The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-09-28
JOHN CADY'S HONESTY.

JOnu Oauy was SlA0eeu years Olu, ttll
for his age, very thin. with red hair and
pale blue eyes, and altogether had a
weak and sickly appearance. From the
time be could remember, he had lived
with his uncle, who was a druggist.
Left an orphan at very early period iu
life, his kind hearted relative had taken
him to raise, and when he was old
enough he was set to sweeping the shop
and running errands. He increased in
altitude so fast that his uncle, who was
a short man, was good deal bothered
in making his wornout pantaloons fit
the long legs of the growing youth, but
he had an ingenious housekeeper, who
discovered the art of making passable
pair of pants out of two old ones. To
be sure, the legs did not always har
monize in color, but tho difference was
80 triAing that it was expected John
Cady would never be the wiser of it.
John, at the age of sixteen, slept in the
shop. Perhaps that was the reason the
poor fellow yeballs were yellow instead
OF white, and his complexion anything
but that of health.
Every Thursday afternoon his uncle
permitted him to have holiday; the
rest of the week he was expected to
work with the patience and regularity OF
a mule in a treadmill, and never com
plain, even if he went to bed hungry
His uncle managed his house upon +
plan so frugal that nothing was waste2
that could possibly be eaten and digeste,!
by man or beast.
Poor John Cady had many heartachea
He used to watch the boys play, bul
never found time to join in their sports
Gradually he became quiet, melan
choly youth, and grew up with little
idea of how he was to make his mark il
the world. In the winter months his
uncle sent him to night school, and by
this means he acquired all the education
he ever possessed. But he was honest,
strictly so, and Notwithstanding the
rough lessons he WAS taught in life, he
ever was conscientious in all he did.
Like all boys, he had his dreams His
uncle could not deprive him the pleasure
of building air castles, and many such
structures John reared while he per-
formed the drudgery of the shop. In
various ways, however, he had earned q
little money, which he had boarded up,
until the sum amounted to about fifteen
dollars. This wealth he had acqu red
u
milkman who lived hard by, and who
had taken pity upon the unfortunate
youth. By his advice John Cady had
demanded salary from his uncle, who
had promised to give him two dollars q
week and his board when he should be
seventeen years old. John never forgot
his friend the milkman for putting him
on the road to fortune; and as it wauted
eight months of the time when he
should receive pay for his services, he
looked forward with the eagerness of q
child to the coming Of the happy day.
It was clear, cold afternoon i'll Sep,
tember that John Cady stood at the
corner of the street waiting for the cars
to take him out to Gown. He had
an old maid aunt who lived there, and
he occasionally made her visit. When
the car came along, John ensconced
himself in a corner seat, and gave him
self up II castle building. Pretty soor
the car stopped to admit an old gentle
man, who took a seat directly alongside
our hero. He was a man of some sixty
years, dressed in dark brown clothes, the
pattern of which went out of fashion
about the time John Cady was ushered
into life. A heavy gold chain, with an
immense cornelian seal, hung on his
watch fob, and a white fur hat sur
mounted his white hairs. No sooner
had he taken his seat than he took ont a
well stuffed pocketbook, and began
counting the notes it contained.
just at this moment John Cady raised
bis eyes, aud coming baok to the realms
OF the world, gazei at the old man with
undisguised astonishment. The pocket
book was crammed full, and the notes
were hundreds, five hundreds, and even
Thousands. Certainly there must have
been 500, 600 in that wallet, and the old
gentleman thumbed them over so care
lessly that John Cady was cure that he
had thousands more at the back OF them.
He apparently made no more account
OF his wealth than John did the seventy
five cents slowed away in the corner ol
his vest pocket. The longer our hero
gazed upon the old gentleman, the more
uncomfortable he began to feel in the
proximity OF person who could sport
with thousands in such manner.
Apart from the sense he had of the
utter incongruity between man with 6
pocket full of bank notes, and another
with only soventy-fve cents, he fell
there was a practical danger ir sitting sc
close to exposed wealth. The pocket
book by mistake might get into his
pocket, note might get entangled il