The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1871-06-08


Thoughts was the difficulty of gettin
Through with certain undertakings Whic
Ithey had in contemplation or had CON
lmenced. It was evident that the ma
was more hopeful than the woman M
excited Imagination at once framed tn
theory that the treasure in my possession
was designed by them to solve this dit
ficulty, and that the reluctant man wa
being urged on by the less scrupulou
or Drawer woman.
A sudden movement Of one of then
toward the door caused me to retreat IN
to the room. I heard the bolt Of thei
door moved, and, supposirg it was to I'm
fasten it, | hurried back to my owl
apartment and caught at the envelope
intending to hasten it out of sight. II
my eagerness to grasp it, it fell tumbling
with the wafered side uppermost anc
opened! The waters had been so fal
dissolved by the heat and moisture az
to split in two, leaving one half of eact
(there were three) on the flap, and the
other half of each on the body of the
envelope. Meanwhile there was no sigr
or sound of inroad into my room, Of
which l had seen it was impossible tc
fasten the door, save by moving some Of
the furniture against it. I became con
WINGED that as yet everything was safe
and yielding to feeling Of curiosity
drew the money from the Enclosure and
counted it over. There were ten $1,000
bills
I was astounded, and for the time for
got the fear that so recently harassed me
looked at the memorandum on the back
of the envelope. 1t was 5000" The
letter was open before me. read it
over. It named five thousand as the sum
inclosed. There was evidently an error.
| counted it over again. Ten thousand
dollars was the sum before me! Again
and again counted it. I had been used
to handling large sums, and counting
large sums of money daily but [ actually
found more difficulty in arriving at the
actual count of the ten bank bills before
me, than ever before or since encoun-
tered in counting any sum however large,
or however numerous the notes. Finally
putting a chair against the door, spread
the notes out singly on the little table, in
a row, and counted them with my finger.
Then made two rows of five notes each,
and again counted them-then five rows
of two each, and counted them. finally
though slowly, became satisfied that | had
in my possession double the amount of
money was expected to deliver to my
employers agent. Temptation entered
my soul. Five thousand dollars would
relieve me of all my debts. Here it was
within my grasp, I had but to seal up
the envelope by re-wetting the wafer, III
closing but half the money, and deliver it
sealed to the agent, and my trust would
be, to all appearance, faithfully dis
charged. Once the thought occurred that
possibly it was trap set for me by my
But their confidence IN me
was unbounded, and the suspicion was
formed only to be dismissed. | de not
attempt to glaze over the dishonesty OF
what contemplated. But had been I'M
ceasingly worried and annoyed by domes-
tic troubles arising from limited resources
and so prosecuted by creditors that al
most argued myself into the conviction
that appropriating the money was simply
self-defense. I would pay all
my debts, get clear of the world once
more, insist upon my wife's adopting my
views of living,-save money-get into
business myself-and finally pay back the
sum.
l concluded to leave the envelope I'M
fastened until morning so as to give my
self that much more time before finally
deciding upon an act which all my argu-
ments with myself had not made entirely
reconcilable. Arrived at this conclusion,
my attention again turned to my host and
his wife. I could hear his voice alone
now Tt had been sounding along in a
somewhat elevated tone for some mo
ments. crept quietly to the partition
their apartments from the pass.
age. The bright autumn moon, which
was on their side of the house, shone
their window and through the
spaces between the shrunken planks of
the partition, and out into the passage,
and upon its floors in brilliant bars of
light. It was easy for me TO see what was
passing within the room. Man and wife
were kneeling at their bedside in prayer.
The man with uplifted head and closed
eyes, uttering an earnest supplication, his
wife beside him, and one arm passed az
fectionately through one of his, and her
head resting against his shoulder. They
were kneeling at the side Of the BED OPP
posite me, and his face was plainly Visi-
bic, It's calm and pious expression wasa
sufficient rebuke to my unjust suspicious.
I began to listen in time to hear him say :
&C Pardon, o Merciful Father, not only the
sins of Thy humble servant and his house
hold, but turn the hearts of those who have
done evil unto him, who have wished him
injury, and who have harbored suspicious
of him. Bless such, 0 Lord, and preserve
them in order that they may turn from