<TITLE>03. Par 7-9</TITLE>L-7 And so, I remember I told the wife. I said, "I'm going to take up an offering tonight."
She said, "Honest?"
And I said, "Uh-huh."
So she said, "I'll go over and watch you."
So she--she gets over and perches herself right out in front of me. I got up and I said, "Well, folks," I said, "I don't like to do this." I said, "But kinda got a little snag." I said, "If one of the brothers would pass the hat around..." I said, "I hate to ask you," but I said, "if you'll help me with a few nickels," I said, "I'm a little bit under, about five dollars." I said, "I can't make it, and I owe a debt and I promised to make it, and I can't do it." I said, "If you'll help me, I'd appreciate it."
The old deacon got up and looked at me, poor old Brother Wisehart, if any of you all happen to be from around; reached over and got his hat. And I looked down, setting down to my right, and a little old woman named Mrs. Webber; she was setting down there, a very godly, saintly, little old woman. And she reached under this little apron she wore outside of her dress. (Ladies do that a whole lot in the south.) And she got this pocket thing here, beneath the apron, pulled out a little pocketbook about like that, with a little snap on top of it, turned it back, begin to reach down there among them nickels. Mmmmm. I couldn't do it. I looked at her. I said, "Oh, I was just teasing you all. I didn't mean that."

L-8 And so, Brother Wisehart had my hat--the hat, and he said... I said, "Oh, Brother Wisehart, I was just going on. You see?" I tell you; I couldn't spend that to save my life, see that poor little thing reach down and getting out them nickels of her little... No, sir, not of that.
And you know what I done? There's an old brother used to come to my house by the name of Brother Ryan. He followed me out west. They all... everything... He just recently went to glory. He was about eighty years old, long white beard. And he had hair... I used to get on him about it. But I... Men oughtn't to wear long hair. And I used to accuse him of being in the House of David, but he was a Pentecostal brother.
And so, he had... He rode a bicycle down there from Dowagiac, Michigan. And he gave me the bicycle. Didn't have any fenders on it, and hardly any tires, and pretty bad shape. And I had it setting out there in a little coal shed. So I went down and got me a ten-cent can of paint, down at the ten-cent store, painted it all up, put a sign on it for sale, and sold it for five dollars, and didn't even have to have--take up the offering. So that's about as close to an offering as I ever took up.

L-9 So but... Out in the meeting and... Perhaps they did. I told Brother Arganbright... Now, look. All the efforts that you dear people... We haven't had but just a little group of people, the expenses are high, and I know that it's--that you've done everything that you possibly could do. And you don't know how I appreciate that. Sorry to even have to take it. If I could underwrite it, I'd do it. But, oh, brother, I--I couldn't do it. And I--and I appreciate your efforts. God will... I pray that He will multiply you a hundredfold.
But I understood (by the grapevine, you know) that the expenses wasn't met. I told Brother Arganbright if he taken up a love offering for me to turn it over to the expenses of the church. And I had three hundred dollars to start out here; it was formerly from another meeting. I had enough to get back home and I could pay my bill, and so forth, while I was here. It'd be all right.


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