As the delicious odour of strawberry preserves floated in from the kitchen, Todd thought of his sweet-faced little mother bending over the steaming kettle, and wished he could tell her the secret of the prize wheel.  “I wisht I could ask her for a verse,” he said.  “She must know pretty near the whole Bible off by heart.  I never knew anybody that could say so many verses in a string without stopping.”

Just then his eye fell on the old family Bible, lying in state on the marble-topped centre table, and remembering how boldly the big type always seemed to stare out at him when he used to look at the pictures in it, he got up from the lounge to walk across the room and open it.  The leaves opened as of their own accord at a chapter in Proverbs, where an old-fashioned cardboard book-mark kept the place.  It had been years since his grandfather’s trembling hand had placed that book-mark there, the last time he led in family prayers, and his mother had never allowed it to be moved.  So the book opened now at the chapter that had been read on that memorable morning, and Todd’s eye caught the text at the top of the page:  “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour than silver and gold.”

“I’ll take that,” said Todd, softly, to himself, as he closed the great volume, “for I remember just what mother said about it when she explained it to me.”

So that was the motto which found its way to Judge Parker’s office in a sealed envelope, as he had directed they should be sent, with each boy’s name signed to the verse of his choice.

It was not so easy for Chicky Wiggins to make a decision.  To begin with, nobody in the cheap lodging-house that was his only home had a Bible, and he was ashamed to ask for one from the other boys.  Still the daily sight of that wheel in Stark Brothers window finally nerved him to borrow a little old dog-eared Testament from the Swede who swept out the office.  The young Swede had gotten it at a mission school he faithfully attended.  There was no back on it, and several of the leaves were missing, but some reverent hand had heavily underscored some of the verses, and these were the ones that Chicky spelled out when no one was looking.

“Here’s one in Luke that somebody has marked,” he said to himself.  “That ought to bring good luck, ’cause Luke is my real name, and it was daddy’s, too.  Everybody that knew daddy says that he was a good man.  I believe I’ll take this just because it is in Luke, and somebody seemed to think it was an extra good one, or he wouldn’t have put three lines under it.  The other verses that are marked have only one. ’He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.’ I reckon that that’s about as good a motto for the district messenger business as any.  I’ll take this and sign myself Luke.  Folks have called me Chicky so long they must have forgotten I have any other name.”

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