The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1871-09-29
TWENTY DOLLARS.

| TWENTY DOLLARS.
WED rather not take that bill, if yo1
please" said the clerk, handing me bacl
the twcnty-dollar note had given him
at may be all right, but the Detecto
| says there are counterfeits on that is
| sue. The bank will open in half al
hour, and they will know there. If i
| is good, il will be all the same to you
and if it is bad, why, as you are
stranger on the island, you Nigh
be gone before we could get it back t.
YOU"
Every WELL" said l, an leave tn,
things and call for them when the banl
opens and get my bill changed"
THIS conversation took place in
small shop in the town of Nantucket
and ''the things" were some South Set
carvings, whales teeth with sailor
drawings on them, and the like, which
L had been buying. The bill was til,
only one had i'll my possession, and
had no doubt of its goodness, suppos
ing L could tell just where il came from
did not have so many twenties in my
hands then as to be at any loss as tC
whore had taken them.
So strolled down the sandy Main
street, and out on the silent and grass
grown wharf, lined with decayina
warehouses, looked at the solitary New
L DIRK yacht lying at anchor in trim
beauty, and then strolled up again just
as the town clock on the South Church
tower was striking nine, so as to enter
punctually the bank, the only bank
which the island now maintains.
handed the bill to the cashier and ask
cd for change. He took it, smoothed
it professionally with wave of his
hand, and was about to drop it in the
drawer, when something in it caught
his eye. lie held it up to the light,
eyed me, eyed the bill again, and then,
with shake of the head, pushed it back
over the counter. Bad" said he, Ia
conically.
"'Badl" replied 1, interrogatively.
Counterfeit" he reioined; and then,
seeing by my blank look that 1 was
really surprised, he kindly pointed out
the marks by which to detect the cheat.
l looked and listened, but was not much
the wiser, for, to tell the truth, another
train of thought was at work in my
mind. What was to do!
This was the situation which, as 1
pockctcd the bill and walked away to-
ward the Ocean House, came clearly
before me / was then junior clerk
IN Boston house, OH limited salary,
and with but tri1le of income for 9TH
er sources. was an orphan, and had
not many acquaintance and no rela-
tons near ct hand. 1 had come to Nam
tucket on fortnight's leave, and my
time would be up the next day.
Now having been always careful
about money matters, and feeling a
horror of debt not always shared by
young clerks of nineteen, when l left
home l had taken with me just the lit
tie balance l had saved up for my sum-
mer vacation, and had been enjoying a
well-earned leisure in various cheap
and innocent designations. had been
sailing, fishing, and bathing, had driv-
Oh out to ''Sconset" and the South
Shore, had passed two rainy days in the
alcoves of the Athen8um, and had con-
graduated myself that 1 was keeping
well within bounds. This twenty had
entertained till the last. The night pre-
vious i had settled my hotel bill, ex-
pecting to leave that very morning in
the boat, but she had started at six to
go to a wreck, and her passengers had
TO choose between some extra hours OF
sailing or waiting over. l preferred
the latter, especially as / could so well
afford it, for even then l should get
home with several dollars in my peck
ct. Now, instead of the comfortable
capitalist seemed, was a wretched
bankrupt went up to my room, pull
cd out my pocket memorandum of eX-
penses, laid the unlucky bill upon the
table, and sat down to think where /
could have got it. There was just q
chance that it might have been taken
on the island; only knew it wasn't
1 remembered but too well that 1 had
kept it il an inner pocket of my pOrtt
D1oNnGie, resolved TO so home as sooT
as ii became necessary to breakit. But
where conld have got it? My money
| was always paid me by our boOk-keep'
er, and ho would have almost as sooT
| have taken the safc-key TO wind UP his
watch with as doubtful note.
! Soon | took up the bill and stared q
it, as people do, b,aakly trying TO wa
! ken q dormant memory. Then il al
came to me.
The day before left home l had beer
cent up Stato'Street to make Il deposit
Before l started, seeing that tho sun
was in los and 20s, and as my owl
porte nO11n0ie was unpleasantly stufie6
| with Is, winch had been saving III
against vacation-time, had taken Y
| from the handbook and put my owl
bills in its place.
How did happen to have so man!
| rs? Young men, hope of the future
commercial circles of the country, at
tendl Every week paid my boar(
bill, which was nine dollars (before tn,
war, you know, and / earned ever,
week fifteen, which / received Satur
day night, in and 10. The wen
for various current expenses, the II
went to my landlady, the l 1 received
in change was sacredly laid by for va
cation. Then had my dividend whicl
came in July untouched, and was fire.
to go where liked. This year, too,
had earned something extra by dom!
other fellows work for them, so that
don't think an easier-minded guest haC
been at the Ocean House that summer
had chosen Nantucket as plae
where could do as wanted to, wher
1 need not bargain and plan for cheap
ness, and should not be cheated. hat
found just what wanted; had ha,
the best boatman, good teams, and N
young gentleman of great expectation
could have got more enjoyment on
of his money than had out of mine
1t had been n splendid financial sue
cess up to this last disagreeable cpl
sodc.
/ But what was to be done now
There would be another days board q
the Ocean House; there was the far
to Boston; things ordered at the Curl
osity Shop" which / felt / ought t
take-and counterfeit bill Whethe
this bin was my loss or not, could no
quite tell.
was inclined to think that Pen
rose, our book-keeper would put it O
to me, saying that if l had deposite
the bills was sent with, 1t would hay
been detected at the counter of tn
bank.
However, that was not the question
/ could not stand the loss of the 20
though before the war, TO a Junior cler