The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-01-07

| i naQ S0lQ. cOulO nave takeu uILy
dollars, and he might never miss it, for
I had sold great quantity of stuff that
he had no account of. I had promised
the tailor that he should have the mon
ey that very night, and had plann-
ed to get Mr.. Evered to advance the
necessary sum- I had not been speu-
ding my money foolishly, but from my
pittance I supported my mother who
ate it all up.
For long while I sat and looked up
on that drawer, and the tempter was
persuading me. I knew that young
clerks sometimes did such things, and
that necessity compelled them to it; at
least, SO thought then. How could 1
meet my creditor again without that
J,money i? I could not, and at length re-
solved. that would not. I arose and
went to the drawer. I opened it and
| saw the bank notes THAT had been fairly
jammed in there and counted out twen-
ty dollars. My hand trembled and my
heart beat quickly. I thrust the
notes into my pocket, and then fastened
back to my seat, and ere long after
wards my employer entered.
Well. Charles said he, " I guess
we'll shut up now"
Iarose and went out, and put the shut
ters up, and when came back I found
Evered engaged in counting the money.
As approached him, he eyed me with
a sharp searching look, and trembled
like an aspen.
"What ails you ?' he asked.
I" Nothing, sir" I answered, trying to
compose myself.
"But there must be something the
matter,' he resumed, "for you are as
pale as ghost p =
{" I am tired" said I.
"Well, we'll, you have worked hard
to-day, and you may go, I'll attend to
the rest"
With desperate effort to compose
myself, thanked him for his kindness,
and then left the store. Tue fresh air
aevived me somewhat, and l hurried On
to the tailor's, paid my bill, and for a
moment my heart was light, but it was
only for a moment. When I reached
the street again, the thought of what
had done came upon me with oyerWheim-
ing force, and I was miserable. When
reached home professed to be sick,
aud retired at once. But my mother,
sick and weary herself, came up to my
bed, and gave me some medicine. She
gave me simple preparation, drew up
the cloths snugly about me, and having
kissed me, she said:
f" Be careful, Charles, for 'twould be
painful indeed to have you sick. God
bless and keep you. Good night"
Oh, how those last words rang in my
ears. What would my mother say
how would she feel-if she knew her son
was a-thiefi It was a long time be-
fore I could give the last word shape or
form, but at last could not keep it
back. Thief! hiefl rang in my soul
till an agony was upon me SO intense
that all other conceptions of pain was as
nothing The night passed away in
sleepless, phantom making, restlessness;
and when the morniog came, I arose and
walked out before my mother and sister
until hrooIy
fast time, and then had SO overcome
all outward signs of distress that little
remark was made upon it. But the
worm was knawing at my heart.
That afternoon I went with my sister
to meeting, and as 1 entered the little
church met the gaze of Mr. Evered.
He watched me sharply, and I saw
marks of pain on his face.
After the services were over, saw
him in earnest conversation with the tai
lor. I noticed how earnest they spoke
and once 1 saw the tailor point his
finger towards me.
1 felt sure, then, that all was discov-
cred.
+" For mercy sake, Charles, what is
the matter!" cried Lucy, as she caught
my arm.
"He's faint he's faint" I heard
low tremulous voice, and on turning, I
saw Jnlia Evered-. She was frightened
and at that moment came the convic-
tion that she loved me. But the other
thought came with it, and I knew that
ere long she would despise me-
Sick and faint hurried away, and
to all the anxious inquiries of Lucy, I
only replied that was not well. Oh,
how miserable felt, for I knew that
my employer had detected the theft.
His gaze at me in church was proof
enough; and his conversation with the
tailor made it sure. That evening I
dared not go to church, and my mother
worried over me. If she would only
have left me alone, I might have been
less miserable; but she clung close to
me, and I had to lie to her-the first
falsehood I ever spoke to that noble wo-
man.
Another night of restless agony, and
then came to the severest test of all.
must meet my employer. 1t was late
when 1 descended to the kitchen, and I
/ fo,,rI 49, L. ,.1 5aatbl-