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WHEN Abner Teeftallow next became conscious of the flow of life he found that it was full day and he was lying on a bunk in a tent crowded with men. The high uplifted voice of Sim Pratt argued and ordered the labourers out of the tent, but to no avail. The crowd was held together, not only by a wounded man, but also by a miracle. A miracle, a providential wonder had saved Abner’s life.

After that first pistol shot had inflicted a scalp wound and rolled Abner over unconscious, the assailant had fired another shot into the teamster's prostrate body, and this bullet had been stopped by the forty-five automatic in Abner's coat pocket. The shot had smashed one of the steel sides of the pistol and had ruined its mechanism. The hillmen inspected the wrecked firearm with a touch of awe. That was why Abner's tent was jammed with men and still others were outside awaiting their turn.

There was a general opinion among the labourers that this "meant something." They tried to interpret God's intention in saving Abner's life. It was clearly an anti-strike gesture on the part of Divinity, and linked up with Shallburger's avowed irreverence for the Bible. The incident in itself was enough to kill the strike.

One old fellow said he had heard of pocket Bibles saving men from pistol shots, but he had never before known the Lord to make use of an automatic, which was against the law to tote.

This introduction of the theme of pocket Bibles spread among the wonder lovers; first, as an odd thing that the pistol had not been a Bible; then among those outside the