Sez Elder Minkley, his good natured face lighting up, "My Divine Master; yes, I will follow him to the stake, to the death, if need be." "Did he turn away from sinners and the evils of the sinful world and say they wuz too vile for him to mix with?" "I--I--Sister Arvilly--I why--I don't know what you mean." "Yes, you do know what I mean!" sez the intrepid but agonized Arvilly. "By your criminal indifference and neglect, you encourage the evil power that rules and ruins." Elder Minkley's face began to look red--red as blood--and sez he, "You present the subject in a way I never thought on before, Sister Arvilly. I will think of it; I will pray over it." "Will you vote as you pray?" sez Arvilly anxiously. "I will!" sez Elder Minkley, solemnly, "I will!" Arvilly come forward and took holt of his hand. Her stern mean softened; there wuz tears in her keen eyes; she looked different. Sez she, "Next Sunday I shall set under your preachin', Elder; I hain't felt like settin' under it before." And, sure enough, she did go to meetin' the next Sunday and from that day they have been the best of friends. But to resoom forwards: I had a letter from Philury, she said she wuz all well. It wuz a letter that brought me some comfort and quite a lot of care; it wuz some like a peppermint lozenge, considerably sweet with a sharp tang to it, makin' me think of the sweetness and repose of home with its accompaniment of anxiety and labor. The children writ real good letters to their pa and me, full of affection and thoughtfulness. Thomas J. told us considerable about the Help Union and the good that Ernest White and his helpers wuz accomplishing in Loontown and Jonesville. And Tirzah Ann wanted to know if reveres had gone out and hoops comin' in; she had hearn so and felt anxious. There had been a rumor in Jonesville to that effect, but she couldn't place full dependence on it. Thomas J.'s and Maggie's letters wuz full of gratefulness for Tommy's restored health and what I'd done for him. No matter what else they said that idee wuz runnin' along under the rest of their thoughts, some like the accompaniment of a melodean to a sam tune in meetin'. And Tommy himself had letters from his pa and ma full of love and good advice, about half and half. One of the most interestin' places in Venice is the Doges Palace, and I spoze Josiah never gin up his idee about it until we stood right in front of it. But when he see that marble front, full of noble columns, elaborate carvin', arches, balustrades and base reliefs, he had to gin up such a place as that wuz never rared up to a dog or to any number on 'em, though he said when I convinced him of his mistake: "Snip wuz too good to mingle with 'em, he was likelier than any Doge that ever lived there, no matter whether you spelt 'em dog or doge." And I sez soothin'ly: "Like as not and 'tennyrate how I would love to hear Snip bark out a welcome to us once more."