The three men conversed for some time, and in the course of the
conversation Jake explained to them the reason for his lonely life and
the circumstances that caused him to be thus engaged. The strangers
explained that they were driving across the State, and that, in order to
make their journey fifty miles shorter, they had been instructed to take
this untraveled road through this expanse of wooded hills.

"I should think," remarked one of the men, "that this would be a
splendid place to meditate on the goodness of God. Loneliness often
begets meditation, and God loves to be the companion of the
companionless. Then, too, there is all this nature with which you are
surrounded. These flowers and trees and birds all speak of the goodness
of God. I was remarking to my fellow traveler of how these beautiful
scenes remind us of God's goodness. Pardon a frank question, but may I
ask, Are you saved?"

This was all new language to Jake and he scarcely knew how to answer
this rather blunt question. "Wu-wu-well, ye-yes," he answered. "I try to
be a Christian. I belong to the church and have belonged for
twenty-seven years and accordin' to the preachin' we have I think I'll
get to heaven. I s'pose you fellers must be preachers."

"Yes, we are preachers," remarked the other. "We have consecrated our
lives to the blessed service of Christ and our greatest delight is in
preaching his gospel and telling others of the wonders of his grace.
There can be no higher calling than that of telling of the saving grace
of God. For fifteen years I was a cold professor of religion, but I
lacked vital salvation. I belonged to the church and paid the preacher,
and somehow I thought I would get through all right. I sinned more or
less every day and did not know that I could be saved from sin. In fact,