exertion of a rapid walk from some other portion of the town. Like any
other woman of good health, good character, and good principles, she
was a pleasing object to look upon, and the ex-convict looked at her
as often as he dared, with undisguised and respectful admiration. But
suddenly the uplifting of his eyes was stopped by a remark from the
lady herself, as she said,--

"Sam--Mr. Kimper, I've heard some remarks about your speech at the
experience-meeting the other night. You know I was there myself; you
remember I spoke to you as you came out?"

"Mrs. Prency, I know it; an' that isn't all; I'll remember it just as
long as I live. I'd rather have been the dyin' thief on the cross than
said what I said in that church that night, but I was asked to do it,
an' the more I thought about it the more I thought I couldn't say no.
But I didn't know what else to say."

"You did quite right, Mr. Kimper: you spoke like a real, true, honest
man. If it's any comfort to know it, I can tell you that my husband,
the judge, thinks as I do. I told him what you said,--I remembered it
all, word for word,--and he said to me,--these are exactly his
words,--'I believe that is an honest man, and that he is going to
remain an honest man.'"

Sam bent over the shoe a little closer, and said, in a faint voice, as
if he were talking to himself,--

"What Judge Prency says about human natur ort to be true. If there's
any other man in this county that's had more opportunities of knowin'
all about it, I don't know who he can be."