St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-01-18
He assumed a tone of

not come now, as you prODdDly hno",
but / have a special reason. My bank
has given me good deal of accommo-
dation, and shall have to ask for more
shortly they have been very obliging,
and | wish naturally to stand we'll with
them. Now, want to raise matter
of one thousand dollars for week or
so only, and just to tide over sudden
call, and | would rather make special
provision. Can you favor me? | sup
pose your rates are little higher, but
that have considered.'
.'Mr. Roberts gave a little laugh, and
took the note in his hand. He turned
it over and looked at the Endorsement.
He went to a gas light, for the Office
was rather dark, and looked at it again.
At that moment the writer of the note
had an instructive belief that he was
detected. He was obliged to steady
himself by the desk. Mr.. Roberts look
ed up.
Fifteen per cent he said.
THAT'S pretty high tune, but I'm
not going to make the rounds for this.
I'll do it, Nothing more was said.
The money passed into his hands and
he left the note with Roberts. He hur-
ried off and redeemed his friends bonds
returning them to the safe in the same
condition in which he found them with
Thank God, that is done There re-
mained now this note. His friend re-
turned in three days, and readily lent
his name to the Endorsement Of a note,
which he offered at the bank. The note
was accepted, and with the proceeds he
took up the forged note which he had
1ntf i. Dnl. Nhn afaf '
Only after he had thus covered the two
transactions did he think of that word
and dare to say it to himself. Under
the pressure of the few days which had
covered the whole transaction he had
been too intensely absorbed in one
thought, the recovery of his position,
to sit down at all and think of the mat
ter. The release brought him an un-
speakabe lightness of heart Just at
this time also, Il successful venture
brought him quick returns ; in Il short
time he was on his feet again, and In
his subsequent business was never again
subjected to il like strain. Riches came
to him he was prosperous and had un-
impaired credit. Add to this that
few weeks later Roberts died. This
was the only man who could possibly
have been aware of the act, and there
was no reason to suppose that he would
ever disclose his suspicious, for besides
being very reticent man, his own
share in the transaction would have
been culpable.
"Well, now, Goldthwait, judge if this
man, with his narrow escape, with his
secret buried in his own breast, had
need to feel other than thankful as he
saw other men fall into the same snare
and without Il like good fortune. Yet
the man was like Il dyspeptic. He car
ried this load about with him and could
get no relief. Often and often he was
ready to declare that his misery was
greater than that of men who did the
same wrong and had been discovered
His friend treated him with the old
trankuess, but he could never receive it
simply every expression of trust was
ike Il stab. The excuses and palliatives
which he had used at first were utterly
empty to him now, and if he repeated
them to himself they seemed the veIi-
est mockeries.
''lf he could only be suspected, he
sometimes thought, there would be
some relief; but to have no one suspect
him, to be spoken of as an upright.
made him utterly loathe himself. Be
fore Roberts died, the man had GER
tain fascination for him. He was afraid
of him, vet he used to watch him in the
street, and once took the pains to walk
with him.. 1t seemed as if men would
think less of him if he were known to
he Roberts companion, and yet though
he walked boldly down the street with
hin, ha cai1aI u-ifl
lest Roberts should himself accuse him
Roberts gave Il little chuckiing laugh
as he left him at that moment he saw
his friend coming toward him. He fled
from him as he fled from Roberts.
at was now that he began to seek
some relief in religion. He had long
been member of the church, but for a
while after his deed, he had kept away
from church. He went again, and took
his seat also in the prayer meeting.
The pastor one evening proposed that
the meeting be given up to the telling
of experiences, and he heard one and
another get up and confess their re-
ligious reverses. He suddenly thought
20, if | could only get up here among
my brethren and make confession of my
guilt He stood up; cold perspira-
tion started to his forehead he began
in broken tones he told them what Il
miserable sinner he was how faithlesS
he had been how false to his VOWS.
He spoke in an agony then he asked
them to pray for him, and sat down.
He had confessed sin, but not his sin,
and as he left the room he heard some
one whisper, How beautifully he
spoker
"Then he tried to work it off. He
gave himself to his business and was
very prosperous; he was a liberal giver:
and he made a special point of seeking
the families of men who had BETRAYED
their trust and helping the innocent
victims. The hardest thing was to hear
these men talked about. Every idle
jest, every coarse reprOaeh seemed to
come to his ears; he always apparently
was in thick of it. He began to look
upon himself as mOnomaniac, for he
was always leading conversation to the
point OF these betIayals of trust, and
discussing them with his friends. There
was horrible fascination about every
defalcation, and he entered into the
particulars with a morbid penetration.
and once or twice thrust himself into
the society of the men who had fallen,
to hear from their own lips the story of
their degradation. His sin seemed
gradually to Overshadow his entire life.
He had wife and children. He would
sit and look at them silently, and won
der what would happen if he were to
tell them what he had done; how they
would receive it; how other people
would look upon him.
That was terrible experience, said
Goldthwait, as Farley paused. 81 do