The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1860-06-07

IIlnlOu. lie Hau IcHuSlcu Hitt q DiAl loi
work done, and called to receive payment
You've made a mistake in your bill,
Mr.. Lee" said Clinton.
"Ah. Are you certain
You can examine for yourself. l
make en- error Of twenty dollars in the ad-
didons."
Then you only owe me sixty dollars"
said Lee, with disappointment in his
tone that he could not conceal.
/" Rather say that | owe you a hundred,
for the mistake is in your favor. The
/ first column in the bill adds up fifty in-
stead of thirty dollars"
LET me examine it." Lee took the
bill and added up the column three times
before he felt entirely satisfied. Then ne
/ said,-
$50 it does Well, I should never
have been the wiser if you had only paid
me the $50 called for by the footing up
the bill. You might have retained your
advantage with perfect safety"
Lee said this on the impulse of the mo-
ment He instantly saw a change in Mr.
/ Clinton's countenauce, asif hewere slight
ly offended.
"Oh. no; not with safety" was grave
/ ly replied.
/ Il should never have found it out"
" But there is coming day, with cve-
ry man, when the secrets Of his heart will
stand revealed Ifnot now, it would then
appear that | had wronged you out of
twenty dollars"
"True. True But all men don't think
! of this.
No one is more fully aware Of that
than am. 1t is for he, however, to live
/ in the present, so as not to burden my 1u-
ture with shame and repentance. knoY-
ingly, Mr.. Lee, l would not wrong any
mau to the value of single dollar. [
may err, and do err, like other men; for,
to err is human"
! After the expression of such scnti-
ments, Lee fell curious to know what Mr..
/ Clinton thought of, and how he felt to.
wards Maxwell So he eaid, after refer
ing to the new MIL, dam in the process of
erection
You didn't take the lowest bid for
its construction" ;"
/ 8 took the lowest competent bid"
"Then you do not think Maxwell COM
petent to the work"
" do not think him a man to be trust
ed, and, therefore would not have given
him the contract for such piece of work
at any price. You are aware that the
giving way of that dam would almost in
evitaby involve a serious loss Of life and
property among the poor people who live
along the course of the stream below. /
must regard their safety before any pecu-
mary advantage to myself; aud have Civ
en- Mr.. jackson, who has the contract,
positive instructions to exceed his cstI
mates if necessary, in order to put the
question of safety beyond q doubt. |
/ know him to be a man whom | can trust
But | have 20 confidence in Maxwell -
\ good reason why YOU declined Civ
ing him the job"
q" think SO"
Maxwell was greatly disappointed
i know, and has spoken very hard
against me- But that avals nothing
Ny principle of action is to do right, and
let others think and say what they please
No man is my Judge. Maxwell in not,
probably, aware that I know him thor
oughly, and that | have thrown as much
in his way as | could safely do. He is
not, of course, aware that one of my sons
overheard him in reference TO this very
mill dam, say-I'm bound to have that
contract whether or no. have learned
the lowest bid, and have put in a bid still
lower How did YOU learn this 7? was
asked of him. No matter he answered
4 have learned it, You can't go lower
and build tine dam safely, was said To
which he rcplied--,I can build the dam,
and make good profit As to the safe
ty, I'll leave that in the hands of Proyi-
dence. lie will take care Of the poor
people below Mr.. Lee felt an in
ward shudder when this was repeated to
me. | could not have believed the man
so void of common honesty and common
humanity. Was | not right to withhold
from him such contract %
"You would have been no better than
he if you had given it to him." was an
swered. And yet, this same man in
Weighs against the rich, and thinks their
chance Of heaven poor one."
"Simply because they are rich :"
Cor, it night with more truth be said
because they will not yield to his covet-
Gus and enVious spirit. He is not con-
tent with the equivalent society renders
back 10 him for the beneft he conters,
but wants to share what Of right belongs
to others"
"That spirit have often seen him
manifest. Well If riches are bar to