Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1865-01-07


days before.
That wus sudden death, was it not
Mr.. GainalI? 2 said Il passer by to him, IA:
he was about ascending his steps to the
door Bat none of u.s." continued the
speaker, have lease Of our lives moi
even for an hour"
True enough said Simon; and as he
spoke it, all the circumstances of the
dream and the conversation Of his myste-
rlous visitor, flashed upon his mind, with
the quickness Of lightning That evening.
as he sa. by his FIRE alone-that is, with
no company but his wlfe--he was uncom'
monty silent and moody. His wife no.
ticed it. She inquired,
What now, Smon?'
He was considerably more silent tn an
was usual. or probably she would not have
thought Of asking
/" | was thinAing,' says he, I" l am forty
five years old to day. Neighbor jackson
has lift us, and may be as likely to fol:
low sonn as not
1t happened to be the case that his
nc.suoor ia kson had bee" the victim OF
one OF his hard trades He thought of
tha', though he did no; say SO.
"And,' continued ne, "it am ever
going to be any better t!.an an-aDl
suppose there Is need enough Of it-why,
| SUPPOSE | had better be about it,"
"We!l,' said hs wife, " i, is better late
than never, YOU know, as the old proverb
says.
Aud in truth, Simon did really improve
4, 4
were better acquainted with him. He at
tended church more regularly, too, al
though be had been in the habit Of goux
quitc often, ut least in fine weather. And
still further, be began to b" more heeltu!
to the sermon, lusttad Of leiliny his
thoughts wander during divine service
over lis farm and in and ou, Of his two
great barns, as had been his mere usual
manner.
One day there came along by his house
a fancy horse trader, with several Of his
four footed articles Of merchandise with
him. He called upon Simon for a trade.
What viii! You give the for the lot?
know you used to be good hand ut get.
ting a market for such nags as these
What will you bid p
Simon looks them over from head to
foot. He knows we'll enough what hor,
ses are,
Il won'ttuuch the things al any price"
he saws
Why no:2 You have traded worse
crltter. than these are. before this, to my
know ledge
Well, have; but have done enough
Of that. I'll never buy another horse 10
Sell that can: honestly recommend.'
Ha. ha: Then YOU wont sell great
man, I'm bound. But it's funny, isn't It,
70 Lear Old Simon Ia hin. about hours't
Who ever heard OF All honest horse dea er
Not /, at any rate What's the matter OF
you, Simon. DO let's have some sor, Of "a
trade
But Simon did not trade.
Aud ths was tie way things went on
for Il year or so. Simon did no. always
do Just RI Gh,--bnt even what he hims II
Thought was right, after considering The
matter over; but he tried TO do better, aud
he did. lie not onl, reira!ned from fraud
ulent transactions, but repaid, sometimes
IL a sort Of sly way, many OF those he
had formerly wronged. Hearing that The
Widow Higgins COW had died, the very
one he bad sold her for eighteen dollars
more than she was worth, he actually gave
her thriving young three year old helttr,
calling it New Years gift. To be sure
he could have given her two as well as
one withou. being any poorer; but he had
been 50 seldom known IL give at all, that
every body thought that was a great deal
for him to do. But he had never told his
dream to anybody except his wife, and
had never spoken Of it to her since the
night it occurred.
Seven years at length had passed after
the memorable evening when this history
Simon was again. as before,
siuing in his counting room with the ac
counts Of the past year open before him,
Suddenly an unusual Igh, seemed to dash
before his eyes. He looked up, and the
man with the great book again stood be.
fore him.
Simon,' said the visitor, chow do
your accounts stand 10 night2"
Better than when you were here
before, hope.'
Look!' said he, laying open before
Simon the same great book, with the
pages at the head Of witch stood his own
name displayed.
AS Simon looked he saw that there
were some things set down to his credit
on the right hand side Of the page al
though what surprised him to fod ,ha,
some deeds his own which he pri1ed him
self as being very useful and benevolent
were actually put down OH tho left handed
side while some other things, of which
he had made little aecount in his own
mind, We're not only credited on the right
hand, but written in golden letters. But
before he had chance to read over u
tenth part of the items recorded, and be.
fore he had arrived at the record Of some
things concerning which he had the
strongest desire to learn how he stood in
heavens account, the book was suddenly
closed up, and the bearer Of it disappeared (.
1t does not appear that the vision ever
reappeared to Simon after the secoud
time; but he has the reputation ever
since, and it Is to be hoped deservedly, Of
hsiuv 4 much hetter and mora honest man