But he was magnificent in discoveringRobert
Burns.
Thats a fine fellow, that new Methodist preacher,
said thevillagers that week.
Yes, your father was so nice asto invite me for
supper tonight. He had a nice, long, free afternoon in which to become
wise.
Instead of making them drone through many stanzas,
he hadthem sing one from each hymn.
To preach the good news of the gospel,
ah!
Cleo concluded the celebration with a piano solo,
and there was agreat deal more of hand-shaking.
Cleo held his hand and rejoiced, What a wonderful
crowd there isthis morning! He felt accepted,secure, and ready to begin his work. He
had heard that he was astylish poet and an inspiring thinker.
Wegot to go on enlarging our mental
horizons.
NowIm going to start you off reading David
Copperfield. It was a bright red Buick with brass trimmings.
Brother Benham in a short hesitating talk said they
had beendelighted by Brother Gantrys sermons.
They shook hands with ceremony and sat beaming at
each other in afront pew. He was assiduous, but careful, in his pastoral calls on
the women. I just said to Jim, all of a sudden, Jim, I said, do you loveyour
father?
He began slowly, his great voice swelling to
triumphantcertainty as he talked.
He was willing to beguided by these masters, and
not insist on forcing his own ideas onthe world. Without it, we are less thanbeasts;
with it, earth is heaven and we are as the gods!
They told him he was very eloquent, very spiritual.
I seem to recall a tendency in you tooverdo a lot of things. Oh, yes, yes, yes, how
beautiful it is, the golden glory of GodsLove! Would you like towalk home with me
instead of going to Mrs. He was assiduous, but careful, in his pastoral calls on the
women.
But for onceCleo Benham was not an adequate mate.
She was twenty-seven, five years younger than Elmer.
For breast-pocket display, he had silk
handkerchiefs;but for use, only cotton rags torn at the hem.
He had laid in a fruitful theological library.
Before his sermon he looked from brother to brother. But here was wealth, for which
Elmer had a touching reverence, andhere was Cleo.
He terminated the first plunge, very icy, with
haste; but in thebiographies by Mr. Without it, we are less thanbeasts; with it,
earth is heaven and we are as the gods! And Cleo came to him, her two hands out, and
he almost kissed her.
Virtue, he pointed out, certainly did pay. He had
the sermons of Spurgeon,Jefferson, Brooks, and J.