"A fourth-class postmaster couldn't be religious," remarked Charleton Falkner. "They always go crazy about the second year of office," volunteered John Spencer. Everybody laughed, even Peter. Then he went on: "So when I say I'm going to back Doug up in this experiment you none of you can say it's because I'm pious. It's because I think Lost Chief ought to have a church to help the young people decide the right and wrong of things." "How come, Peter?" demanded Jimmy Day. "Ain't the young folks round here pleasing to your bachelor eye?" "To my eye, yes!" answered the postmaster. "Best-looking crowd I ever saw. But to my mind, no! And there isn't one of you over fifteen who doesn't know what I mean when I say it. Now, Doug's idea seems sensible enough to me. He says he'd be happier if he could believe in a life after death. He says if any preacher can prove to him that the soul is immortal, he is willing to play the game so as to win that future if it is proved that you have to follow rules to win it. Folks, if there is anything sissy about that, I'd like to have one of you rear up and say so." "There isn't a preacher in the world can prove that," said Mrs. Falkner. "If there was, he'd be greater than Christ." "Didn't Christ prove it?" cried Mr. Fowler quickly. "No!" replied Mrs. Falkner. "He believed it Himself and He lived like He believed it, but He didn't prove it." Fowler jumped to his feet. "He proved it over and over; by fulfilling the prophecies, by the miracles He performed and by returning after death." "How do you know He returned after death?" asked Mrs. Falkner. "The Bible says so." "Nonsense!" exclaimed Mrs. Falkner. "The Bible is just history, most of it hearsay. And I read in the _Atlantic_ the other day that Napoleon said that history was just a lie agreed upon." "This is blasphemy!" shouted Mr. Fowler. "This is--" "Wait!" Peter interrupted with a firm hand. "Every one is to say what they decently please. You'll never get anywhere in this valley, if you show yourself shocked by anything anybody says." "I don't want to shock the preacher, Peter,"--Mrs. Falkner's beautiful face was wistful--"I'd like to have his faith. I sure-gawd would! But! I just want to make him see that to folks like us in Lost Chief who read and think and look at these hills a lot, the Bible never could prove a hereafter to us." "But the Bible is the inspired word of God," insisted Fowler. "Who says so?" asked Mrs. Falkner. "The Bible." "Good heavens, isn't that childish?" she appealed to the congregation. "Seems to me only God could prove that and we don't even know He exists."