She said, "I suppose they are good people, but we are strangers in this
place, and don't wish to trouble any of them, if we can get along without."
Wishing to give the child a little manna I asked for a spoon. The little
girl went to the table drawer to get one, and her mother said to her:
"Get the longest handled spoon." As she opened the drawer, I saw only
two spoons, and both with handles broken off, but one handle was a little
longer than the other. I thought to myself this is a very poor family,
but I will do the best I can to relieve them. While I was preparing the
food for the sick child, I heard the oldest boy (who was about fourteen),
say: "You shall have the biggest piece now, because I had the biggest
piece before." I turned around to see who it was that manifested such a
principle of justice, and I saw four or five children sitting in the
corner, where the oldest was dividing a roasted potato among them. And
he said to one: "You shall have the biggest piece now," etc. But the
other said: "Why, brother, you are the oldest, and you ought to have the
biggest piece."
"No," said the other, "I had the biggest piece."
I turned to the mother, and said: "Madam, you have potatoes to eat, I
suppose?"
She replied, "We have had, but this is the last one we have left; and
the children have now roasted that for their breakfast."
On hearing this, I hastened home, and informed my wife that food was
needed for the sick family. I then prescribed a gallon of milk, two
loaves of bread, some butter, meat and potatoes, and sent my boy with
these; and had the pleasure to hear in a few days that they were all well.
--Selected.