The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1878-09-10


81 find two errors"
"Ahl let me see."
The lad handed the employer long
bill that had been placed upon his desk
for examination.
" Here is an error in the calculation of
ten dollars which they have made against
themselves and another of ten dollars
in the footing"
d" Also against themselvesY'i
Yes, SIR"
The merchant smiled in way that
struck the lad as peculiar.
Twenty dollars against themselves"
he remarked in kind of pleasant sur
prise. "Trusty clerks they must have"
Shall correct the figures ?" asked
the lad.
"No! let them correct their own mis-
takes; we don't examine bills for other
peoples benefit" replied the merchant.
. 1t will be time to rectify those errors
when they find them out. All so much
gain as it now stands"
The boys delicate moral sense was
shocked at so unexpected a remark. He
was the son of poor widow, who had
given him to understand that to be just
was the duty of men.
Mr.. Carman the merchant, in whose
employment he had been for only few
months, was an old friend of his fathers,
in whom he reposed the highest conf
dence. In fact, James had always look
ed upon him as kind of model man,
and when Mr.. Carman agreed to take
him into his store, he felt that a good
fortune was in his way.
" Let them correct their own mis-
takes" These words made strong i'm
preston on the mind of James Lewis.
When first spoken by Mr.. Carman, and
with the meaning then involved, he
felt, as we have said, shocked; but as he
turned them over again in his thoughts,
and connected their utterance with
person who stood so high in his moth
er's estimation, he began to think that
the thing was fair enough in business.
Mr.. Carman was hardly the man to do
wrong. A few days after James had ex-
amined the bill, clerk from the house
by which it had been rendered called for
settlement. The lad, who was present,
waited with interest to see if Carman
would speak of the error. But he made
no remark. A check for the amount of
the bill rendered was filled up and a re-
ceipt taken.
g Is that right 20
James asked himself this question:
His moral sense answered no but the
fact that Mr.. Carman had acted so be-
wildered his mind.
cit may be the way in business'-so
he thought to himself" but it don't
look honest. 1 wouldn't have believed
it of him."
Mr.. Carman had kind of way with
him that won the boys heart, and nat
urally tended to make him judge what
ever he might do in a most favorable
manner.
4" wish he had corrected that error"
he said to himself great many times
when thinking in pleased way of Mr..
Carman, and his own good fortune in
having been received into his employ
ment 1t don't look right, but way be
it's the may of business"
One day he went to the bank and
drew the money on the check. In count
ing it over he found that the teller had
paid him fifty dollars too much, so he
went back to the counter and told him
of his mistake. The teller thanked him
and he returned to the store with the
consciousness in his mind of having
done right.
"The teller overpaid me fifty dol
lars" he said to Mr.. Carman, as he
handed him the money.
"1ndeed ~ replied the latter, light
breaking over his countenance and he
hastily counted over the bills.
The light faded as the last bill left his
fingers.
"There's no mistake, James," A
tone of disappointment was in his
voice.
Oh, gave him lack the fifty dol
lars. Wasn't it right ?"
"You simpIeton ~ exclaimed Mr..
Carman. Don't you know that bank
errors are never corrected? ? If the teller
had paid you fifty dollars short he would
not have made it right"
The warm blood mantled the cheek of
James under this reproof. 1t is often
the case that more shame is felt for a
blunder than for crime. In this in