ust think; they
collected, last Sunday, to send off to the Hindoos, over two hundred
dollars. Now, that would have made half the poor families in this
town--and I don't know but all--comfortable for the winter. There
was Mr. Netherly--worth forty thousand dollars--he put in a
ten-dollar bill. It was a great, new bill, and he opened it, and held
it up, and even turned it round, so't everybody could see it before he
let it drop. Then at the end, when the box was carried up into the
pulpit, the deacon whispered to the minister; and the minister got up,
and, said, taking hold of the corner of the rich man's bill: 'Here is
ten dollars from one brother. Let that brother be assured that his
deed is remembered of him in heaven.' Yes, that's what was said; and
Mr. Netherly held up his head, bowed very low, and then looked around
at the rest of the congregation, as much as to say, '_that's me_.' Now
I know of another thing that I guess'll be remembered in heaven,
alongside of this one. Last week, poor old Trask--Uncle
Israel--called at Netherly's with some baskets. You know the old man
gets out stuff in the summer, and then in the winter makes it up.
Well, he went there, and asked Netherly if he wouldn't buy a basket.
No; he didn't want one. Then the old man told him how he and his poor
old wife were suffering, and he asked him if he couldn't help him in
some way; and what do you think Netherly said?--Why, he said that he
had to pay taxes to help support a poorhouse, and told Uncle Israel
that he'd find help there, if he'd only apply to the selectmen! Now
what d'ye think of that, eh?"

"Why," returned Sam, "I think if he's got an account in heaven, he'll
find a balance against him, when he comes to settle up."

"So he will," responded three or four of the others.

For some moments after this, the party smoked in silence. Peter Hobbs
had been pondering very deeply upon something, and at length he spoke:

"Now look here, boys," he said, throwing his half-smoked cigar into
the fire, "there's a good deal of truth in what's been said--in fact,
it's all true; but, before we blame others, we ought to do something
ourselves. Now I'm ready to form a regular benevolent society. Let us
six go at the work, and see what we can do toward alleviating some of
the distress about us. What say you?"

The other five looked on in wonder.

"But," said Sam, "how are we to do it? We arn't among the favored
ones. We weren't born with silver spoons