donation visit was not
made for the purpose of making up a deficiency in the salary agreed on,
but rather as an acknowledgment on the part of some of the people that
the salary agreed upon was not sufficient, and as a token of good-will
on the part of all.

If it had occurred to the people to put their expression of good-will in
the form of increased salary, it would doubtless have been more
agreeable to Mr Inglis. Still, he knew that more could be done on an
occasion of this kind, with less inconvenience to that part of the
people who were most liberal, than could be done in the legitimate way
of annual subscriptions, and he had, on the whole, sufficient confidence
in their kindly feeling to prevent any very painful sense of obligation
in receiving their gifts, and no expression of any such feeling was ever
permitted to mar the enjoyment of the occasion, as far as the people
were concerned. In short, the minister and his wife had come to
consider the annual donation visit, as one of those circumstances in
life out of which pain or pleasure may be gotten, according as they are
made the worst or the best of by those most concerned; and as they had
been making the best of them for a good many years now, they were
justified in looking forward to a reasonable amount of enjoyment from
this one.

As for the children, they did not think of anything but enjoyment in
connection with it. To them the overturning of all things in the house,
up-stairs and down, which was considered a necessary part of the
preparations, was great fun. Some overturning was absolutely necessary
for the entertainment of about a third more people than the house could
conveniently hold. So there was the putting aside all brittle articles,
the shoving of tables and bureaus into corners, the taking down of beds,
and the arranging of seats over all the house. For all the house must
be thrown open, and the result was confusion, certainly not so
delightful to the mother as to the children. The prospect of the crowd
was delightful to them, too, and so were the possibilities in the way of
presents. Besides the staples, butter, cheese, flannel, oats, and
Indian meal, there was a possibility of something particular and
personal to every one of them--chickens, or mittens, or even a book.
Once Jem had got a jack-knife, and David a year of "The Youth's
Companion." Last year Violet had got a new dress from Mrs Smith, and
Jem a pair of boots. Very good boot