prayun' straight off. He seemed to stop, and then says he, 'What shall we
pray for?' and just then there came a kind of a snort, and a big voice
shouted out, 'Salvation!' and then there come another snort,
--'_Hooff_!'--like there was a scared horse got loose right in there
among the people; and some of 'em jumped up from their seats, and tumbled
over the benches, and some of 'em bounced off, and fell into fits, and the
women screeched and fainted, thick as flies. It give me about the worst
feelun' I ever had in my life: went through me like a ax, and others said
the same; some of 'em said it was like beun' scared in the dark, or more
like when you think you're just goun' to die."

Abel Reverdy stopped for the effect on Braile, who had been smoking
tranquilly throughout, and who now asked quietly, "And what was it?"

"What was it? A man! A stranger that nobody seen before, and nobody
suspicioned was there till they hearn him give that kind of snort, and
they seen him standun' right in front of the mourners' bench under Elder
Grove's pulpit. He was in his bare head, and he had a suit of long,
glossy, jet-black hair hengun down back of his ears clean to his
shoulders. He was kind of pale like, and sad-lookun', and he had a Roman
nose some like yourn, and eyes like two coals, just black fire, kind of.
He was putty thickset, round the shoulders, but he slimmed down towards
his legs, and he stood about six feet high. But the thing of it," Reverdy
urged, seeing that Braile remained outwardly unmoved, "was the way he was
dressed. I s'pose the rest beun' all in brown jeans, and linsey woolsey,
made us notice it more. He was dressed in the slickest kind of black
broadcloth, with a long frock-coat, and a white cravat. He had on a
ruffled shirt, and a tall beaver hat, the color of the fur, and a pair of
these here high boots, with his breeches strapped down under 'em."