“Here is the grab bag, you must grab.”
I never heard of the thing before, and it come so kind of sudden on me that I hung back at first. But there wus a whole lot of folks lookin’ on, and I didn’t want to act odd, so I laid holt of it, and grabbed it with both hands as tight as I could towards the bottom. Betsey said that wasn’t the way, and then her design so goaded her, that she bent forward and whispered in my ear,
“The Editah of the Augah got home to-night, he is expected here in half an hour, I expect you to stand by me Josiah Allen’s wife.”
I sithed heavy, and while I was a sithin’ Betsey asked Elder Minkley to grab, and he, thinkin’ no hurt, bein’ so pure minded and unsuspicious, and of such a friendly turn, he threw both arms around the bag grabbed it, and held it tight. And then Betsey explained it to us—you had to pay 25 cents and then you run your hand into the bag, and had jest what you happened to grab first.
THE ENEMY ATTACKTED.
Then at that minute I see the power of pure and cast iron principle as I never seen it before. Betsey Bobbet and all other sorrows and sufferin’ was for the minute forgot, and I was glad I had been born. With the look of a war horse when his mane tosses and he snorts, a smellin’ of the battle field, Elder Wesley Minkley ketched the bag out of Betsey’s tremblin’ hand, threw it down onto the floor, and sot down on it. He looked peaceful then, he knew he had throwed the tempter, and got on to it, holdin’ of it down. In the most tryin’ and excitin’ scenes of life, the good of the human race is my theme of mind, I am so wrapped up in it, and then, even in this glorious scene, I said to myself, “Ah would that Adam had served them apples in the same way.”
Brother Minkley took out his red silk handkerchief and wiped his heroic, but sweaty face, for it was warm in the meetin’ house, and he bein’ a large portly man, principle had heat him up. And then such a sermon as he preached to Betsey Bobbet, it did my very soul good to hear, says he, “It is gamblin’, and gamblin’ of the very worst kind to, for it is gamblin’ in the name of God.”
“Oh,” says Betsey, “deah and respected sir, the money is for you, and it is not gamblin’, for there is not any wicked papeh cards connected with it at all, it is only a sort of pious raffling in harmless pincushions and innocent rag children.”
Then did I see pure principle mountin’ up higher and higher, his honest fat face grew fire red with it, and says be, “No raffled pincushions shall ever enrich me, I scorn lucre that is obtained in that way. Not one cent of money Betsey Bobbet will I ever take, that is realized from the sale of these ragged children. Not a ragged child shall be gambled for, for me, not a child.”