The Astonished Giver

“A gentleman, not marching in the ranks of cheerful givers,’ was urged to bestow five dollars toward the Fresh Air Fund.’ ‘He could not; business wretched; poor enough himself,’ and all the well known line of excuses. The friend assured him, if the Lord did not more than make it up to him, before the end of the week, he himself would return the money. To those terms he agreed, quite sure he should caP on Saturday and get back the $5. But, the very next morning, he ran to the oflSce of his friend to say that an old debt, given up long ago, and for which he would have taken one hundred dollars any moment, was paid him about an hour after the friend left his store. So astonished was he, that he even doubted the check, which was for five thousand dollarsy and sent it to the bank to test its genuineness before he would give a receipt for it!”