[Illustration: "THE LORD BE PRAISED, WE SHALL PULL HIM THROUGH."]

"Your father is saved, the Lord be praised, we shall pull him through."

She jest dropped onto her knees, and laid her head in my lap and cried
and wept, but soft and quiet so's it wouldn't disturb a mice.

Miss Timson wuz a-prayin', I could see that. She wuz a-returnin' thanks
to the Lord for his mercy.

As for me, I sot demute, in that hushed and darkened room, a-watchin'
every shadow of a change that might come to his features, with a
teaspoon ready to my hand, to give him nourishment at the right time if
he needed it, or medicine.

When all of a sudden--slam! bang! rush! roar! slam! slam! ding! dong!
bang!!! come right over our heads the wild, deafening clamor of the
bells.

Ralph started up wilder than ever because of his momentary repose. He
never knew us, nor anything, from that time on, and after sufferin' for
another 24 hours, sufferin' that made us all willin' to have it stop, he
died.

And so he who had devoted his hull life to religeon wuz killed by it.
He who had gin his hull life for the true, wuz murdered by the false.

[Illustration: "AND I THOUGHT HE WUZ PRONOUNCIN' A BENEDICTION ON THE
SAVAGES."]