Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1859-12-06
MISCELL A N Y.
Reward of Honesty-Beautiful and Toucn
ing Incident.

Johnny Moore is the name of brlght.eyeo,
iolly.faced lad twelve or fourteen years of age,
whose invalid and widowed mother, living on
Morgan street, he helps to support by the sale
of newspapers and by such errands and small
Jobs as he may chance to fall in with. Johnny,
who is the hero of the pleasant and truthful In
cdent we are about to record, is extremely neat
in his attire. though his clothes may not have
been ALWAYS the best, and may have shown, in
sundry patches and mended rents, the results OF
both poverty and frugal care. In short, Johnny
is lust such boy as we used to "read about"
in Sunday school books. Yesterday morning,
bright and early, he was trudging along Broad
| way, between Franklin Avenue and Wash street,
when he chanced to stumble against large
pocket. book, which he picked up and found to
contain large number of bank notes and pa
pers. While he was meditatlng on the suoden
riches he had amassed, and which he had slid
| into capacious pocket, or perhaps racking mis-
youthful mind whether to seek the owner or
conceal his good fortune, gentleman rushed by
bin in an anxious, hurried, nervous manner,
which convinced the boy that he was looking
/ for sonaething, and he thought he knew what.
| "Haye YOU lost anything?" asked johnny
! "Yes-my pocket book" was the gentleman s
snswer: shave you seen it?"
The little fellow expected he had-he didn't
know, though. What kind pocket-book was 1t Z
This led to an adjournment to neighboring
store. where the flushed and almost breathless
individual "of the first part proceeded to say
that the pocket-book was large black one,
containing 81 200 in bank bills and some ac-
counts, a strip of red morocco binding under
meath the flap being incribed "Robert Thomas,
Oovington, KY" The description tailed, and
| Johnny's eyes snapped with cheerfulness as he
placed the treasure, just as he had found IT, INTO
the strangers hands; and we opine there was
greater Joy in that one act than $lO,oOo couio
have purchased at the expense of q guilty con-
science.
| Mr.. Thomas hardly seemed to know which 10
feel most, relief on the recovery OF the money
and papers, or gratitude to the lad and admira'
ton for his honesty. Taking Johnny by the hand
whose bounding heart Che knew not why) had
by this time ''splashed tears into his eyes," the
gentleman took him to a clothing store and dress
ed him out, from top to toe, in bran new suit
Then, proceeding to ajewelry store, he purchas-
ed good silver watch, upon which he directed
to be engraved these words: "Robert Thomas
to little Johnny Moore. st. Louis, Sept. 3D.
1859. Honesty is the best policy" Not ever
content with this, the generous stranger placed
in neat bead purse five twenty dollar gold
pieces, which he directed the lad to give his
mother.
We shall not attempt to portray the emotions
of the boy. If his quiyering lips and choked ut
terance, and the smile that strove SO hard to gel
through the great watery globes that trembled
in his eyes, failed to tell what was going Oh IL
his heart, how shall we tell t?-St. Louis Re
DubLicaa, Sent. 9TH