Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1857-11-05

and was inclined to urge the matter, when
the unlucky wife said to her husband
George, you put gold dollar on the poor
plate. That must be it,"
Shame and and anger suffused his face :;
but he said plausibly. ooh, perhaps SO J!
did not think of that Now what pity !!
should have observed more closely But will
make it up another time"
i feared it would be so 1t has gone to
the poor. who can least bear its loss" said the
lady. But it is my fault, and must trace
1t out. Who is your pastor, sir Z"
Being Informed, the persevering lady called
upon him.
To GO back little When the deacon, or
whatever he may be called, saw the little gold
coin deposited amidst the the copper and
small silver on the plate, he was passing
around the meeting, he was rejoiced, and as be
was also treasurer, he took the amount home
and placed it in the fund. The ministers to
that church are supported by voluntarily con-
tributions and the time being come for paying
the allowance, to their pastor, it was counted
out. and to make change, some money taken
from the poor fund, the counterfeit dollar be-
ing part of it.
The good man received his pttance with
their nice children. There was much planning
aud plotting as to the spending Of the small
sum, All extravagant hopes from it were
brought into due compass, and every dollar
appropriated in the most absolutely necessary
manner. The father retired 10 write a sermon
upon the bounty OF God, and the wife who was
banker and disburser, went to pat away the
money Then she detected the base COIN
With indignant flushing cheeks she took it to
qer husband.
"Oh !" he said, "It is hard hard But
the Lord will teach US how to do without it.
He feeds the young ravens"
do you think it would be wrong to pass
it, husband / mean at some of those rich
dry goods stores. can't do very without my
gown. We are SO poor! Others would not
miss it. 1t came to US as q good one. We
need not be too particular"
"Oh wife" was the reply, this is tempta-
ton of Satan. Passing counterfeit dollar is
just the same as telling lie, and setting 9TH
ers 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 is all
we cBn do.",
The wife, discontented and sad, returned
to her work of mendiRg the children's clothes
Her eldest, daughter, girl of twelve was IRON
ing in the kitchen. She came in with a woefui
face, saying:
Mother, dear, look here Fathers best
linen neck cloth was hanging on the chair, and
baby pulled it off and switched the corner of
it into the fire. 1t was half burned up before
| 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. Bnt father
shall not be the loser by the carelessness of
his people. won't put up with it J That
bad dollar came from the congregation, aud
it shall go back to them J"
So she put on her bonnet and went to the
gentlemans furnishing store, kept by Mr.. B.,
member of their church. She bought her
husband new neck cloth, which she hoped
he would neve: know from the old one.
That very day the lady called and asked to
see the Rev. Nil. She told the story
of the counterfeit dollar, and asked if he had
seen anything of it, saying that she had come
to redeem it. The minister said that it had
luckily fallen into his own hands, and joyfully
did he hasten to his wife's room.
he said. " He will not suffer one of his little
sparrows to fall to the ground. Give me the
bad dollar, for lady has come to give US
good one in its place"
Then came the agony OF confession of the
hitherto honest wife She willweep and writhc
TO her dying day 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.
1t was q brave deed, for she was a ministers
wife, with whole congregation watching TO
detect slip from uprightness. The lady, she
feared, would report her delinquency, but she
had fallen into merciful 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 had probably passed it
without seeing that it was not gold. The la
dy left dollar to replace it, should any one
bring it back, and went home Disappointed
Her husband was magistrate, and she knew |
that'he was so strict in bringing offenders to |
Justice, that she never mentioned to him this
for fear of getting the market-wo- |
nan into trouble for passing it, knowing 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
ooh" said he, the duties of my Office are
sometimes so painful! ] have just had to
send such a nice lady-like woman to the leck-
up for the night because it was too late to ex-
anime her at once She seemed in great dis
tress about something but she can't speak
word of English, SO couldn't make it out
/ think. though, that her husband is sick"
"Why not let her CO. and take her up again
in the morning"
"Well, she is accused of serious charge