Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1873-03-15

to take the water out Of his hand.
Not being quite ready to use it put
the envelope of money on top of it.,
| as the most convenient thing to
| keep it hot. L did not turn the super
| scription downward, because l fear
| ed it would betray the suspicion
which / now positively entertained,
of evil intentions on the part of my
| entertainer, who had quilted the
| room as noiselessly as he had en-
| tered; l imagined a 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 i recalled the
mans countenance ViYidly to my
! recollection, and examined from
! memory his features, 50 as to make
some estimate of the character with
whom l had to deal. Physically he
was more than my equal. When l
first alighted at the house il struck
me had seen him before, and after
| some moments of further and pro-
| found reflection, distinctly recalled
| 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.
remembered him as having been
spoken of as being disgusted with
! trade and having sought home in
! the wilderness with his family, and
earning a living, literally by the
| sweat of his brow.
There were but two bedrooms in
! the house, both on the same floor, a
passage which commenced at the
head of the stairs dividing them.
While the thoughts which 1 have
related were passing through my
mind, l heard voices in the other
bedroom, and quietly opened my
door, which my host had closed be-
hind him. Standing out in the pas
sage, could distinguish a mans
and a woman's voice. At first their
language was uninteligible, but
gradually my ear became accustom-
ed to the duty endeayored to put
it to, and / could distinguish that
the burden of their talk wa heir
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 commenc-
ed. 1t was evident that the man
was more hopeful than the woman.
My excited Imagination at once
framed the theory that the treasure
in my possession was designed by
them to solve this difficulty, and
that the reluctant man was being
urged on by the less scrupulous or
braVer woman.
A sudden movement of one of
them toward the door caused me to
retreat into my room. | heard the
bolt of their door moved, and sup
posing it was to unfasten it, l hur-
ried back to my own apartment and
caught az the envelope, intending to
hasten it out of sight. In my eager
ness to grasp il, it fell tumbling
with the wafered side uppermost
and opened! The waters had been
so far dissolved by the heat and
moisture as to split in two, leaving
one half of each (there were three)
on the flap and the other half of each
on the body of the envelope. Mean
while, there was no sign or sound of
inroad into my room, of which had
seen it was impossible to fasten the
door, save by moving some of the
furniture against it. / became con-
vinced that as yet everything was
safe, and yielding to a feeling of Gu
riosity 1 drew the money from the
inclosure and counted it over. There
were ten one thousand dollar bills !!
l was astounded, and for the time
forgot the fear that so recently haT-
rassed me. l looked at the memo
randum on the back of the envelope.
1t was ''S5 ,OO0." The letter was
open before me. l read it over. 1t
named five thousand as the sum in
closed. There was evidently an
error. | counted it over again.
before me! Again and again L
counted it. l had been used to
handling large sums, and counting
large sums of money daily; but l
actually found more difficulty in ar
irving at the actual count of the ten
bank bills before me, than ever be-
fore or since encountered in count
ing any sum however large, or how
ever numerous the notes. Finally,
putting a chair against the door, l
spread the notes out singly on the
little table, in a row, and counted
them with my finger. Then made
two rows of five each, and again
counted them-then five rows of
two each, and counted them. l
finally, though slowly, became salts
fed that l had in my possession
double the amount of money l was
expected to deliver to my employ
ers' agent. Temptation entered my
soul. Five thousand dollars would
relieve me of all my debts. Here it
was within my grasp. L had but to
seal up the envelope by re-wetting
the waters, inclosing but half the
money, and deliver it sealed to the
agent, and my trust would be, to all
appearance, faithfully discharged.
! Once the thought occurred that pos
sibly it was a trap set for me by my
EMPLOYERS. But their confidence in
me was unbOunded, and the suspi-
cion was dismissed.s l do not at
| tempt to glaze over the dishonesty
of what l contemplated. But l had
been so increasingly worried and
| annoyed by domestic troubles aris-
| ing from limited resources, and so
prosecuted by creditors that | al
most argued myself into the con-
viction that appropriating the mon
ey was simply authorized self-de-
Tense. l would pay my debts, get
| clear of the world once more, insist
upon my wife's adopting my views
of iVing-saYe money-get into
business for myself-and finally pay
back the sum.
l concluded to leave the envelope
unfastened till morning so as to
! give myself that much more time
before finally deciding upon an act
which all my arguments with my
self had not made entirely recon-
cilable. Arrived at this conclusion,
nv attention again turned to my
host and his wife. l could hear his
voice alone now. 1t had been
sounding along in somewhat ele-
Vated tone for some moments.
crept quietly to the partition divid-
ing their apartment from the pas
| sage.
] The bright Autumn mOOny which
was on their side OF the house, shOne
through their window and through
the spaces between the shrunken
planks of the partition, and out into
the passage, and upon its floor in
brilliant bars of light. 1t was easy
for INC to see what was passing in
the room. Man and wife were
kneehng at their bedside in prayer.
The man with uplifted head and
closed eyes, uttering an earnest sup
plicatiOn, his wife beside him, and
one arm passed affectionately thro'
one of his, and head resting against
his shoulder. They were kneeling
at the side of the bed opposite to
me, and his face was plainly visible
Its calm and pious expression was q
! 81, ~ cieDt rebuEs To nv T1r,irts+ e,,z