"'Oh, we can't give her,' sez she. 'We'll have no milk if we do.'
"'But we'll get more in return,' sez I. 'The missionary said so, and I want to prove his words.' Well, the long and short of it is, that I took Bess early the next mornin' and turned her into your pasture afore you were up. Betsey was lookin' pretty glum when I got back home, but I told her to cheer up, fer the Lord would prosper us as we had given Him our cow."
"Captain Josh Britt!" the parson exclaimed. "I am astonished at you! How could you think of doing such a thing?"
"Why, what's wrong with that?" and the captain tried to look surprised. "Isn't it scriptural? I thought by givin' Bess to you, I was givin' her to the Church, and in that way she could be used fer the Lord's work."
"Oh, I see," and the clergyman stroke
