The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-30

Shacklett spoke up quickly and much
louder than Stevenson had done:
Jim, you know I don't give a damn for
any church under the canopy OF heaven
and 1 amt no hypocrite. 1 don't take much
stock in your churches and your preachers;
I amt going to pretend 1 do when l don't,
either. Td rather lose all the Offices in the
State than be a damned hypocrite. and II
that's the only way TO be elected I'm beat
right now. that's all. OF course. it's clever
OF you to give me the chance, but, JIM L
amt a hypocrite. whatever else l am.
"Oh, that's all right, Noel" Stevenson
gently replied. "but you think II over sensi-
bly,, and I'll see you again in a day or two
l want to see you succeed, and / hope
you'll not be fool enough to let a good
chance pass by. 1 amt asking you TO do
nothin' wrong. I'm asking you to do what
you oughter do anyhow, and I'd like so
much to see you join the church. hin 1t
over. and III see you again"
Shacklett did rot feel like telling his
mother what Stevenson came to see him
about. Somehow he thought OF Mary Stod-
dard. and wished he could talk to her about
it. He saw the danger in his refusal TO ac-
cept the proposition made him by Steven
son. and he was a little surprised that he
had rejected ii so promptly and so emphat-
ically. 1t would have been more like him.
self to have accepted the offer in the spirit
in which it was given, he unused to himself.
But somehow he was a different man since
that trip TO st. Paul and back, and he
smiled as he wondered whether that city
had the missionary ability of the apostle
of the same name. But he did not recognize
that any inherent goodness kept him from
accepting the rites of the church and the
salary OF the county clerks office at the
same time. Its because ! don't believe a
little bit in this immersing business" he
said to himself. "and don't want to make
a show of myself when it isn't necessary
to get to heaven"
Having made a prompt decision, he ex-
pected the matter to leave his mind, as set
tied matters always did. but he found that
this one would not keep out Of his thoughts.
AS he rode along the country roads the
next day 1t kept in his head. revolving in
all sorts of fantastic shapes. and forming
cycloid paths which seemed to make 1t the
more like a tangled skein. The leaven kept
working IN his active brain until it had
shaped his plans to suit itself. He had not
given much thought to religious matters
until this summer. and on Friday he said
to himself that he would go to church any
how, and see what turned up in the new
complication from which his campaign for
the clerks Office was suffering. His mother
was a good Methodist. and she called the
other denomination ~Campbellites because
she knew they did not like that appeIlation
and called themselves the Christian Church.
The name she gave them satisfied her feel
ings of resentment against them, and at
the same time expressed some Of her con-
tempt for their peculiar beliefs. On the
other hand. the Christian denomination
there took considerable satisfaction in the
knowledge that they were a thorn in the
side of the Methodists, and. moreover,
much stronger in membership, wealth and
inesse. But Noel's mother knew that he
did not ask her to go to the other church
with him for any idle motive, and she really
liked the invitation because Of the ~recollec-
tion it brought of going there with his IA
ther years before. when a campaign was on.