The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-08-12
money with heavy sigh; and we threw
thu into hos ohnG

money with heavy sigh; and we threw
the wood into her shed.
"She offered 70 hold lantern for us;
but we were glad enough to dispense
with that luxury. I don't know when
she discovered what small pile the
wood made, which looked SO large in
our wagon; certainly not until after we
were gone, for she came to the door as
we backed around, said she was very
much obliged to us, and bid us good
"sThat's the way to do it!' said my
cousin, ON the way home. We'll sell
the other two loads just at dusk
II didn't say much. I was feeling
sick. And when he gave me my share
of the 'p1under,' as he called it-and
plunder indeed 1t vast was with q
strange sense of loathing that I put il
in to nv pocket. After all nv antici-
pations of pleasure in receiving money
fairly earned. that was the miserable re-
suit. Instead of sweet satisfaction,
not hing but remorse and disgust!
I" l found that my cousin did not feel
just right about the transaction, either.
{ If we had shaved the sharp old dea.
CON- he said, ''twould have been q
good joke, though it was almost toe
hard on the widder.'
He was, somehow, different from
me. He hardened his heart against all
compunctions; which 1 could not do.
I didn't like to talk about our success,
as my father called It, after we got
home; and went to bed at night miser-
able enough.
81 did not see Medad again until the
next afternoon, when he came over to
talk about taking another load of wood
to town.
"'If we take any MORE said, it
must be honestly loaded, or I'll have
nothing to do with it. It was an aw-
fully mean thing we did yesterday
HE laughed foolishly, and said he
guessed was right about it. I'm sick
Of the business. anyway he said. Let
your father take the rest, and give us
what he thinks it's worth
$50 ended our wood speculation, !"
Uncle Asa added. "rve quite forgot.
ten what father gave us; indeed, thai
was matter of no consequence com
pa red with what made out of the load
W. sold the widow" =
"But don't see that you made
niue b out of thatr' said Charley.
All, but l did, though! I made
something better than the most brill
liant fortune ever achieved. I'll tel
you how.
II had it in me, as you see, to be .
little or, perhaps you will say, a good
deal--dishonest. And if had begun
in different way, might have gone
ON cheating more and more all my life,
until I should have quite forgotten
there was such thing as conscience.
But, luckily, I overdid the thing at the
start.
II can never describe the shame
and misery felt in consequence of that
trick we played off on poor Mrs. Ober.
The very sight of split wood sickened
me long afterward. I got no comfort
out of my share of the money she paid
US; hadn't the heart to spend it, and
It was q source of bitter recollections
to me while 1 kept it.
'Then you may be sure that it was
anything but relief to me to hear-as
l did the following spring that the
poor woman was actually in want.
was at the town meeting when 1 acct
dentally heard the matter spoken of.
why can't she get alongr one man
asked another. She works hard
eyes said the other; and she's
saving, in her way. But she don't know
how to make trade, and anybody can
cheat her. You would think it must
be somebody pretty mean that would
take advantage of poor widow with six
children; but there are just such wretch
es in the world, I'm sorry to say
Il didn't care to hear any more. ]
went straight home, took out of the
till of my chest the dollar and ten
cents had kept there all this time,
folded the money in letter, on which
I wrote, From a FRIEND addressed il
to Mrs. Ober, and mailed it that very
night.
.After that q part of the load was
taken of from my conscience. But
could find strength and peace of mind
only in a resolution which had already
formed, and which was fairly burned
into my soul by what I had overheard al
the town meeting.
"That resolution was, never in all my
life to resort to dishonesty of any kind,
no matter what the seeming necessity,
or the temptation.
cit is resolution I have never
broken. 1t hasn't kept me poor. either.
l am not very rich; and yet believe
am better off to-day than should be il
I had been dishonest. have always
enjoyed reputation for fair-dealing;
and the result has been that my worldly
prosperity has been solid to the core.
"But, boys, thai is nothing compared
with the satisfaction of always feeling
that my gains were fairly earned, and
that had helped others while helping
myself. A few thousands, more or less,
are of no Importance. But, 0 my boys,
peace of mind is all-important.'
"And Medad Prank-what ever be.
came of him?" Charley inquired.
81 can't say that Medad took the les
son SO seriously to heart as did. He
has always had the reputation of being
little tricky. Life has been a scramble
with him-a scramble for riches. And
it was thought at one time that he had
a large fortune. But it burst like a
bubble in seventy-three, and he has
been scrambling in the old way ever
since.
II was the only one who really made
anything out of that load of wood
j. T. Tr0wbridge, in Youths Companion.
WIT AND WISDOM.
Gets the best of grub-Paris green,
Boston Journal of Commerce.
The proverb "a bird in the hand