the table; both of
them looked at the parcel. "Does the' see that?" at length said Sally;
"thaa'll look loike a travelling praacher naa, lad."

That broke the spell. Up jumped Abe and began to leap about the house,
clapping, rubbing his hands, and blessing the Lord. All the children
joined the chorus, laughing, jumping, and shouting "Daddy's got some
new claathes! Daddy's got some new claathes!" and poor Sally, full of
smiles, holding up one garment after another, kept interjecting, "Well
I niver!" "Law me!" "Eh, dear!" Abe's heart was full, and he must
needs empty it before Him who had inclined some unknown friend to send
this handsome and appropriate present just at the right time. From an
inner room the voice of the good man was heard going up to God in
grateful acknowledgment of His kindness; and the children were hushed
into quietness hushed,--hushed while Daddy was praying. The next day
Abe appeared in his new clerical attire, and from that time was never
without the requisite black cloth suit in which to go about his beloved
Master's work. Oh, how much we may learn from a little incident like
this--how much of humble trust in God under all the circumstances of
life, how much assurance that "your heavenly Father knoweth ye have
need of these things," and that "My God will supply all your need!"

CHAPTER XV.

A Basket of Fragments.

The fame of "Little Abe" was not confined to his own Circuit, it spread
among the villages and towns for many miles around, so that he was
greatly sought after to preach anniversary and other sermons, and
wherever he went the people felt he was "a man sent from God." There
are some who well remember his first visit to Elland, and the
delightful day they had with him in the Lord's house. His text was,
"My God shall supply all your need." He read these words, and then
clapped his hands together, while his face beamed with smiles. "Well,"
said he, "do you want me to praach ony after that? what can onybody say
after Paul spakes? He says everything with once opening his maath;
with one scratch of his wonderful pen, he writes more than I could
spake in a lifetoime, if I were left to mysen, 'My God shall supply all
your need.' Friends, there's nowt left, yo've gotton all in that,
ivery thing yo' need, and I reckon you'r weel off."

From this simple and easy beginning, he gradually got away into his
subject, explaining, illustrating, and applying his text in a way that