Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1857-12-10
FAMILY JOURNAL A


much planning and plotting as to the
spending of the small sum. All extrava.
giant hopes from it, were brought into due
compass, and every dollar appropriated
in the most absolutely necessary manner.
The father retired to write sermon on
the bounty of God, and the banker and
disburser, went to put away the money.
Then she detected the base coin. With
indignant flushing cheeks, she took it to
her husband.
"Oh!" he said, sit is hard! But the
Lord will teach us how to do without it..
He feeds the young ravens"
Do you shink it would be wrong to
pass it, husband? l mean at some Of the
rich dry goods stores. I can't do very
well without my gown. We are so poor!
Others would not miss it. Ii came to US
as good one. We need not be so par
ticular.
oh, wife," was the reply, this is the
temptation of Satan. Passing counter
felt dollar is just the same as telling a lie,
and setting other folks to tell lies. too
Throw it into the fire, that it may deceive
and disappoint no one else, and forget we
ever had it. That's all we can do"
The wife, disconnected and sad, return
ed to her work Of mending the children's
clothes. Her eldest daughter, a girl Of
twelve was ironing in the kitchen. She
came in with woeful face, saying:
Mother, dear, look here! Father
best linen neck cloth was hanging on the
chair, and baby pulled it off and switch
ed the corner of it into the fire. 1t was
half burned up before I could pull it out.
What will father do?"
The child was reproved too sharply, for
not taking more heed, and went away
crying to her work.
:" 1t is too bad" said the mother, "that
we must be the ones to suffer always
But father shall not be the loser by the
tcarelessness of the people. | won't put
up with it! That bad dollar came from
the congregation, and it shall go back to
them!"
So she put on her bonnet. and went to
the gentleman's furnishing store kept by
Mr.. B, member Of their church,
She bought her husband new neck cloth
which she hoped he would never know
from the old one
That very day the lady called and ask
ed to see the Rev. Mr.. - She told
the story Of the counterfeit dollar. and
asked if he had seen anything of it, say
ing that she had come to redeem it. The
minister said that it luckily fallen into
his own hands, and joyfully did he hasten
to his wife's room.
"God verify numbers the hairs of our
heads" he said. He will not suffer one
ofhis little sparrows to fall to the ground.
Give me the bad dollar, for lady has
come to give US one in its place.
Then came the agony of confession Of
the hitherto dishonest wife. She will
weep and writhe to her dying baby at
the remembrance of that look of surprise
and wounded trust, which her beloved
husbands face wore as he heard it. She
went at once to the lady and told her all.
It was brave deed, for she was minis
ters wife, with whole congregation
watching to detect slip from uprightness.
The lady, she feared, would report her
delinquency, but she had fallen into mer
ciful hands, and her fault was kept secret.
They went together to the furnishing
store.
The store keeper examined his till and
desk. There was no such dollar to be
found and no one could tell to whom it
had been given. One of the shop girls
probably passed it without seeing that it
was bad The lady left dollar to re.
place it, should any one bring it back and
went home disappointed. Her husband
was magistrate, and she knew he was
SO strict in bringing offenders to justice,
that she never mentioned to him this
counterfeit, for fear of getting the market
woman into trouble for passing it, know
+ ing it to be such.
That night her husband came home
from his Office looking exceedingly weary
and sad. His wife pressed to know the
reason.
"Oh,' said he. the duties of my Office
are some times so painful! | have just
had to send such nice lady like women
to the lookup for the night, because it
was too late to examine her at once
| She seemed in great distress about some
thing; but she can't speak a word OF
English, so could make it out. think
though that her husband is sick"
Why not let her go, and take her up
again in the morning"
Well, she is accused of a serious
charge -counterfeiting and her distress
may be all sham, only plan to get her
husband off. I don't want him warned
have watch. about the house, but can
do no more until morning. There are
great numbers of counterfeit gold dollars
1 in circulation, and this women, her neigh
] hers, say, has tried to pass three within q
week. have been very anxious to dis
cover the rogues; and / don't believe this
woman has any thing to DO with it. How
ever, | hadto shut her up, the Eelghbcrs
are SO indignant. To morrow it will be
looked into, and the women set free,
have no doubt"
!" Perhaps her poor sick husband may
die Of anxiety and alarm, meanwhile.
1 Well, put on your bonnet wife. Yol