All He Knew

poke of it; so did his wife; and, as the Prencys were leaders of village society, whatever interested them became the fashion. People with shoes whic

ould be decently clad, interested several ladies to the extent of bestowing some old clothing, which she hired a sewing woman to make over into becoming garmen

actor; "there ain't much left of me as I once was, but I ain't goin'

dy, "but you won't long be troubled that way. The often

s. Most of the men who talked of him did it in about the manner of spectators of the gladiatorial combats in ancient Rome: they admired the endurance and courage of the man, but seldom did it occur to them to stretch

l doin' all you can

mornin', an' seen him carryin' in the last wood from his wood-pile. 'Sam,' I hollered, 'don't you want to buy a load of wood? I've got some I want to sell.' 'I need it,' said Sam, 'but I ain't got a cent.' Well, mebbe I'd have trusted h

" said another, "as if he

s!" roared the farmer, getting

erent from the rest of us," m

o out, yet the fuel he had carried in at morn could not more than last until evening. The little money that had come into the shop during the day would barely purchase some plain food, of which there was never in the house a day's supply. He had not the courage to ask credit for wood; his o

many scraps behind them, which village custom allowed anyone to pick up. The cobbler devoutly thanked heaven for the thought, c

se leavin's?" asked Sam

he stood, recognized the questioner, turned agai

e same, I guess, if I didn't say so. Y

thin wood burned rapidly, so he took a load that made him stagger. As he entered the yard behind his house, he saw, through the

his exertion, "I guess-you've made a-mistake. I ain't ordered a

he farmer that had freed his mind at th

mper's," explai

e farmer, tossing out the last sticks an

ou to bring it?" a

age from the front of the wagon and thre

me who sent it?"

rned his head

nd He told me to bring that bag of

off, at a gait quite

en he arose he looked in the direction from which came t

an was converted in

an the child slipped out of the house and hurried to the hotel to tell her sister Jane all about it. Within half an hour the story had passed, through the usual chan

ch. If he thinks the Lord is going to take care of him in such unexp

y, deacon?" asked Judge Prency, who nearly every ev

Sam and I aren't exactly the same

ng to my memory of the record,-and I've re-read it several times since Sam Kimper's return,-He confined His attentions quite closely to the poor and wretched, apparently to the h

ency," said the deacon, coldly, "them that's most deser

ost, aren't they, deacon?-that is, if anyone

siness entirely, if they were c

discovered that business is the

ittle fore-handed I ought to take a lot of shiftless

in this town; there are very few; and even they might be helped, and shamed into taking care of

n," said the deacon; "I've always made it a matter of duty. Christ came

st seemed to have lost heart and wondered whether Jesus were really He who should come? He said that to the poor t

" said the deacon. "It's a spirit t

they good enough for you? or are you like children at the table

deal of my life thinking about sacred subjects and trying to lead my fellow-men in the right way. You're not going to make

h people to

am Kimper had been converting you over again and doing it backwards. That fe

worthy of your attenti

Prency," said the deacon, leaving the place so