A moment, and he understood. Springing onto his high platform, he cried in trumpet tones, "The devil is at his old game! A burning, fiery trial is about to test our faith. Sometimes afflictions come like lice, mites, boils, fits. But the worst has been reserved for these later days, and now doth God afflict his people with a skunk. Satan abounds on every hand. The most eternal and ding-blasted stink ever turned loose on the sanctuary of the Lord is now in our midst. Let a committee of fearless men with good noses volunteer to locate the spot where this varmint of the pit is hiding." The source of the odor was soon located. About this time, out in the darkness of the woods, was heard a man's voice shouting: The devil's dead. Oh! smell his stink; Killed by the power of Windy. Then a rooster was heard crowing--the crow repeating the words. Then a cat yowled--and a dog growled--and a goose quacked, all sending out the same message about the devil's death, and the manner thereof. Here was insult added to injury, for while the exhorter might have forgiven God and the angels for the horrible ordeal they were passing through, he could never forgive the Clary Grove crowd. During the excitement John McNeil had joined Ann Rutledge and Nance Cameron. "It's those Clary Grove rowdies," John McNeil said. "They're a bad lot, and there will be murderers in the bunch if they do not change their ways. For this they should be put in jail." "Windy Batts said very unkind things about them," Ann observed. "And didn't say half bad enough. I'm sorry Abe Lincoln joined in with them. He was in their camp last night. Like as not he hatched this whole plot." "I can't see why he should want to do a thing like that," Ann said. "You don't? Don't you know the whole Clary Grove gang is opposed to religion? Do you suppose this railsplitter would choose their kind if he wasn't an opposer, too?" "But he's not a railsplitter now--he's Offutt's clerk." "He's no real clerk and never will be. Once a railsplitter, always a railsplitter." "Maybe so, but even then, John, it's no disgrace to be an honest railsplitter--and I'm going to ask Nance if he's an opposer." "What difference does it make to you whether he's an opposer or not?" "I always like to think the best of everybody, John," Ann answered, "and it's an awful sin to be an opposer of religion." CHAPTER VIII THE TEST The Clary Grove gang were gathered in council. A grave matter was to be decided and there seemed a division of opinion as to the qualifications of Abe Lincoln for becoming a member of the brotherhood. Personally no man had an unfriendly feeling. In fact some of them liked him. But there were certain qualifications which it was not certain he possessed.