“As it certainly was,” said the president. “Our thanks are due Mrs. Hall for her work, at any rate. I feel this particularly, since I induced her, much against her will, to undertake it. But the thing that I most deeply deplore, and cannot at all understand, is that this barrel should have been sent out with freight unpaid. We never do that. It is a cardinal point with Missionary Societies that all boxes must be prepaid. I gave my personal check--a blank one to be filled out as was necessary--for this very purpose. That was my contribution.” “And I have just returned it to you,” said Mrs. Hall. “It is in that envelope on the table. The truth of the matter is that I forgot I had the check until after the barrel was gone. Anyway, it seemed to me (being new to the work as I am) that they ought to be willing to pay freight on a valuable box such as I supposed this was.” “Do you send off your own Christmas gifts that way?” asked the plain-spoken treasurer. Mrs. Hall sat down indignantly. “We’ll have to get another treasurer,” whispered one missionary worker to another. “Mrs. Outcault is too blunt for any use.” “She always hits the nail on the head, though.” “Yes, but she splits the wood in doing it! I am going to Mrs. Hall’s relief.... Madam President, I think the lady who did our packing has entirely vindicated herself. We may as well own up to the truth. We were so full of our own selfish concerns that we gave no heed to the call for this missionary barrel in any intelligent way. I, for one, never thought of it once.” The lady who had forgotten to send in the description of the minister’s family rose with elaboration. “I should like to call the lady’s attention to the fact that “Evil is wrought by want of thought As well as by want of heart.” This sally brought forth a general laugh, which is as good as a barrel of oil for troubled waters. “Well, ladies, what will you do with the situation--and the barrel?” “Madam President,”--a lady was recognized who seldom spoke, but always to the point,--“out of the mouth of this barrel we stand convicted of selfish indifference to a cause we are in duty bound to uphold, and of base desertion of those we have sent to the front and have promised, as Christians, to stand by. I move that we send to this family a box, a real one, that shall be worthy of this church and commensurate with their needs.” There were a dozen seconders. “I am not sure that they would accept it,” suggested the chair. “Tell them this was intended for a rummage sale,” came from the right. “Or the Salvation Army,” from the left. “Madam President,”--it was the dignified lady whose cheeks had flamed at sight of the opera cloak,--“I feel that I, for one, have been taught a lesson in giving that will last me the rest of my life. I should like to say as much to this brave woman in a note tucked in the pocket of a warm new cloak for herself. I think I can make that acknowledgment so humbly that she will accept the gift.”