Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1875-03-20
PUT YOURSELF IN MY PLACE.

nave my mOuey anu II you CauuOl pd
it | must foreclose the the mortgag
and sell the place" said Mr.. Merton.
I'm that case, ;" said Mr.. Bishop, Il
will OF course be sold at a great sacri
; ice, and, after all the struggles | hav
made, my family will again be home
less. 1t is very hard. onlywish yol
had to earn your money as do mine
you might then know something of tn
hard life of poor man, If you coul,
only in imagination pnt yourself in m,
place, | think you would have littl
mercy on me"
| Its useless talking; extended thi
one year, and [ can DO so no longer,
replied Mr. Merton, as be turned t
his desk and continued writing.
The poor man rose from his seat ant
walked sadly out of Mr.. Merton
office; his last hope was gone. He haC
just recovered from a long fit of i'll
ness, which had swallowed up the
means with which he had intended
to make the last payment on his house
True, that gentleman had waited one
year, when he had failed to meet the
demand, owing to illness in his family
and he had felt very much obliged tc
him for doing so. This year he had
been laid up for several months, dur
ing which he could earn nothing. and
all his savings were then needed for the
support of himself and family. Again
he had failed, and now he would again
be homeless, and have to begin the
world anew. Had heaven forsaken
him and given him over to the tender
mercies of the wicked?
After he had left the office, Mr.. Mer-
ton could not drive away from his
thoughts that remark to which the
poor man in his grief had given utter
ance, Il wish you had to earn your
money as | do mine."
In the midst of a row of figures,
"Ppt yourself in my place" intruded.
OEee after it had crossed his mind
he laid down his pen, We'll, l have a
mind to drop ia there this afternoon,
and see how it fares with his family ;
that man has reused my curiosity"
About five o'clock he put On a gray
wig and some old, east-off clothes,
walked to the residence of Mr.. Bish-
op, and knocked at the door. Mrs.
Bishop, a pale, weary looking woman,
opened it; the poor old man requested
permission to enter and rest awhile,
saying he was very tired with bis long
journey, for he had walked mary miles
that day.
Mrs. Bishop cordially invited him
in, and gave him the best seat the room
afforded She then began to make pre-
paratiOns for tea. The old gentleman
watched her attentively. He saw
there was no elasticity in her step, no
hope in her movements; and pity for
her began to steal into his heart.
When her husband entered, her fea
lures relaxed into a smile, and she
forced a cheerfulness into her manner
The traveller noticed it all; and he felt
forced to admire this woman who
could assume a cheerfulness she did
not feel for her husbands sake. Af-
ter the table was prepared, there was
nothing upon it but bread, butter and
tea. They invited the stranger to eat
with them, saying, I'VE have not much
to offer you, but cup of tea will re-
fresh you after your long journey"
He accepted their hospitality, and as
they discussed the frugal meal, he led
them, without seeming to do so, to talk
of their affairs
Il bought this piece of land, said
Mr.. Bishop, ''at very low price, and
instead of waiting, as | ought to have
done, until l had saved money to
build, | thought l would borrow two
houndred dollars. The interest on
the money wouldn not be nearly as much
as the rent l was paying, and | would
be saving something by doing it. l
did not think there would be any diff
Guilty in paying back the borrowed
money. But the first year my wife and
one of my children were i'll, and the
expenses left me without the means to
pay the deLt. Mr.. Merton agreed to
wait another year, if would pay the in
terest. | did that This year | was,
for seven months, unable to work at
my trade and earn anything; and of
course when pay day comes around,
and that is very soon, shall again be
unable to meet the demand"
But" said the stranger, will not
Mr.. Merton wait another year, if you
make all the circumstances known to
him?"
No, sir" replied Mr.. Bishop, Il
saw him this morning, and he said he
must have the money, and should be
obliged to foreclose."
He must be very hard-hearted,
replied the traveller.
Not necessarily So" said Mr..
Bishop. 1.-The fact is, these rich men
know nothing of the struggles of the
poor. They are men just like the rest
of mankind, and | am sure if they but
had the faintest idea of what the poor
have to pass through, their purses
would be open. You know it has
passed into proyerb: when poor
man needs assistance, he should apply
to the poor" The reason is obvious.
The poor only know the curse of pow
erty. They know how heavily it falls,
crushing the spirit out of man; and
10 use my favOrite expression, They eau
at once put themselves in the unfortu-
pate ones place and appreciate his diff
ticulties, and arg therefore always ready
to render assistance as far as they are
able; and if Mr.. Merton had the least
idea of what | and my family had to
pass through, | think he would be will
ing to wait several years for his
money. rather than distress Us,
With what emotion the stranger
listened may be simagined. A new
world was being opened to him. He
was now passing through an experience
that had never been his before. Short
" after the conclusion of the meal, he
rose to take his leave, thanking Mr..
and Mrs. Bishop for their kind hOspi-
tality. They invited him to stay oil
night, telling him he was welcome to
what they had,
He thanked them and said. Il will
tresspass on your kindness no longer.
| think | can reach the next village
before dark, and be so much further
on my journey.
Mr.. Merton did not sleep much that
night. He lay awake thinking. lie
had received a new revelation. The
poor had always been associated in his
mind with stupidity and ignorance, and
the first poor family he had visited he
had found far in advance, in intelli-
gent, sympathy and real politeness, OF
the exduisities and fashionable butter
flies of the day.
The next day boy called at the cot
tage, and left package in a large blue
envelope addressed to Mr.. Bishop.
Mrs. Bishop was very much alarmed
when she took it; for large blue en-.
velopes were associated in her mind
with law and lawyers, and thought