e tenacious brother, who did not like to be beaten, held on, and made
a jumble of the words for a few moments, and then he stopped; whereupon
Abe clapped his hands, and turning around to the choir, he exclaimed,
"Ne'er moind, lads, pucker it in! pucker it in! Onybody can mak' a
long metre tune goa to a long metre hymn, but yo' mun beat that," and
then he joined heartily in the puckering exercise, and helped them
through their trouble.

"BREAD OF LIFE FREE."

At another time he had been preaching about the Gospel being the bread
of life for the world, and showing up its qualities and worth;
especially did he dwell upon its freeness for all, that it could be had
"without money and without price;" this was his last point, and he made
much of it. Now it so happened that immediately on concluding his
sermon he had to announce a collection. On sitting down in the pulpit
while it was being made, the thought flashed into his mind that he had
contradicted his own teachings by announcing that collection. He knew
where the snare had come from, and at once in his own way broke it
asunder. Rising again to his feet and bending over the pulpit front,
he cast his eyes around the chapel as if trying to find someone. "I
know that voice," he began, "it's the devil's." Every eye was on him
in a moment. "What does thaa say?" "That I ha' not been spaking th'
truth, because I telled them th' bread of life wor free, and naa I'm
asking th' people to pay for it. Thaa knaws as weall as I do th' bread
is FREE, but we mun pay for th' baking. Mak' th' collection, friends,
to pay for th' baking, and ne'er moind him." We need hardly say the
people gave willingly to this collection, for they knew very well that
though the Gospel was free to the whole world, expenses were incurred
in carrying on God's work which they should help to disburse, so Abe
got out of that difficulty.

"MY GOD SHALL SUPPLY ALL YOUR NEED."

The Wesleyan Superintendent Minister was planned to preach one
week-night near Berry Brow, and on some account he could not attend. A
substitute had to be found, and Abe was waited on during the day, to
see if he would act in that capacity. "I'll try," he said, and
accordingly when the time came he set out for the chapel. Some of the
congregation knew who was to preach, others did not. At length the
door opened, and in walked Abe, and made straight for the pulpit,
clamp, clamp, with his wooden clogs on the floor and up