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 call on Saturday
and get back the $5. But, the very next morning, he ran to the office 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 dollars,_ and sent it to
the bank to test its genuineness before he would give a receipt for it!"