quiet woman. But this man's narrowness and ignorance nettled her.
Farrington, however, was not in the least affected by such words; in fact
he rather pitied anyone who did not see eye to eye with him.

"What ye say, Mrs. Larkins," he replied, "is very fine in theory. But the
question is, 'Will it pay?' Fer them as likes sich things they may study
'em to their hearts' content. But what do sich people amount to? I seen
the parson once stand fer a long time watchin' the settin' sun, an' when I
axed 'im what he saw he looked at me sorter dazed like. 'Mr. Farrington,'
sez he, 'I saw wonderful things to-night, past man's understandin'. I've
been very near to God, an' beheld the trailin' clouds of His glory!'
'Parson,' sez I, 'What will ye take fer yer knowledge? How much is it
worth? While ye've been gazin' out thar at that sunset I've been gazin' at
these letters, an' I find I'm better off by twenty-five dollars by gittin'
my eggs an' butter to market day afore yesterday, jist when the prices had
riz. That's what comes of gazin' at facts sich as price lists an' knowin'
how to buy an' sell at the right time. That's of more value than lookin'
at all the flowers an' sunsets in the world!' The parson didn't say
nuthin', but jist looked at me, while the men in the store haw-hawed right
out an' told the joke all round. Xo, you may find music in ripplin' water,
an' poetry in flowers, an' sunsets, as Phil Gadsby and the parson sez, but
give me the poetry of a price list, an' the music of good solid coin upon
my counter. Them's the things which tell, an' them's the things we want
taught in our schools."

Just as Farrington finished, cries of fright fell upon their ears. Turning
quickly towards the dancers Mrs. Larkins noticed that most of them had
fallen back in little groups, leaving Stephen Frenelle and Dick Farrington
alone in the middle of the room. The attitude of the two left no doubt as
to the cause of the disturbance. With clenched fists they faced each other