"I druve him over from the station 'cause he couldn't walk, him an' a
man, an' two women, an' a wheel-chair," Mr. Higgins explained. "But
what's to be done now? He wants me to drive him out to the Patriarch's.
I got faith in the Patriarch, but I never said he could work
miracles--there ain't no one on earth could straighten that critter out.
Don't stand to reason that the Patriarch's to be made a fool of."

"Certainly not," agreed Madison emphatically. "It's most unfortunate. I
suppose all of us here in Needley"--he looked around at the assembled
group of leading citizens--"feel the same way, too?"

"Of course we do," said Mr. Higgins helplessly. "Couldn't feel no ways
else."

Madison laid his hand suddenly, impressively, upon Mr. Higgins' shoulder
and looked meaningly into Mr. Higgins' eyes--and into the eyes of the
selectmen, the overseers of the poor, the general-store proprietor, and
the school committee.

"Don't drive him over, then," he said significantly. "Don't any of the
rest of you do it either--and tell everybody else not to. Make him
_crawl_. If he's determined to go, let him get there by himself if he
can, make him crawl--he'll never be able to do it."

"That's so," said Mr. Higgins, brightening, while the others nodded;
then, dubiously: "But s'pose he _does_ get there--how be we goin' to
stop him?"

"If he can get there by himself you can't stop him," said Madison
seriously. "You can't do anything like that. To use force would be