that lacks, vagabond
or no vagabond. Ef he lacks vict'als, we are to give him vict'als; ef
he lacks garments, we are to give him garments; ef he lacks a
Christmas dinner, Rover, we are to give him a Christmas dinner. But
how are we to give him a Christmas dinner onless we give him an invite
to it? For ye know yerself, Rover, that no vagabond would ever come to
a cabin where ye and me be onless we axed him to.

"But there's another sentence here somewhere in the Book that bears on
the p'int we be considerin'. '_When thou makest a dinner_'--that be
exactly our case, Rover,--'_or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy
brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors; lest they also
bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee. But when thou makest a
feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt
be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be
recompensed at the resurrection of the just._'

"Furdermore, Rover, there's another passage that the lad, when he was
on the 'arth, used to say each night afore he went to sleep, whether
in the cabin or on the boughs. Sport, ye must remember it, for ye was
his own dog. I am not sartin where it be writ in the Book, but that
doesn't matter, for we all know the words,--it be from the great
prayer,--'_Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass
against us_,' and the great prayer, as I conceit, is the only blazin'
a man can trail by ef he hopes to fetch through to the Great Clearin'
in peace.

"Now these vagabonds, Rover,--I needn't name 'em to ye,--have
trespassed agin us; ye and me know it, for we've ketched 'em in their
devilment, and, what is more to the p'int, the Lord knows it, too, for
He's had His eye on 'em, and there's one up in the north country that
wouldn't git an invite to this dinner, Bible or no Bible. But, barrin'
this knave, who is beyend the range of our trails, there is not a
single vagabond that has trespassed agin us that we mustn't forgive.
For this be Christmas time, pups, and Christmas be a time for
forgivin' and forgittin' all the evil that's been done agin us."

And here the old man paused and looked at the dogs and then gazed long
and earnestly into the fire. To his face as he gazed came the look of
satisfaction and a most placid peace. It was evident that if there had
been a struggle between his natural feelings and his determination to
celebrate the great Christmas festival in the true Christmas s