ave a great deal of beef to
the poor--it was in his way--and who was constantly giving offence by
presenting one poor family with better "cuts" than others; and he knew
it, too.

"I tell you what, Betsey," he said, rubbing his ear with vexation, one
day, "it's my full belief that nature made a regular mistake in
bullocks. There ought to be no legs and shins, or clods or stickings,
my dear, but every beast ought to be all sirloin; though it's my belief,
old girl, that if it was, and you let 'em have it full of gravy, and
sprinkled with nice white scraped horse-radish on the top, they wouldn't
be satisfied, but would say the quality was bad."

"There, never mind, Bill dear," said his comforter; "some people always
would be ungrateful. Old Granny Jinkins is just as bad. She said
yesterday that the nice, warm, soft, new flannel jacket I made for her
myself was not half so nice and warm as one I gave to Nancy Dean."

"Yes, that's just the way," said Mr William Forth Burge. "The more you
help people, the more they turns again' you. I often wish I'd never
made a penny; for what's the good of it all but to help other people,
and be grumbled at afterwards for not helping 'em more?"

"Oh, but all people ain't the same, dear."

"There ain't much difference, Betsey. Here's old Mrs Thorne quite
hates me; that boy thinks I'm a reg'lar cad; and Miss Thorne's turning
the same way."

"That I'm sure she's not!" cried little Miss Burge, starting up and
speaking angrily, with her face flushed, "Miss Hazel Thorne's as good as
gold, and she thinks you the best of men; and I declare, Bill, that you
ought to be ashamed of yourself, and I don't know what you don't
deserve. It's too bad. There!"

"Thanky, Betsey, my dear. That seems to do me good. I like to hear you
speak out like that. But do you really think she likes me?"

"I'm sure she does, Bill, and there ain't no think in the matter; and
there, for goodness' sake, don't you settle down into a grumbler, Bill,
because you've got no cause to be, I'm sure."

"Well, I don't know, Betsey," he said, stirring his tea slowly. "Things
don't seem to go right. I thought, seeing what I'd done for the
schools, I ought to have a pretty good voice in everything, but because
I've spent hundreds and hundreds over 'em it seems just why I'm to be
opposed. Here's Chute: I showed the committee that he was a miserable
spy of a fellow, not content with watching Miss Thorne, but putting it