y I will place in your pastor's
hands the sum of one thousand dollars, provided"--and he paused and put
the tips of his forefingers together impressively--"provided you will
raise an equal amount on your own part. The first day of next January,
remember. You have nearly a year, you will notice, in which to raise
the money. I--er--I hope you will be successful." And he sat down
heavily.

The remainder of that meeting was not conspicuous for deep
spirituality, and after the benediction the Honorable Peter Wentworth
found himself surrounded by an excited crowd of grateful church
members. The honorable gentleman was distinctly pleased. He had not
given anything away before since--well, he had the same curious choking
feeling in his throat now that he remembered to have felt when he gave
the contents of his dinner pail to the boy across the aisle at the old
red schoolhouse. After all, it was a rather pleasant sensation; he
almost wished it had oftener been his.

It was not until the silent hours of the night brought a haunting
premonition of evil to the Reverend John Grey that the little minister
began to realize what the church had undertaken. One thousand dollars!
The village was small and the church society smaller. The Honorable
Peter Wentworth was the only man who by even the politest fiction could
be called rich. Where, indeed, was the thousand to be found?

When morning came, the Reverend John Grey's kindly blue eyes were
troubled, and his forehead drawn into unwonted lines of care; but his
fathers had fought King George and the devil in years long past, and he
was a worthy descendant of a noble race and had no intention of weakly
succumbing, even though King George and the devil now masqueraded as a
two-thousand-dollar debt.

By the end of the week an urgent appeal for money had entered the door
of every house in Fairville. The minister had spent sleepless nights
and weary days in composing this masterly letter. His faithful
mimeograph had saved the expense of printing, and his youngest boy's
willing feet had obviated the necessity of postage stamps. The First
Congregational Church being the only religious organization in the town
of Fairville, John Grey had no hesitation in asking aid from one and
all alike.

This was in February, yet by the end of May there was only four hundred
dollars in the fund treasury. The pastor sent out a second appeal,
following it up with a house-to-house visit. The s