"And ye won't feel hurt?"
"Feel hurt! Why should I?"
"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.'