Middletown transcript., 1877-03-03
Selelt Storp.
ALWAYS SPEAK THE TRUTH.

Rose, were you not in the littl,
back parlor last evening p asked Mrs
Arlington Of her daughter.
"Yes. mn'am," answered Rose
handsome bright-eyed girl of seventeen
"And did you see anything of ten.
dollar bill that lay on the mantel shelf?'
"a ten-dollar-bill n repeated Rose,
in well assumed surprise, but yet with
out looking her mother steadily in the
face, as she usually did when answer
ing bsr a question.
Yes: laid one there-folded up
end laid it on the shelf"
I'm sure | don't see where it isl
didn't see any ten dollar-bill
"Pm sorry, !" said Mrs. Arlington, as
she left the room.
but ten dollars are not much,
mother" cried Rose.
"a good deal ia these hard times,
my child"
Thus speaking, Mrs. Arlington left
the room.
why, Rose how could you tell
your mother you knew nothing about
that bill.
The speaker was Ella Boyd. cousin
Of Roses, who was spending a few
weeks with the family; she was a year
older than her cousin.
II did not tell her knew nothing
about it, Ella; | said that I did not
know where it had gone"
but you told her you did not see
"a ten dollar bill I said, did not
see, and more, | did not know what
kind Of bill it was"
but how could yeu talk SO, when
you knew all about iii You told me
after We had gone to bed, that you got
up to take down lamp, and ID doing
SO you knocked.a piece Of paper from
the mantle into the CRATE"
"Yes, and it was too late to get it
out, for the draught drew it in," sx-
planned Rose.
"But you saw what it was." said
Ella.
why just as it fell among the Goals.
George cried out that it was bank
note; but it was all abIaze in a mo-
ment
"Of course, Rose, you were not to
blame for what you did but not for
the world would | have spoken a false
hood about it. No do not blame me,
coz, for have seen more Of the world
han you, and let me assure you that
he only safe way is always to speak
he truth, let the consequences be what
they may"
"Why, Ella" uttered Rose, ait was
'nly little 6b I'm sure there could
De no harm in that. If had told
she would have scolded me for
being careless and you know there was
10 carelessness in that"
"Well, as for that, Rose, you know
'est You know your mother had oc-
'asiOn, only the night before, to caution
Iou against removing anything from
he shelf without FIRST looking to see
Vhat was in the way. Now don't you
hink you'd feel better if yeu had told
lour neither the truth r.
"Why, no, Ella, for she would have
colded me, and then I would have had
crying spell. Surely there can be no
arm in such little 6bs !"
"But there must be harm 10 them.
tose-it can't be otherwise Wrong il
ure, sooner or later. to bring trouble
nth it II l were in your place, | .
Iould 60 to my mother and tell her the
hole trHth
"Why, Ella, I wouldn't do it fer
nything, she would scold me for a
eek. {
The entrance of Roses little brother &
ut an end to the conversation, and
ere the matter was dropped for a long t
me.
Rose had been long in the habit Of {
'lling little fibs; !; she had heard great 9
eel about liars, but she never for o
Ioment entertained the idea that she '
longed to that class. s
A few days after this Mr.. Arlington '
llled in at Mr.. Duncan's store. George /
lmore was clerk there. He was q q