Show r GLORY AND A THE SACRIFICE in which the gift and the giver tell each a separate tale by ELEANOR PORTER author of pollyanna Pol lynna just jint david ete etc by elnor eleanor st porter THE HE honorable reter wentworth twos ans not a churchgoing church going man anad and when he be appeared at the prater meeting on oil that memorable friday evening there was at once a most irreligious interest manifested by every one ply plesent sent even to the fired little minister himself the object of their amazed glances fortunately did not keep the good people long in au suspense after a timid prayer M slightly incoherent but abounding in petitions tor for lingle mindedness and worshipful reverence from the ministers alfe ife the honorable peter wentworth rose to ills his feet ind and cleared his throat ahem I 1 ladles and gentlemen kent lemen er nh ah brethren he he corrected hastily faint A memories of a godly youth prompting ills his now unaccustomed lips 1 I er I 1 understand that you tire desirous of building a new church A very audible tery ery with ite his Is eyes fixed on a rl zag crack in the wall across tha th room and I 1 understand that your funds are er insufficient fici ent I 1 am in tact fact informed quit hint you need two thousand dollars ameral ladles er brethren I 1 stand here to announce that on tile the first day of january I 1 will place in your pastors hands bands the sum of one thousand dollars provided and lie he paused and put tile the tips of his forefingers together impressively provided you will III raise an equal amount on your own part the first day of next january rem remember aber you have nearly a year you MIR notice in which to raise the money I 1 er I 1 hope you will be successful cess ful and lie he sat down heavily the remainder of that meeting was not conspicuous for deep and after tile the benediction tile honorable peter ieter wentworth found himself surrounded by an excited crowd of grateful church members the honorable gentleman was distinctly pleased ile he had bad not given anything away before since well lie had the same curious choking feeling in ills his throat now that lie he remembered to have felt when nhen lie gave the contents of ills his dinner pall pail to the boy across the aisle at the old red school house after all it was a rather pleasant sensation he be almost wished it had oftener been ills his it was not until the silent hours of night brought a haunting premonition of evil to the reverend john grey that hint the little minister began to realize cihat the church bad undertaken one thousand dollars the village was small and the church society smaller gm aller the honorable peter ieter wentworth as the only man who by even the politest fiction could be called rich where indeed was uns tile thousand to be found hy by the end of hie file week an urgent appeal for money I iad had ad entered the door of every house hous se in Fa fairville Irville tills this was in february yet b by the sad and of may blay there was only four hundred bundred dollars in that fund treasury tile the pastor sent out a second appeal following it up with a house to house visit the sum grew crew to six hundred dollars then the ladles helda held a mass meeting in the damp ill III smelling vestry the result was wn a series of entertainments varying from a strawberry festival to tile passion pa eslon piny illustrated these heroic efforts effii ts brought the fund up to eight hundred dollars two hundred bet ct to be found and it was nas november with anxious faces and puckered broa broas s the ladles held another meeting in that cheerless vestry then hastened home with new coinage nod aud a new plan bits of silk and tissue paper guy gay colored worsteds worst eds and knots of ribbon appeared as by magic in every cottage collage weary fingers impossible fancy articles urt liles of no earthly use to any one cue and tired housewives sat up till midnight dressing dres sang dolls in flimsy mus ain alln tle tie church knag going to hold a fair everything and ever everybody body succumbed graciously or ling ungraciously to the alie inevitable the fair and a blizzard begrin began simultaneously ly the first day of december the one lusted a week and the other three days the people conscientiously plowed through the snow attended the fair and bought recklessly the children made themselves ick with rich candles and deacon white while hobt lils over a tin trumpet lie drew in a grub grab abna bos at the end of the neck eek there nere mere three three easel of nerv ous prostration one of pneumonia two of grippe and one hundred dollars arid and five cents in iu cuiry iry y the ladles ladies drew a long breath and looked pleased then their faces went suddenly white where was ninety nine dollars and five cents to chioe trout front lit the few dus das yet remaining ma ining silently and dejectedly they went home borne it was then that the reverend john grey rose rosc to tile the and abut s iut himself in his study nil all night struggling with a lost last appeal to bo be copied on the faithful mimeograph arid and delivered by his patient youngest born that appeal was straight from the heart of nn an all lut but despairing tuan man was two thousand dollars t tw de be loit evil because of it a paltry ninety nine dollars and ninety fl fire re cents the pressure was seere and became as the holiday