The Lions of the Lord | Page 7

they put me at the head
of--that little organisation I wanted you to join last spring. And it's done
good work, too. You'll join now fast enough, I guess. You begin to see
the need of such doin's. I can give you the oath any time."
"No, Bishop, I didn't mean that kind of resistance. It sounded too
practical for me; I'm still satisfied to be the Lute of the Holy Ghost."
"You can be a Son of Dan, too."
"Not yet, not yet. We must still be a little meek in the face of Heaven."
"You're in a mighty poor place to practise meekness. What'd you cross
the river for, anyway?"
"Why, for father and mother, of course. They must be safe at Green

Plains. Can I get out there without trouble?"
The Bishop sneered.
"Be meek, will you? Well, mosey out to Green Plains and begin there.
It's a burned plains you'll find, and Lima and Morley all the same, and
Bear Creek. The mobbers started out from Warsaw, and burned all in
their way, Morley first, then Green Plains, Bear Creek, and Lima.
They'd set fire to the houses and drive the folks in ahead. They killed
Ed Durfee at Morley for talkin' back to 'em."
"But father and mother, surely--"
"Your pa and ma was druv in here with the rest, like cattle to the
slaughter."
"You don't mean to say they're over there on the river bank?"
"Now, they are a kind of a mystery about that--why they wa'n't throwed
out with the rest. Your ma's sick abed--she ain't ever been peart since
the night your pa's house was fired and they had to walk in--but that
ain't the reason they wa'n't throwed out. They put out others sicker.
They flung families where every one was sick out into that slough. I
guess what's left of 'em wouldn't be a supper-spell for a bunch of
long-billed mosquitoes. But one of them milishy captains was certainly
partial to your folks for some reason. They was let to stay in Phin
Daggin's house till you come."
"And Prudence--the Corsons--Miss Prudence Corson?"
"Oh, ho! So she's the one, is she? Now that reminds me, mebbe I can
guess the cute of that captain's partiality. That girl's been kind of lookin'
after your pa and ma, and that same milishy captain's been kind of
lookin' after the girl. She got him to let her folks go to Springfield."
"But that's the wrong way."
"Well, now, I don't want to spleen, but I never did believe Vince

Corson was anything more'n a hickory Saint--and there's been a lot of
talk--but you get yours from the girl. If I ain't been misled, she's got
some ready for you."
"Bishop, will there be a way for us to get into the temple, for her to be
sealed to me? I've looked forward to that, you know. It would be hard
to miss it."
"The mob's got the temple, even if you got the girl. There's a verse writ
in charcoal on the portal:--
"'Large house, tall steeple, Silly priests, deluded people.'
"That's how it is for the temple, and the mob's bunked there. But the
girl may have changed her mind, too."
The young man's expression became wistful and gentle, yet serenely
sure.
"I guess you never knew Prudence at all well," he said. "But come,
can't we go to them? Isn't Phin Daggin's house near?"
"You may git there all right. But I don't want my part taken out of the
tree of life jest yet. I ain't aimin' to show myself none. Hark!"
From outside came the measured, swinging tramp of men.
"Come see how the Lord is proving us--and step light."
They tiptoed through the other rooms to the front of the house.
"There's a peek-hole I made this morning--take it. I'll make me one here.
Don't move the curtain."
They put their eyes to the holes and were still. The quick, rhythmic,
scuffling tread of feet drew nearer, and a company of armed men
marched by with bayonets fixed. The captain, a handsome, soldierly
young fellow, glanced keenly from right to left at the houses along the
line of march.

"We're all right," said the Bishop, in low tones. "The cusses have been
here once--unless they happened to see us. They're startin' in now down
on the flat to make sure no poor sick critter is left in bed in any of them
houses. Now's your chance if you want to git up to Daggin's. Go out the
back way, follow up the alleys, and go in at the back when you git there.
But remember, 'Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path
that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward!'