t I said? One, two, three, four. You
have got ten-tenths here to make the whole, and one of them is
one-tenth."

"Humph!" said Tode, "You might have said it, but it didn't sound like it
one mite, and don't yet. I don't see as there's any ten-_tenths_ there
at all; there's ten _buttons_, leastways five dollar bills."

"That's because you are not far enough advanced to understand," answered
Winny, going loftily back to her seat.

"But see here," said Tode. "Suppose I had a lot of money, say--well, a
hundred dollars, all in ones and twos, you know--_then_ how could I
manage?"

"Make ten piles of it, deary, don't you see? Put just as much in one
pile as another, and then you'd have it."

Tode gave the subject a moment's earnest thought; then he gave a quick
clear whistle.

"Yes, I see--all I've got to do is to keep my money in exactly ten
piles; no matter how much I get never make another, but pile it on to
them ten, serve each one alike, and then just understand that one of 'em
ain't mine at all, but belongs to the Lord, and that's all."

"That's all," said the little old lady, with trembling eagerness. "And
don't it look reasonable, like?"

"I should think it did," Tode answered, in a tone which said he had
settled a very puzzling question for all time.

When he went to his room that evening he took out from the mass in his
pocket a crumpled bit of paper, and looked at some writing on it. It
read: "Genesis xxviii. 22." Mr. Birge had spoken of that verse, and Tode
had marked it down. Now he carefully sought out the verse and carefully
read it over several times; then he got down on his knees and prayed it
aloud: "And of _all_ that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the
tenth unto thee."

It was later in the season, quite midsummer, when the Rev. Mr. Birge,
rushing eagerly down town past Tode's place of business, suddenly came
to a halt. The place was unique and inviting enough, graceful awning
floating out over the box, covered with its white cloth, fresh fruits on
tins of ice, fresh cakes covered with snowy napkins, dainty bouquets of
flowers, gleaming here and there, iced lemonade waiting to be poured
into sparkling glasses--everything faultlessly pure and clean; but it
was none of these things that halted Mr. Birge, nor yet the "No Bottles"
which still spoke eloquently of the owner's principles, but the
name--TODE MALL! The Rev. Mr. Birge had heard that singular combination
of names but once in his life