"Righteous mad, I s'pose," exclaimed Abel Horn.

"You waited on yit, bub?" asked Brother Littell. "I betchy he'sa-thinkin' right now he'll take his letter out o' Centre Street an'go to the Bareleg Church. He would, too, if 't wasn't clean plumbat the fur end o' city an' a reg'lar mud-hole to git there."

"Pity him an' a few more of 'em up in the Amen corner wouldn'tgo," exclaimed Abel Horn. "Mind the time we sung, 'There is a Stream?'You know they's a solo in it fer the soprano. Well, 't is kind o'operatic an' skallyhootin' up an' down the scale. I give the soloto Tilly Wilkerson an' if that very very aged skeezicks didn't beller rightout in the middle of it: 'It's a disgrace tud Divine service!' Hedid. You could 'a' heard him clear to the court-house. My! Ithought I'd go up. Tilly, she was kind o' scablack an' trimbly, butshe stuck to it like a major. Said afterwards she'd 'a' finishedthat solo if it was the last act she ever done."

"Who's a-goin' to be Santy Claus?" asked Brother Littell, withcheerful irrevelance.