ap pro preached ached the tree tor for the lie sunday school had long binte been given up but christmas eve a forlorn group ot of wistful eyed children gathered in the th church and spoke christmas pieces and sang sane christmas carols with longing iaze gaze axed on the empty corner where was wont to be the shining tree it van on oil christmas day that tb the widow blake fought tile the good fight in lier her little six by nine room roni on the bed lay a black cashmere gown faded and rusty and carefully darned on the table lay a little heap of bills and ell all ver the woman gathered the money in her two hands und lind dropped it into tier her lap then she smoothed the bills bill neatly one upon another and built little litlie pyramids of dimes find quarters fifteen dollars dollar sl it must be five years yean now blat she had been saving that money and she did so need a new dressl dress I 1 she needed it to be ilay even decent I 1 looking sourly at the frayed folds on the bed it was on oil christmas day too that the he little cripple who lived across the bridge received a five dt dailar ilar got gold piece by registered mall mail donalds eyes sione and his thin fingers clutched the yellow gold greedily now he could have those books his eyes rested on an open letter on the floor by hla his chair at mimeograph letter signed john W grey gradually his fingers relaxed the bit of money slipped from the imprisoning clasp tell feu to the floor and rolled in hashing flashing gleaming circles round and round tile letter ending in a glistening disk like a seal just at the left ot of tile signature the tha lad looked at the yellow whirling thing with frightened eyes then covered ills his face with hla his hands and burst into a storm of sobs on the of december the reverend john grey entered on his list lars blake 15 donald marsh 5 the little ministers face grew pale pala and drawn the money came can in bit by bit but it wanted twenty dollars and ninety five cents yet to f tiu the needed thou thousand tholand and ou on the the teacher of the infant class brought et a dollar the sift gift of her young pupils on the nothing came on the tha five cents front from a small boy who rang the bell with a peal that brought the reverend everend It jolin john grey to the door with a startled hope in hla his eyes ua ile took the five pennies from the small dirty lingers fingers and opened ills his mouth to speak peak ills his thanks but ills dry lips refused to frame the lie words word the morning of the dawned raw and cloudy the alie little wi minister nister neither ate nor slept now cow the doorbell rang ranc at brief intervals throughout tle day and stray quarters limes and nickels with an occasional dollar were added to the precious store until it amounted to nine hundred and eighty five dollars and eighty five cents it ins as nearly midnight when there come a gentle tup top at the study door without waiting for permission the ministers wife life turned the alie knob and entered the room her husband sat with bowed head jesting citing on his outstretched arms on tile the desk and her eyes filled with tears at tile picture of despair before lier her john I 1 suppose we cau can take this said cald she in a low voice reluctantly lading a little pile of sliver silver on the desk theres just ten dollars there then slip slie re recoiled colled in terror so wildly did her husband clutch the money where did you get tills this he gasped 1 I I 1 saved it from time to time out atit of the household money I 1 meant you should take it and go out to cousin franks for a rest and vacation after this was over said she doggedly vacation mary blary vacation lie he ex es claimed with unutterable scorn then he tumbled in Ms his pocket and brou brought gilt out a little change cl iange with trembling lingers fingers he picked out ten pennies and a fic cent piece putting a lone quarter buck in ills his empty pocket thank burk god mary weve neve done iti and hie file mans mails voice velce broke new years night there was waa a jubilee tile meeting eting in n the town hall the IteNe Ile emid rend jolin john grey hurried through ills his bread tind and wilk I 1 IH s aume me e excitement cit ement lie he ins to plaside pi pL eside aud and must not cot be b late tile hall was full to ove over rilo Arming ing 0 the plat finin illi tile minister wit iti tile tia licile lis of the first comm Cun Lr gati nt lonal churell church ald ard tile llon orlle peter tile nell fed fi d well bloomed gloomed lion oraLle gentleman gei itlen un himself looked with a smile this was jilts i a most delightful tile reverend john greys address was D on eloquent to the great generosity of their fellow the ministers volca voice trembled tremble affectingly and ills thin hin C ile L 1 with emotion tim the first congregational church nal af deep y indebted to the honorable peter wentworth and would fain express its gratitude tle rie mini ministers wife listened with a faraway look on tier face ard little donali donald starell gazed with round eyes of awe at the grent man nl who 0 O lad been so very generous while over in nil BD obscure corner of the hall n pale pae little litlie woman stealthily rearranged the tb folds of tier her gown abat she be elligh hide front inquisitive eyes etes tile the grew darn on the front breadth 4 f tier her wort won black casame 4 |