"Well, ye see, it concerns yer cow, and no matter how a man might feel
about the welfare of others, when it comes to himself and his own
personal property, it makes a great difference."

"I do not understand your meaning, captain," and the clergyman's voice
had a note of sharpness. "What has the missionary meeting to do with
my cow?"

"Considerable, parson, considerable. When I went home from that
meetin', sez I to my wife, 'Betsey, I have learned a new wrinkle
to-night, which may be of much use to us.' She asked me what I meant,
so I up and told her what the missionary had said about givin' and
receivin'. He laid it down very plain that unless a man gave to the
Lord's work, he couldn't expect to prosper. Now, didn't he?"

"That's what he said," and the clergyman nodded his assent.

"Well, then, sez I to Betsey, 'Betsey, we've never prospered, because
we've never given anything.'

"'But what have we to give?' sez she.

"'Nothin' much,' sez I, 'except our old cow Bess.'

"'Oh, we can't give her,' sez she. 'We'll have no milk if we do.'

"'But we'll get more in return,' sez I. 'The missionary said so, and I
want to prove his words.' Well, the long and short of it is, that I
took Bess early the next mornin' and turned her into your pasture afore
you were up. Betsey was lookin' pretty glum when I got back home, but