o thank God for, Martha. Every day He cares for
us, and it is the least we can do to thank Him. Do you thank Him for
what you have, or only ask to have more?"

"I guess I ask most for the things I want. I forget about thanking, only
I mean it."

"Yes, and God sees that you mean it, but He expects you to tell Him so.
Now if I were to give you a great many things every day, and you did not
thank me but were all the time thinking of other things you desired to
have, I should call you ungrateful and not give you any more. Don't you
see how it is? Now when you are praying, be sure to ask not to be
allowed to forget pleasing God, by doing every thing as if He were here
looking at you. Are you warm enough child?"

"O yes, ma'am, Miss Ruth came up and tucked me in nicely, and--"

"And what?"

"She kissed me and said 'good night.'"

Agnes's first impulse was to exclaim with surprise; but checking herself
she stooped down, saying: "And I must follow Miss Ruth's example, I
suppose. Be a good girl, Martha, and Miss Ruth and I will be your
friends."

"I need have no fears; Ruth could never be anything but kind, although
people so often misunderstand her and think her stern. She will never
let generosity carry away her sense of justice; and after all that is
the better way," thought Agnes, as she descended to the sitting room.
Guy was home that night. As Agnes entered the room he laid down his book
with the remark: "I say, Agnes, brother Snowden is considered the salt
of the earth among you church people, isn't he?"

"I suppose he is a good man; I don't know much about him. Why do you
ask?" was the reply.

"Well, only that it strikes me _that_ kind of salt would not make very
strong pickle."

"How you talk," said Ruth, "You know nothing about his Christian life."

"O, that is it, he has two lives has he? Well, I admit that I know
nothing about his _Christian_ life. But I do know about his business
life, if that is a separate and distinct thing. When a Christian comes
to me and asks me to undertake a case that is simply trickery and fraud,
then I want to know how he can separate himself from his profession of
religion. I thought religion had to run through one's life, instead of
hinging and unhinging it when one chose. I know one thing, that some of
your church members dabble in puddles so dirty that I would not touch
them with the tip of my finger, and this Snowden is one of them."

"I would not judge the many by one,"