutish and have not sought the Lord; therefore they shall not prosper.’”

“Amen!” “Amen!” “Amen!” “So be it!” The cries came from all parts of the little room.  They ceased abruptly, for John Ellery was on his feet.

“Captain Hammond,” he said, “I realize that I have no right to speak in this building, but I must say one word.  My coming here to-night may have been a mistake; I’m inclined to think it was.  But I came not, as you seem to infer, to sneer or to scoff; certainly I had no wish to disturb your service.  I came because I had heard repeatedly, since my arrival in this town, of this society and its meetings.  I had heard, too, that there seemed to be a feeling of antagonism, almost hatred, against me among you here.  I couldn’t see why.  Most of you have, I believe, been at one time members of the church where I preach.  I wished to find out for myself how much of truth there was in the stories I had heard and to see if a better feeling between the two societies might not be brought about.  Those were my reasons for coming here to-night.  As for my being a false prophet and a worker of iniquity”—­he smiled—­“well, there is another verse of Scripture I would call to your attention:  ’Judge not, that ye be not judged.’”