Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-05-31
Toms Capital Joke,


the contribution box in Sunday school,
when the good joke came into Toms
mind, and the joke was to drop
counterfeit bill into the box. Toms
father, the night before, had taken a
bad fifty cent bill from his pocket,
saying, "There, | must throw that
away. If | am not careful, | shall pass
it on some one who cannot afford to
lose fifty cents as well as | can
But Tom had picked up the money
and keptit He had shown it to the
boys in his class, not letting them
have a very good look at it, lest some
one should detect the cheat. As
Toms father sometimes gave his son
considerable money to put into the
box, the boys did not take much no
tice when Tom put it in, except when
he said, THAT was my money" the
boy next to him made a face, and said,
"Oh" as if he did not believe a word
of it. Just then the bell rang to close
school and nothing more was said
about it.
Mr.. Barnes, the treasurer, as he
was going home late after school,
took the contribution money and put
it into his pocket. Happening to
want some small change, he took some
from the envelope Of Sunday school
money, and put bill in its place,
used the change he wanted, and put
the rest in his vest pocket. One of
the small bills he took out was Toms
counterfeit fifty cents. 1t remained
undisturbed for couple of days
One afternoon, about dusk, as he was
visiting a poor woman in a rickety
tenement-house, she told him OF a poor
family in great want down stairs
The oldest child was a boy about
eleven years old, Just about TOMS
age, but he was not so large. Mr.
Barnes gave him Toms fifty cent
piece, aud told him to get some wood
for a fire, and some supper. Little
Will picked up his ragged cap, and
buttoned his ragged jacket closer
around him, and ran out into the cold
night. His bare feet were chilled by
the cold stones, and the night wind
whistled through his jacket, but he
held the money tightly 10 his hand
and ran to the bakers. There was
a new man there, and poor Will,
shivering with the cold, held out the
money and asked for some bread
The baker showed two loaves toward
him, and took the money. He hand
ed it right back, saying,
That's bad, give me something
else"
"That's all | have, said Will.
"Give me back the bread, then,
said the man roughly. II believe YOU
knew the bill was counterfeit" :"
Indeed, l did not" began Will
but the man stopped him saying
Come, be off. AS Will opened the
door to go, he added, "take care 0
your counterfeit money"
A policeman standing near hearc
the last remark, and followed vii
down the street as the boy walked
of. Will did not notice the police
man; he was saying to himself, "Tha
gentleman couldn't have given N,
bad money; III try at another place.
Here he was refused, and went al
most in despair, into a grocery store
The policeman, who had followed him
entered, and in spite of the child
crying took him off to the station-hous
for trying to pass bad money.
"A gentleman gave it to me. salt
viii.
"Ive no doubt of it, answered th
policeman. Il guess you know NOR
about it than you pretend to-
Meanwhile WilIie's sick mothe
and little brothers and sisters waite,
for him. He did not come. An hou
passed, then two, and no Will. B.
and by they heard mans step OIL
the stairs, and when they opened tn
door, there stood Mr.. Barnes, wit
some food and clothes for them. In
stead Of the happy faces that he ha
hoped to see around little fire, the
sat in the dark, and the little ones ha
cried themselves to sleep on the hool
Bad news travels fast. 1t did no
take Mr.. Barnes long to find wha
had become of poor Will. While tn
children warmed themselves by
bright fire, and ate the supper tha
f Mr.. Barnes had brought them, h
went to the station-house to find Viii
f He tried to think, as he went, ho'
/ Will could have got counterfeit MOI
, ey, and finally, concluded that it mus
| have been some of the Sunday schoC
J money.
| Poor Will had to stay all night i
the station-house. In the cell tha
? was next to the one he was locke
| up in was a drunken man, who swor
, and shouted and sang drunken song
r till towards morning. There weI
: others, thieves and drunken men, thf
: Will was taken into Court with, bl
! Mr.. Barnes was there and got hi
f liberated Immediately. 1t was M
r very pleasant for Will to hear a gre;
e ugly boy that lived in the same hou:
: with him call out in the street: "Wh
: Will, how long have you been out
e jail?"
Next Sunday Mr.. Barnes told tt
$ superintendent of the Sunday scho
| that he wanted to speak to the boy
!. "Boys," said he, "there was a lars
:. piece of money put into the box la
s Sunday; can you tell me who put
in ?" Tom did not feel inclined to te
d but one of the boys near him, wi
Y thought it very nice that one of the
Q class should have given so much, a
!, swered, "Tom Devon"
d "Stand up, Tom," said Mr.. Barne
;. "Did you put fifty cents in the be
i. last Sunday ?"
t ayes, sir"
"Was it good bill p
Q '1 only put it in for fun" said Ton
r, "the other boys put in buttons son
/. times"
g Then Mr.. Barnes told the who
s story.
How would any of you have like
, to be in Toms place Fanny I
I kins, IN the Christian Onion.