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Show CHAPTER VI Continued 13 "foe must keep on hoping." pleaded Miriam. "They like Ulram, continued their father, "They evidently want him." "On, oo," gasped Marjory. "Not Ulram, father. Not In your church." "I like him myself.': said her father gently. "Better biro than some others." But Marjory shook her bead passionately. pas-sionately. "No, oo," she whispered, j "Not la your church." Ginger hurried back with the "DIs clpllne." t j "find It, Miriam. Tou're op on Indexes." Miriam deftly turned to the Index, referred to section 841, hurried down to paragraph 2, and read aloud. "The annuity claim of a Hetlred Minister shall be oot less than one seventieth (1-7U) of the average sal ary, house rent excluded, of the effective effec-tive members of bis Conference who " 'by Ethel Hueston 1 Illustrations by Irwin Myers j Copyrtaht, by Bobhe Merrill 04, WNU Service - own, and run tt to ault ourselves. I don't want I you to leave Bed Thrush." "Tou're a good friend, and good man, Eddy," said the other gratefully. "But don't bi.ve me too much oo your mind. It's all right. I will never do anything that does not completely accord ac-cord with the policy of our church, you understand. Good night, my dear boy, and to repeat your own words, don't worry." ' Silently, up the stairs to the right wing, Miriam guided hie steps. She turned bsck the covers of his bed, carefully spread out the things he would oeed for ths night, placed a fresh towel oo his rack. '"Father, shan't I reed to you a while?" aha nftorort rt,ii unit fanl I - ' ' But thl.. he dented her. ITou must wait to share it wltb the rest of the family. Bow Impetuous you are get tng why, you ere quite another Gin gerP So Miriam was obliged to content herself by straightening his tie, and giving a careful brush to bis hair, before be-fore she led him dowo to breakfast. Here, apologetically, hb asked an ad dltloual favor at the bands of Eddy Jackson., "Ton have dooe ao much, Eddy, and you are alwaya so kind that I really hate to ask anything more of yoo. But 1 must go :o right after break fast to speak to my daughters. 1 shan't be gone long, but I must go. Now If you cao't take me, or send one of the men, suppose I just telephone tele-phone In for text" "Of course I can take you. Why, I haven't a thing to do," lied Eddy Jacksoo stoutly. "Father r ejaculated Miriam. "The way you talk of ordering taxis one tired enough to sleep." , .. "No, thanks, dear, not tonight. Tou're a nice girl, Miriam, but I doo't . are Pastors or District Superintend ents, multiplied by the number of his years of service In the effective rein tlon. Including two years on trial, as a member of an Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church'" "Mercy," Interrupted Ginger. "It's geometry. We'll have to wait till Horace comes home." "Why, It's very simple," explained her father. "One seventieth of the salary of our conference we are not a very rich one, you know Is twenty-one twenty-one dollars. Multiply that by" "X darling, yoo forgot x," Interrupted Inter-rupted Ginger again. "X Is the number of years one has been preaching. My x Is twenty-three. twenty-three. Multiply twenty-one dollars by twenty-three years, and It comes to four hundred and eighty-three dollars. But we have not quite enough money In our treasury to meet the claims In full, so the pro rata reduction would allow me about three hundred and twenty dollars a year. Approximately Approximate-ly twenty-Bve dollars a month. That wouia tntoK you were doctor or a lawyer at the very least" So Id rly Jacksoo relinquished his experiments for another day, and after a few brisk Instructions to the men, turned his small car toward town again. But he would oot accompany ac-company the minister and ale dangb ter Into the house, said je had ao errand uptown and would be back for them In ao hour, realizing that this hour was to be a sacred one, and that eveo the presence of a friend as faith ful aa himself would be ao 'utruslon. It wna Ginger v. bo first caught sight of the touring car Unloading Its passengers at the end of the dag-stone dag-stone path, and her voice sent Its sum mons ringing ovet the house. "Margie, quit primping this minute. Come down. It's father I Father's cornel Take off your curlera, Jenky. It'a father I" And their eager feet brought them awiftly, each Id something of dishabille, dis-habille, to receive the one who had left them so sadly the night before. will hardly support a family." "Oh, dearest, you have supported us long euough," said Miriam. "It Is our turn now." "Why, futher, with your twenty five a month, and my er prospects-Why, prospects-Why, darling, we'll bealmply Jake." At eleven o'clock, Eddy Juckaon came wltb Ulram Buckworth and the two men listened lo silence as they told them, as Indifferently aa they could, of the purport of the special meeting. "So that's what It waa," Eddy said soberly. "I was afraid of It" "They needn't offer me your church, said Hiram Buckworth stoutly. "1 wouldn't accept It for aay consideration considera-tion either Bnanciul or spiritual Marjory glowed at bim, "Unless," be added reflectively, "unless they would make some arrangement to let us both work along together, and use me as your assistant until your eyea are restored." "Tou couldn't work as my assistant, Hiram. JTou are too good a man for that And I couldn't even assist you blind as I am." "1 don't believe the church as a whole will stand for it" Eddy Jackson Jack-son broke out, anally. "Old Jop baa Just talked them Into this. And I'll bet I can talk them out of It I say j we Just walk out on them and start a church of our own. They might keep most of the money, but we'd take most