"How much more should we be kind one to another," said Mr. Norton.

"Well, it wasn't very kind to duck Benny," insisted Skinny.

"No, and they didn't do it. If I have been correctly informed, they let Benny go because John here was kind to a dumb animal."

That was true and I said so.

"Even if they had ducked him, don't you think that it would be better to heap 'coals of fire' upon their heads?"

It surprised Benny to hear Mr. Norton talk like that.

"We wouldn't do such a thing," said he. "Besides, we haven't got any hot coals."

"Yes, you have," laughed Mr. Norton. "The 'hot coals' I mean are kind words and kind actions. What I meant to say was that you should return good for evil and then your kind words would make those boys feel as if you were putting coals of fire on their heads."

"I don't believe we ought to do it," Skinny told him, "if it is going to hurt that bad."

"Suppose we try it and see. I think perhaps it will not be quite so painful."