A pair of insurance investigators were finishing up at the New Life House of Prayer in Greenville, Texas, when Doug Henry arrived. The 31-year-old deacon said he just came by to see that the men had what they needed.

Mr. Henry appeared tired; he'd been up 36 hours straight, he said, since he was called and told the church was on fire. He walked through the sanctuary with the investigators as they took in the damage one more time.

The legislature's not in session this Wednesday morning, and the capitol building here is quiet. A peek inside the Arkansas governor's office reveals a couple of female staffers, one sitting behind a desk and the other sitting in a chair beside it. They're drinking coffee, talking softly, and seemingly ignoring the phones. Through the cold marble hallways of the capitol there's a hush. Even the small troop of Girl Scouts being toured under the dome whispers. But it's not necessarily a reverent hush; it's more a lingering shock and a quiet acquiescence.

Sen. John McCain walks briskly from his inner office to grab a reporter's hand-and also to grab yet another opportunity to deny he's a top contender for the second spot on the Dole presidential ticket. The Arizona Republican has been denying that for weeks now, often three and four times a day.

"I'm very flattered but I'm not interested," says Sen. McCain, 59, leaning back in his chair. "I've made that clear to Sen. Dole, and I do not believe the occasion will arise where I'll be asked."

But if asked? He frowns pensively.

Kenneth Grunden, age 2, is an authority on many subjects, including puppies. He ambles down a walkway, explaining that puppies are "silly and messy." His assertions seem to be well-founded. On a concrete sidewalk, six puppies defy any scientific notion of order in creation. As Kenneth tries to point to different ones and explain their individual attributes, it becomes clear that the natural state of puppies is chaos.

It's the countdown to Earth Day '96 and a bright lecture hall begins to fill.

This is EarthCare '96, the Christian Environmental Stewardship Conference in Chattanooga, Tenn., where the themes and tenets of secular environmentalism are gleefully recycled with a Christianized twist.

Three months ago, a Michigan man left his wife and their three pre-school boys. His wife, 31, says looking back she should have seen it coming.

"There were some signs, but I just kept waiting for him to come around," said the Grand Rapids native, whose name is being withheld to protect the privacy of the family; she and the children hope for reconciliation. "He was spending more time with his friends; he couldn't stand to be with me and the kids."

Dr. Alieta Eck knows better than to treat the symptoms but not the ailment. It's a snowy April morning when 3-year-old Lydia comes into the study in tears. Her physician mother carefully examines the knee she points to, making medical-sounding noises, and finally administering an emergency kiss to the spot. That does the trick; Lydia ambles from the room without a limp or a care.