reverently he raised his hands and began to pray aloud. It was a
conventional prayer, such as the average rural preacher used in
opening a meeting; and when it was over he took a worn hymn-book from
his coat pocket, and after reading a hymn he began to sing in a deep,
sonorous voice. Some of the women, with timid, piping notes and the
men in bass tones joined in. This over, Leach cleared his throat,
stroked his lips with a tapering, sun-browned hand, and began to talk.

"Somebody over the mountain yesterday wanted to know, brethren, how I
happened to take up this roving life, and I told them. They seemed
impressed by it, and I'm going to tell you. To begin with, the best
temperance talker is the man who has led a life of drunkenness and
through the grace of the Lord got out of it to give living testimony
as to its evil. Now, I'm pretty sure, for the same reason, that a man
who has been through the mire of hell on earth is competent to testify
about that. I'm that sort of a man. I was once up in the world, as you
might say. My folks had means. After I got out of school I went into
business on my own hook in my home town. You will be interested in
this, Brother Wartrace; so make them fellers come out of the store and
be quiet."

Order was restored. The mountaineers who were talking within slouched
out on the porch and stood respectfully listening.

"I went into the grain business," Leach continued. "I was young then,
and I thought I owned the market. My old daddy cautioned me to go
slow, but I paid no attention to him. Folks called me a hustler, and I
was proud of it. I got into fast ways. I played poker; I had a pair of
fast horses, and I was guilty of other habits that I sometimes mention
at my 'men-only' meetings. After awhile I slid into the hole that is