Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1871-04-26
A CONFESSION.
BY A VERY OLD MAN.

such story of themselves. But I am
convinced that it will afford sugges
tion OF mercy toward such as do fall,
and some may be turned away from
temptation by its recital.
had been an under clerk in a large
establishment for many years Natur-
ally economical, my savings had at
tanned to such q respectable sum that I
ventured upon married life, quite as
much as refuge from the monotony OF
my inexpensive style &C living as in
obedience to those yearnings of nature
which man is very foolish or very bad
not to heed in due season. Like most
men, however, adventures of this kind
are not followed by the comfort and
ease which depend upon money for
their possession. Ia the course of
time [ came to repent the undertaking,
for | was in debt, my family had in
creased, while my income had not kept
pace with my expenses. Nv wife
lacked the courage to practice the self
denial which would be consequent up-
on retrenchment of our expenses. l
was daily annoyed by dues. 1 had
borrowed money in every available
quart er, and walk in the streets was
literally denied to me by the fear of
encountering some one to whom I was
indebted for my house expenses
Returning home late one night.
Iaded by a istless stroll through the
town, found the junior member of the
firm waiting for me. The house had
received intelligence, after business
hours, which required the immediate
transmission, to an isolated town, of
several thousand dollars, together with
certain papers and statements necessary
to conclude the affair. 1t was too i'm
portant matter to be entrusted to the
delay and uncertainty of that time.
Upon a consultation of the members of
the firm, I had been selected to perform
the necessary two days journey. I
accepted the mission with alacrity, the
reason, among others, that it would be
be such recreation as would divert
my thoughts for a time from the per-
piexities of my miserable condition.
With the usual foresight of the firm.
everything necessary to my prompt de-
parture had been pre-arranged. The
needfu1 papers and accounts, and the
indispensable money requisite to finish
the transactions were placed in my
hands in an envelope addressed to the
gentleman who had acted as agent of
the concern IN the matter A letter of
instruction was likewise enclosed.
[ remember well the bright Septem
Der morning on which I started on
horseback and alone on my journey, of
which accomplished half the first dav,
arriving at farm house, whose occu-
pants unhesitatingly granted my peti-
ton for share for the night, in its
humble hospitality.
The weather had grown colder as the
evening came on, and by the time I had
reached the house [ experienced SEN
sible chill I had with me flask of
liquor, and was furnished at nv re-
quest, at bed time, with a small quan.
tity OF hot water with which to com
pound sort of punch, as an antidote
to the cold [ apprehended having tax
en-.
had removed the package of money
from my pocket, and laid it on the ia
BILE, with view Of putting it under my
pillow before going to bed As it lay
on the table the address was upper
most, on the left hand upper corner was
a memorandum, $4,000 inclosed." I
was standing with my back to the door.
Succeeding few moments of entire
silence, L heard step behind me, and
L almost think breath upon my face.
Turning suddenly round I beheld my
host with the hot water I had called for
In tumbler in his had. He was quite
beside me, and his eyes rested, or I
fancied they rested, on the package
upon the table. I must confess was
sensibly startled by this incident My
concern was not diminished by observ-
ing that he had removed his boots from
his feet and was standing as he had
come up, in his stockings. Ny first
impulse and act was to take the water
out of his hand Not being quite
ready to use it L put the envelope of
money on top of it, as the most con-
venient thing to keep it hot. I
did not turn the superscription down
ward because [ feared it would
betray the suspicion which I now
positively entertained, of evil in
tentlons on the part of my entertainer,
who had quilted the room as noiseless
ly as he had entered; [ imagined
great many ways in which he could
have become acquainted with the cause
of my journey, and came rapidly to
the conclusion that my employers
funds were in danger. That they were
actually so, became evident before the
night had passed. L recalled the mans
countenance wildly to my recollection,
and examined from memory his fea
lures, so as to make some estimate OF
the character with which [ had to deal.
Physically he was more than my equal.
When / first alighted at the house it
struck me | had seen him before, and
after some moments of further and
profound reflection, [ distinctly re-
called him to my mind as a merchant
who had dealt with our firm during my
earlier connection with it, and who had
failed through the dishonesty of friends
whom he had helped. l remembered
him as having been spoken of as being
disgusted with trade, and having sought
home in the wilderness with his fam
lily, and earning a living, literally by
the sweat of his brow
There were but two bedrooms in the
house, both on the same floor, pas
sage which commenced at the head of
the stairs dividing them. While the
thoughts which have related were
passing through my mind, / heard
voices in the other bedroom, and qui-
etly opened my door, which my host
had closed behind him. Standing out
in the passage, / could hear mans
and woman's voice At first their Ian
guage was uninteligible, but gradually
my ear became accustomed to the duty
endeavored to put to it, and L could
distinguish that the burden of their
talk was their domestic expenses, and
the general current of their thoughts
was the difficulty of getting through
with certain undertakings which they
had IN contemplation, or had COM
menced. 1t was evident that the man
was more hopeful than the woman. Ny
excited imagination at once framed the
theory that the treasury in my posses
sion was designed by them to solve this