at last, having grown more and more uneasy, he said:

"Give us some o' that, Mr. Balfour."

Mr. Balfour looked up and smiled, and then read to him the parable of
the talents.

"I don't know nothin' 'bout it," said Jim, at the conclusion, "but it
seems to me the man was a little rough on the feller with one talent.
'Twas a mighty small capital to start with, an' he didn't give 'im any
chance to try it over; but what bothers me the most is about the man's
trav'lin' into a fur country. They hadn't no chance to talk with 'im
about it, and git his notions. It stan's to reason that the feller with
one talent would think his master was stingy, and be riled over it."

"You must remember, Jim, that all he needed was to ask for wisdom in
order to receive it," said Mr. Benedict.

"No; the man that traveled into a fur country stan's for the Almighty,
and he'd got out o' the way. He'd jest gi'n these fellers his capital,
and quit, and left 'em to go it alone. They couldn't go arter 'im, and
he couldn't 'a' hearn a word they said. He did what he thought was all
right, and didn't want to be bothered. I never think about prayin' till
I git into a tight place. It stan's to reason that the Lord don't want
people comin' to him to do things that they can do theirselves. I
shouldn't pray for breath; I sh'd jest h'ist the winder. If I wanted a
bucket o' water, I sh'd go for it. If a man's got common sense, and a
pair o' hands, he hain't no business to be botherin' other folks till he
gits into what he can't git out of. When he's squeezed, then in course
he'll squeal. It seems to me that it makes a sort of a spooney of a man
to be always askin' for what he can git if he tries. If the feller that
only had one talent had brushed round, he could 'a' made a spec on it,
an' had somethin' to show fur it, but he jest hid it. I don't stan' up
for 'im. I think he was meaner nor pusly not to make the best on't, but
he didn't need to pray for sense, for the man didn't want 'im to use no
more nor his nateral stock, an' he knowed if he used that he'd be all
right."

"But we are told to pray, Jim," said Mr. Balfour, "and assured that it
is pleasant to the Lord to receive our petitions. We are even told to
pray for our daily bread."

"Well, it can't mean jest that, fur the feller that don't work for't
don't git it, an' he hadn't oughter git it. If he don't lift his hands,
but jest sets with his mouth open, he gits mostly flies. The old birds,
with a