Those who are unacquainted with the situation would be inclined to say at this point. What a grand field for missionary work! And so it is; but the great mistake of supposing that the South is deficient in the matter of Christian endeavor or ecclesiastical institutions, must not be made. Far from that! On the contrary, perhaps religious feeling is more generally diffused, guarded, and defended as herein expressed, than in any other section of the civilized world; but it is not of the kind from which riots and persecutions grow for no other reason than that it is opposed. There is much else south of the imaginary dividing line of North and South that might be spoken of to interest, but which will not be referred to except incidentally in the succeeding chapters. What we have said is for the purpose of giving only so much of a description of the country and people as is necessary to make our little narrative, the incidents of which are laid there, more easily understood. As this book deals principally with actual occurrences, and people in real life, such a foundation seems to be entirely proper. CHAPTER II. A NEW ARRIVAL IN THE TOWN. A town pleasantly situated in the south-western part of Tennessee, the name of which for the present shall be Westminster, was at the time of which we write one of the most cosmopolitan places imaginable for its size--that is, for a southern town. It contained probably two thousand regular inhabitants, but these were constantly augmented, it being at times a rallying point for tourists from every clime, and the temporary abode of men who, in the aggregate, during a season, came well-nigh representing every shade of opinion, if not every phase of character.