The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-03-29
1CONFEsSION.
BY A VERY OLD MAN.

.s# 500 - -rH. -# -'r
Most men would hesitate at tell
ing such a story OF themselves.
But am convinced that it will afford
q suggestion of mercy toward many
who fall, and some may be benefit
ted by IT'S iecifal. I was the conf
Dental clerk IN a large establish
ment for many years. Natural "
economical, my savings had attain
ed to such a respectable sum that I
Ventured upon married life, quite
as much as a refuge from the mo-
notony of my inexpensive style of
living, as IN obedience to those
yearnings of nature which q man is
very foolish or very bad not to heed
in due season. Like most men,
however, adventures of this kind
are not followed blythe comfort and
ease which depend upon money for
their possession. In the con- Sc of
time [ came to repent the underta-
king, for 1 was in debt, my family
had increased, while my income had
not kept pace with my expenses.
My wife lacked the courage to
practice sef-denial which would be
consequent upon retrenchment of
our expenses I was daily annoy ed
by duns. 1 had borrowed money
in every availableq quarter, and a walk
in the public streets was literally de-
MED to me by the fear of enconn-
taring some one towbom l was in
debted for my house expenses.
Returning home late one night,
jaded by'a hstress stroll through the
town, i found the junior member of
the firm waiting for me. The house
had Observation-Disclosures, after bust
ness heurs, of transaction entered
into on their account which re-
quired the Immediate transmission
TO an isolated inland town Of several
thousand dollars, together with GER
tain papers and statements neces-
sary to conclude the affair It was
too important matter to be in
trusted to the delay end uucertain-
ty of thesnaiI at the time. Upon a
consultation of the members OF the
finn / hat been selected to perform
the necessary two days journey. 1
accepted the mission with alacriyy,
for the reason, among others, that
1t would be such a recreation as
would divert my thoughts for a
time from the perplexlties my OF
miserable condition
Witn the usual foresight of the
firm, everything necessary for my
prompt. departure had been pre-
arranged. The needful papelsSand
accounts, and the indispensable
money requisite to finish, the trans
aaction, We're placed in my hands, in
an envelope addressed to the gen
tleman who had acted as. an agent
of the concern in the matter. A
letter Of instruction was likewise in
closed. -~
[ remember we'll the bright Sep
tembzr moining on which l stal ted
on horseback and aEoae on. my Jour
ned, which L accomplished half the
first day, arriving at farm hous-,
whose occupant unhesitatiugly
granted my petition for share .tor
the n ght IN its humble hospital
ty.
The weather had grown colder as
the evening came on, and by the
time l had reached the house l ex
perienced n sensible child. 1 hae
with meta flask of liquor and was
furnished at my request, at bed.
time, with a. small quanlty ofrhui
water with which to compound 9
sort Of punch, asian antidote to the
cold I apRrrhended having takens
I had removed the package oI
money from my pocket and laid il
opthe tab G, witha view of ;puttine
thunder my pillow before going tc
bed. As it lay on the table the ad-
dress was uppermost; en- the LETT
hand upper corner was a memo
randum, $4,000 'inelossd.'s 4 was
standing with my back to the door
Succeeding a few moments of en-
tire silence, | heard q step behind
me, and almost think a breath up-
on my face. Turning suddenly