How Jimmy
might have
looked

CHASED OUT OF CHURCH

Writing of water-tanks reminds me of a queer experience I once had. I was told to take a tank of water to the church where some repairs were being done. I took my load to the church door, left my horse and went inside to find someone to tell me where the water should be left. Now at that time I would be wearing leather leggings, heavy boots, a large cap pulled over my eyes and with the stick in my hand would be tapping on the legs in an idle way, while the boots trampling around added to the noise I was creating, which was intensified in the atmosphere of the church. I could not see anyone in the church, so I went in further, but just then I heard a noise in the steeple.

     Yes! There was  someone  coming  -- 
 

I was still clumping around, and tapping my leggings with the stick as was my habit, when the sound of steps seemed to quicken considerably. It seemed as though someone was coming down the steps from the steeple in a mighty hurry. When the footsteps were heard at the bottom of the steps, I heard the door flung open and just then a very loud voice addressed itself presumably to me, asking ‘Are you a Christian?’ I turned and found that the voice was that of my master’s brother, a very religious man, so I said softly 'No, Sir.' With that he ordered me to remove my cap but, before I could attempt to take it off, he had knocked it off, taken me by the scruff of the neck and pushed me outside, and threw my hat after me. When I related my adventure with my master’s brother to the men on the farm they were highly amused, one even went so far as to say he mistook me for a foreigner.