Harry Danvers responded to Colonel Bates' offer almost indignantly.

"It is a good offer for the dog," continued the colonel, "more than he is really worth, but Frank has taken a fancy to him, and to gratify him I am willing to give a good price."

"No, sir; I shall want money worse than I ever have yet when I part with Jack. Thank you for the offer, but I cannot sell my dog."

"That is a foolish boy," said the colonel, turning to a friend as Harry went off down the street whistling to his dog; "I made him a good offer. You know my boy Frank is an invalid, and it was to gratify a whim of his that I offered the boy twice the worth of the dog."

"I heard your offer, and I confess I thought it very liberal," replied the friend; "has the boy rich parents, that he can afford to reject such offers?"

"No; Danvers is only a day laborer, and I do not suppose the boy ever had five dollars pocket money in his life."

"Humph!" was the expressive rejoinder of the friend; then the subject was dropped.

There was a missionary convention in progress in the town where Harry Danvers lived. Harry was not specially interested in missions, though he was a Sunday-school scholar and a member of a Mission Band; but someway he did not get interested in the Band. And I suspect that boys generally fail to become interested in the Mission Bands. Can you tell why it is that our missionary societies are so largely made up of girls?

Harry had no thought of going to any of the meetings in progress, but at tea time his sister Alice said:

"Harry, they say that the teacher from the school where our Band supports a pupil is going to speak to-night at the First Church; let's go down."

"I don't want to hear any missionary women speak," said Harry.

"But, my son, if your sister wants to go, you will not refuse to go with her?" said Mr. Danvers.

"I suppose I can go," replied Harry, not ungraciously, but somewhat indifferently.

"I do want to go; and, Harry, you know you said you were to write an essay on the Indian question for next Wednesday; maybe you'll get some ideas; you know Miss R—— is from the Indian Territory."

"All right! Count me in. I'll be ready in a jiffy."

Harry Danvers was never the same boy after that evening. You might not have noticed the difference, but it was there. He could never again be indifferent towards Missions. He gained, as Alice had suggested, some ideas, but not altogether in the line of his school essay. He for the first time in his life realized that he, Harry Danvers, had a part in the great work given to the church of Christ; that the responsibility of sending the Gospel to the heathen nations rested upon him in proportion to his ability, and the question, What can I give? was pressed home upon his heart. The duty and privilege of sacrifice were set before him, and he asked himself, What can I sacrifice? The questions were unanswered when he went to bed that night. Harry was a Christian boy, and he carried his questioning to his Heavenly Father, and waited for the answer. The next morning as he went down stairs, with Jack's customary greeting there came to him the answer he had sought. Here was an opportunity to prove his sincerity! Was he equal to the sacrifice?

"What is the matter, Harry?" asked his mother; "are you sick?"

"The missionary meeting was too much for him, I guess," said Alice.

"Didn't you like the speaker?" asked Mr. Danvers.

"Yes, sir; I liked it all very much. Mother, you ought to go this morning; they say there is a perfectly wonderful speaker to be on the platform—a woman from Syria; are you going, Harry?"

"I don't know," replied Harry indifferently.

"Dear me," said Alice; "boys are so queer. Now I thought it was just splendid last evening, but Harry won't even say he liked it. I was all stirred up and ready to give all my jewelry—only I haven't any to give," and Alice chattered on until breakfast was over, and the family went their several ways. All the time Harry was thinking, and, as you will see, thinking to some purpose. He had an errand down town for his mother, and as he went out of the gate he said with energy, "I'll do it!"

Now Mrs. Danvers was a timid woman, and very much afraid of dogs. True, she tried to hide her fear and aversion for Harry's sake, but she had a nervous dread of some member of the family being bitten by the dog, and only a few days before, Harry's father said: "My boy, I sometimes wish you could make up your mind to give that dog away; your mother dislikes dogs so much."

Remembering this, Harry did not consider it necessary to say anything to his father about what he intended to do. His way down the street led him past Colonel Bates' residence. He stopped at the door and rang the bell, asking to see Colonel Bates. When that gentleman appeared he said, though his voice trembled,

"Have you bought a dog for Frank yet?"

"No; have you made up your mind to part with yours?"

"Yes, sir; if your offer holds good for to-day."

"Certainly; walk in and we will settle the business. I am very glad; we are going to a rather lonely place for the summer, and the dog will be both a comfort and protection to Frank."

The transfer of property was made in the course of the morning, and, strangely enough, Colonel Bates sat beside Harry that evening in the meeting and caught the glitter of the gold piece which the boy dropped into the basket as the collection was taken for the Indian Mission. And this is what he thought: "Here's a boy who has made a sacrifice; he has given that which cost him something, and I gave what I can spare as well as not! for once I will give something that I shall feel."

"Father, why didn't you buy those horses you were talking about?" asked Frank Bates a few days later.

"Because I bought a dog for you instead!"

"But my Jack did not cost a thousand dollars!" said Frank, puzzled.

"That is just what it cost me," replied Colonel Bates, smiling at his boy's bewildered looks. And then he told him the story of the gold piece and his own sacrifice, and the boy, after a little silence had fallen between them, said:

"Father, you need not buy the dog cart; the old pony phaeton will do. Give me the money it would cost in gold pieces, please, and I will go to the next missionary meeting and offer my sacrifice."