“No doubt, no doubt,” said the minister, looking into his hat as if with his eyes he was trying to make some notes for remarks on the succeeding Sunday.

“You know, sir, that in what’s written about Him they have a good deal to say about the lots of attention that He gave to the poor.  I s’pose, if poor folks was then like they are now, most of them was that way through some faults of their own; because every body in this town that behaves himself an’ always behaved himself manages to get along well enough.  It does seem to me, sir, that He must have gone about among folks a good deal like me.”

“That view of the matter never occurred to me,” said the reverend gentleman, “and yet possibly there is a great deal to it.  You know, Mr. Kimper, that was a long time ago.  There was very little education in those times, and the people among whom He moved were captives of a stronger nation, and they seem to have been in a destitute and troubled condition.”

“Yes,” said Sam, interrupting the speaker, “an’ I guess a good many of them were as bad off as me, because, if you remember, He said a good deal about them that was in prison an’ that was visited there.  Now, sir, it kind o’ seems to me in this town—­I think I know a good deal about it, because I’ve never been able to associate with anybody except folks like myself—­it seems to me that sort of people don’t get any sort of attention nowadays.”

The minister assumed his conventional air of dignity, and replied, quickly,—­

“I assure you, you are very much mistaken, so far as I am concerned.  I think I know them all by name, and have made special visits to all of them, and tried to make them feel assured of the sympathy of those who by nature or education or circumstance chance to be better off than they.”

“That ain’t exactly what I meant, sir,” said the cobbler.  “Such folks get kind words pretty often, but somehow nobody ever takes hold of them an’ pulls them out of the hole they are in, like Jesus used to seem to do.  I s’pose ministers an’ deacons an’ such folks can’t work miracles like He did, an’ if they haven’t got it in ’em to pull ’em out, why, I s’pose they can’t do it.  But I do assure you, sir, that there’s a good deal of chance to do that kind of work in this town, an’ if there had been any of it done when I was a boy, I don’t believe I’d ever have got into the penitentiary.”

Just then Dr. Brice, one of the village physicians, dropped into the shop, and the minister, somewhat confused, arose, and said,—­

“Well, Mr. Kimper, I am very much obliged to you for your views.  I assure you that I shall give them careful thought.  Good day, sir.”