Hays remained silent for an instant, warming his hands before the fire, and then looked up interrogatively.
"A professor of religion, ma'am, or under conviction ?" "Not exactly," said the lady smiling.
"Excuse me, but in spite of your fine clothes I reckoned you had a serious look just now.

A reader of Scripture, may be ?" "I know the Bible." "You remember when the angel with the flamin' sword appeared unto Saul on the road to Damascus ?" "Yes." "It mout hev been suthin' in that style that stopped me," he said slowly and tentatively.

"Though nat'rally I didn't SEE anything, and only had the queer feelin'.

It might hev been THAT shied my mare off the track." "But Saul was up to some wickedness, wasn't he ?" said the lady smilingly, "while YOU were simply going somewhere on business ?" "Yes," said Hays thoughtfully, "but my BUSINESS might hev seemed like persecution.

I don't mind tellin' you what it was if you'd care to listen.