The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1873-03-28
Honesty.

|
ing some pears. John had given his
money to Felix and asked him to pay for
| both.
As Felix was looking over his money,
he exclaimed, "This is capital The
old fellow has given us too much change.
! Come, we will go somewhere and buy
to cheat himself But that is his look
out.
81 think it is our lookout, for we
know it, and he doesn't, answered John
! West.
"Catch me carrying back money !!
1t is his own work He cheated him
self. / gave him money enough. He
asks too much for his pears, anyhow"
He told us his price, Felix, and we
agreed to give it to him by saying we
would take his pears. No matter if he
asked fifty dollars a dozen, and we are
bound to pay him now"
I'll be whipped if l pay him cent
back"
eve shall both deserve to be whipped
if we don't pay him back. Come, let as
go right in before he finds ont his mis-
/ take himself and comes after us.
Eyes, he would be after ,is for quar-
| ter of cent He is real Biinhint, and
! that is one reason | like TO get some
thing out of him.
"What he does is nothing to us. Be-
cause he is mean, shall we be dishon
est 2"
q don't call it dishonest to let such a
mistake go--a mistake man made him
self
"Do you call it honest -
Well not exactly"
q have an ambition TO be exactly
honest. So give me my five cents and [
will go in and pay my part. You can do
as you please.
"That will just blow me up. If you
pay five cents, he will know L ought to.
| should think you would not want to
get me into scrape. l should think
You would rather cheat old Gripes than
disgrace cousin.
u shall do neither. l have more
money in my purse. / shall pay him
ten cents and tell him of his mistake, SO
that will settle it nicely"
And before Felix could reply, John
West darted round the corner and in at
the store
"You made a mistake, sir, in giving
us change.
81 guess not, young man. l seldom
do that"
Yes, sir, you made a mistake of ten
cents. ;"
"what do you say 1 ought to pay
you ten cents ?"
"Os, no, sir; you gave us ten cents
too much.
"Bless me oh all You owe me ten
cents? That is quite different thing.
Here is the money, sir, and John
handed it to the shopman, who could
not help being mortified that he had
shown so clearly that, if the mistake had
been against himself, he would have been
slow to make it right.
WELL" he said, "you are an I'M
commonly honest boy.
81 should not call it more than com
mon honesty, sir, to return these ten
cents to you.
"Ah, well to be sure, a boy of com
mon honesty would, of course, do it.
Still, many boys would not-that ID,
some boys / know.
John West thought to himself that the
shopman's standard of morals was about
up to that of cousin Felix. They were
not exactly honest themselves, and sc
suspected others were not, and clear
case of simple honesty surprised them
When John returned to Felix, who
begun to feel quite ashamed of himself
the latter sa d, "You shall not pay fol
my meanness, John, and took ont his
five cents.
mo, no, Felix, it is trihe. I hav,
paid it. Let it pass now"
/" John" said Felix, as they walked
on, " / wouldn't steal half a cent, any
more than You would, but somehow /
/ am not up to you in clear, sheer, up
: and-down honesty. Now, what is tn,
) reason? / like noble, generous deeds
and yet / was going to do something
neither noble nor generous.
: My father and mother always mad,
me exact in regard TO the property %
others, even in the smallest thing, and
suppose the habit is now strong, SO tina
/ my first thought is to-to-to be honest
, L suppose. L cannot think of any othe
word, though / did not mean TO set my
: self up for so very good
John, L am heartily ashamed of my
| sell, and the way in which you feel ant
{ act has given me clearer idea of hon
esty than L ever had before. l used, o
. course, to think outright stealing dis
, honesty, but any little advantage on
D could take of another, such as we nigh
D have taken to-day about the ten cents,
called good luck, and did not think o
+ its real character.
n :" Did you ever read to the 'Littl
@ Merchants p"
No. What is il about 2"
r =" 1t If book my father gave m
e years ago. The nobleness of honest