The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1858-05-22

copper and small silver on the plate a.
he was passing around the meeting, hc
| was rcjuiccd, and as he was also trca-
| placed it in the fund. The minister to
that church was supported altogether by
voluntary contributions, and the time
being come for paying the allowance to
their pastor, it was counted ont, and to
make change, some money was taken FROM
the poor fund, the counterfeit dollar be-
ing part of it.
The good man received his pittancc
with joy, which was shared by his needy
wife and their nice children. There was
much planning and plotting as to the
spending Of the small SUN. All cxtrav-
agant hopes from it were brought into
t,ue compass, and every dollar appro-
priated in the most absolutely ne ccssary
manner. The father retired to write a
sermon on the bounty of God, and the
wife, who was banker and disburscr,
went to put away the money. Then she
detected the base coin. With indignant,
flushing checks, she took it to her hus-
band.
"Oh ~ he said, /" it is hard But
the Lord will teach us how to do with
out it. He feeds the young ravens"
{" Do y3u think it would be wrong to
pass it, husband mean at some of
those rich dry goods stores can't do
very well without my gown. We arc so
poor, Others would not miss it. Ii
came to us as a good one. We need not
be too particular"
con, wife, > was the reply, &C this is
temptation of satan. Passing Il coun-
tcrteit dollar is just the same as telling
Il lie, and setting other folks to tell lies
too. Throw it into the fire, that it may
deceive and djsappont no one else, and
forget we ever had it. That is all we
can do"
The wife discontinued and sad, return
ed to her work Of mcndng the children's
clothes. Ter eldest daughter, girl Of
twelve, was ironing in the kitchen. She
came up with woful face, saying:
"Mothcr, dear, look here Fathers
best linen nocb-cloth was hanging on The
chair, and baby pulled it off and twitchcd
the corner of it into the fire. 1t was
half burned up before could pull it
cut. What will father do !"
The child was rcprovcd too sharply for
not taking more heed, and went away
crying to her work.
{" 1t is too bal," said the mother, sHhat
we must be the ones to suffer always.
But father shall not be the loser by the
the carcleSsnc$s Of his people. i 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 "cutlcmcn's furnishing store kept by
Mr.. b., a member If the church.. She
bought her husband u new ncck-cloth,
which she hoped he would never know
from the old one.
That very day the lady called and
asked to sec the Rev. Mr.--. She
told the story of the counterfeit dollar,
and asked if he had seen anything Of ii,
saying she had come to redeem it. The
minister said that it had luckily fallen
into his own hands, and joyfuIly did he
hasten to his wife $ room.
God verify numbers the hairs of our
hrads,' he said. {" He will not suffer
ono Of his little sparrows to fall to the
ground. Give me the bad dollar, for IA
lady has come to give us Il good one in
its place.
i hen came the agony of confession of
the hitherto honest wife. She will weep
and wri'ho to her dying day at the re-
mcnbrancc Of that look Of surprise and
wounded trust which her beloved hus-
bands face wore as he heard it. She
went at once to the lady and told her
all. 1t was a brave deed, for she was a
minister's wife, with a whole congrcga-
ton watching to detect a slip from up
rightncss. The lady, she feared, would
report her delinquency, but she had fall
len into mcrciful hands, and her fault
was kept secret. They went together
to the furnishing store.
The storekecpcr examined his till and
desk. There was no such dollar to be
found, and no one knew to whom it had
been given. One of the shop girls had
probably passed it without seeing that
it was not good. The lady left dollar
to replace it should any one bring it
back, and went home disappointed. Her
husband was Il magistrate and she knew
that he was so strict in bringing offenders
to justice, that she had never mentioned
to him this counterfeit, for fearing Of get
ting the market woman in trouble for
passing it, knowing it to be such.
That night her husband came home
from his office looking exceedingly weary
and sad Ills wife wished to know the
reason.
"Oh,' said he, (" the duties of my
Office are sometimes so painful | have
lust had to send such nice, lady-likc
woman to the lookup for the night be-
cause it was too late to examine her at
once She seemed in great distress about
something, but she can't speak work of
English, so | couldn't make it out |
think, though, that her husband is
Sick
Why not let her 90, and take her up
again in the morning.
"Wcll, she is accused of a serious
Observation-Disclosures her distress
m,y lao oil sham only n ulan to ret her