of the religion." "An affectionate thought," smiled Mr. Tolllver. "But not a very Chris- He was no longer sad. He greeted them brightly, smiling warm affection upon them. "What a glum and gloomy old parent I was last night," he began at once. "What a hopeless and -ur old curmudgeon you had to put up with I" "Father, no!" Then his voice deepened. "Girls, forgive me. I was surprised, and I lost my bearings. Bat Just for a little while." "You've got them again," crowed Ginger triumphantly. He smiled at her. "Tea, I've got them again. But I shouldn't have lost them. Sit down, girls Miss Jenkins-let's Jenkins-let's talk It over together. Ion see. It Is like this. Tears ago, before even Helen was born, 1 dedicated my life to the Lord's work. I dedicated my service, my time, my money even my family. Well, what then I He has used roe a blunt and stubborn Instrument Instru-ment many times for all these years. If He has finished wltb me, what of It I If He wants me again, He will show me where, and how. What have I to do about It T Nothing. See how foolish 1 was.1 , "Father," gasped Ginger in a shocked low voice, "do you mean that you are not going to try even to try to get well any more? Are you Just going to give up and let go?" "Most certainly not my dear child. I am going to stay at. Pay Dirt as long as I can, and get Just as strong as I can. I shall go to Chicago for all the care we can possibly afford. And 1 "How's ths Prlvata Business Coming Along?" Eddy Asked In a Low Voles. want to be read to. I have many things to think of." "But darling they Brent nice things." "Well, some of them are. ton, for Instance." "Father," her voice was low, almoat apologetic, "father, yto know we are so used to eacb other, you, and we girls, living together all the time, and arguing, and quarreling, and making up. We never say the real things that are in our minds. But father. In our hearts, we all of us think you are Just wonderful, father." tils arm tightened about ber shout ders. "And I tease you girls, and laugh at your little tricks, and your vanities, and what allien calls your man-madness. But all the time I know you are the very best girls to the world." "Oh, father, we aren't Well, Helen, she Is awfully good. And Ginger is good, too, In her funny way. Bjt Marjory and I are not much." There was silence between ihem, as each smiled tenderly Into the dark- ness, thinking of the thousand sweet ridiculous, whimsical, pathetic happenings hap-penings of the shabby old t'ethodlst parsonage. But after a little while, be sent ber back to bed, and to sleep. But Wesley Tolllver himself lay awake all night thinking of many things. When Miriam entered bis room the next morning she found him standing by the window, fully dressed. "Oh, 'nther, you're getting too smart for me," she said regretfully. But when he turned to look at her, the expression on his face sent a swift glad brightening over her own. "Oh, father," she cried again. "You've thought of something 1 Everything Every-thing is all right again, isn't It?" Ue laughed quite merrily at her young eagerness. "Perfectly all right again," be assured her. "Oh, tell me all about It," she begged. . ouuii yiuy wunoui ceasing ror uoa to bless the means we use. But the outcome what difference does that make! None If I am not to be used In Red Thrush any longer, what difference? dif-ference? Perhaps I shall be of service serv-ice some place else. If I have completed com-pleted by labor entirely, that Is entirely en-tirely satisfactory to me. I am perfectly per-fectly content, I have no fears, oot even for my dear daughters, for whom I wished to do so much. Foolish of me I Did I not dedicate my family cares alojg wltb the rest of my life? How foolish It was foi me lo worry." Of course It was. For I told you I would take care of you. Don't laugh I I mean It" "I am not laughing, Ellen. 1 believe you. When the times comes, 1 know that you truly will Dike care of me. And I am glad to have It to be sure of." (TO BB CONTINUED) WMUMUWJUUJlJIJLIlJijutj.ji u u nan one. no, Eddy, this Is the thing a mlnlstu- accepts, and does not fight" "Put up your sword, Peter," quoted Dinger softly. "Well, If worst comes to worst," declared de-clared the young man, "I'll move the whole gang of you out to Pay Dirt and Install you in U19 Inb. And we'll start a farmers' spiritual union." Laughing at that they walked slowly slow-ly out the flagstone puth to the curb. "How's the private business coming along r Eddy asked In a low voice. "Bather slowly, In the face of sucb an emergency as this." Ginger Ella sighed. "1 may have to forge another an-other link or so." CHAPTER VII A stricken silence prevailed In the sturdy little touring car that Eddy Jackson guided carefully along the country roads from Red Thrush to Pay Dirt Not one wcrd was spoken. But In the rear seat, Miriam, the sensible sen-sible twin, sat wltb on of her father's bands crushed tightly between both of hers, and now and tben she pressed It against her cheeks lo a wordless passion of sympathy, longing to comfort com-fort It was oot until the car stood before the side porch of the big white house, snd Miriam, wltb firm, light band, ha led her father up the steps, that Eddy spoke. - "Mr. Tolllver," be said awkwardly, "don't worry. It's a raw deal, all the way round, but honestlythey mean all right We'll do something about It that's all." , "There's nothing to do, Eddy. And they not only mean all right they are an right" "And if it goes through the way they have planned, we'll start something on our own account. We're right to the midst o:. tt farmln" district here, and s lot of these people don't bother to go so far to church. Pay Dirt Is big. Weil build a Utile chapel ot our |