Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1880-12-23

tell US to drive 1t to his house, and Of course
he won't go to see US unload it,"
use he drove up on the roadside and
stopped the deacon as he was passing. s.Mr
Finch, he said, would you like to buy load
of first-rate white oak wood? just look at it
if you please. a atl
"sPve wood enough said the deacon.
But it's nice looking load you've got /; and I
guess you won't have any trouble in disposing
of it. = sfik -s.9 9''S za44
"sWhat is such load as that worth de-
livered IN town? asked Mede, we cut it
ourselves"
/ "'How much is there?
"1 don't know; havn't measured it i: Just
! call it load, said Mede. a e = .
Good as that all the way through
queried the deacon.
about the same. said Medad. +
"'Well, from 81. rs to $2.25 somewhere
| along there, replied the deacon. s....
will you give US $s.259' Mede was
quick to inquire.
! 81 told you I had wood enough But
| like TO encourage boys; II. look at your
lead. And, to the terror of one of us very sure,
Deacon Finch slowly and deliberately got out
i of bis chaise.
| II don't suppose anything in our looks
caused him to suspect our honesty; for my
cousin did the talking and must say could
| not but envy the cool and candid manner
with which he carried on his part in the inter.
| view.' -.t NH-
".You are Mr.. Franks boy, amt you?
said the deacon, going to the hind end of the
wagon
promptly. This is my cousin
''Good wood; we'll spit; pretty smart
boys ~ said the deacon, tumbling over a few
sticks on top ''Guess Til take it,
| "'ShaIl we deliver it at your house p
! Medad asked. almost too eagerly.
| "'Wait minute What's here?' cried the
deacon, thrusting down his hand and pulling
up one of the hidden crooks. is there much
like that P and began to dig down straight in
to one of HE choice hollows.
"'See here if you pleasev said Mede
alarmed. you needn't take tie wood if you
don't like it, but don't spoil our load !!
"'Spoil your load!' echoed the deacon,
with indignant scorn thrnsting his arm up to
his shoulder. You wouldn't be afraid of nv
spelling an honest load; but what sort of a
load is this ? It's perfect cheat, and you are
a couple of rascals!'
"'You needn't take it if you don't want
it |" Mede repeated, moreangry than ashamed,
| | am sorry to say. We Just put it in that
way to make handsome load of it; but we
| don't expect anybody to pay forit until they've
seen it thrown off. -.s
The deacon did not, evidently put much
faith in this falsehood; for he reprimanded Us
again sharply as he climbed back into his
chase. i .--.t F..
81 guess he was about right Mede,'
said, as watched him drive away. I'VE are
a couple of rascals'
| "'Pshaw! who cares? It's what every
body does,' said Mede, blusteringly; what
he does himself every time he sells goods out
of his store 1t takes a rogue to catch a
rogue. Wen look out next time
He laughed scornfully when begged him
to drive home and reload the wood in honest
fashion. But he was shy of making the
sale where the deacon would be likely to hear
of it.
"'We'll go over to the East village he
said. It'll be dark when we get there; no.
| body will know us. and by that time nobody
can look into our load"
This plan was carried out in spite of nv
too feeble objections. | drove the horse, while
Medad went from door to door IN the East
village, Offering the wood dog cheap he
said, because it was SO near night and we
wanted to sell out and 60 home. ..,-
"'H His idea of dog cheap was two dollars
although he tried hard to get three. At last
we found woman who confessed that she
was out of wood and must get some soon, but
said she was to poor to buy cordwood, and
| then hire man to cut it.
''Medad convinced her that it would be
much better for her to buy ours already cut.
" But | haven't got three dollars IN the
world ~ she said. 4 am really poor, dreff1e
poor! II you'll throw off half your load
into my shed, I'll give you dollar and q
half
"Can't do that nohow, said Mede; for
nobody will then want to buy the other half
| should think not he said to me aside, with
a comical grimace. ..rs.....
will you trust me for the other dollar and
a half p she asked. 4 am Mrs. Ober-Widow
Ober; everybody knows me- ..s
'"That didn't suit my Cousins views,
either .....
Tell We what y he said Give me two
and-a quarter now, and you shall have the
load; its too little. hut we have got to get
home
Two dollars and twenty cents was all she
had. and Mede consented to take that. The
poor woman paid down the money with a
sigh, and we threw the wood in the shed. ..
'.She offered to hold lantern for US, but
we were glad enough to get along without
that luxury. don't know when she discov-
| cred what small pile the wood made, which
looked 80 large in our wagon certainly not
| until after we were gone, for she came to the
door as we backed around, as said she was
very much obliged to us, and bid us good
night.
'''That's the way to do it, said my cousin,
| on the way home. 'Well sell the other two
loads ust at dusk. --
Il didn't say mucn. / was feeling sick.
And when he gave me my share of the plum.
der as he called it-and plumber indeed it
vast was with strange sense of loathing
that put it into my POCKET After all nv
antcipations of pleasure in receiving money
fairly earned, that was the miserable result,
Instead of sweet satisfaction, nothing but re.
morse and disgust ,-.r
Il found that my cousin did not feel Just
right about the transaction, either. If we
had shaved the sharp old Deacon he said
''twould have been good joke though it was
almost too hard on the widder.'
'He was, however, different from me- He.
hardened his heart against all computations.
| which could not do. didn't like to talk
about our success, as my father called it, af-
ter we GOT home, and went to bed that night
miserable, enough. -
Il did not see Medad again until the next
afternoon, when he came over to talk about
taking another load of wood to town.
ssIf we take any more, l said, it must be
honestly loaded, or I'll have nothing to do
with it. 1t was an awfully mean thing we did
1 Yesterday s2t'
j ''He laughed foolishly, and said be guessed
was right about it. I'm sick of the business
anyway, he said. sLet yonr father take the
rest, and give us what he thinks It's
| worth -,
so ended our wood speculation" Uncle
Asa added "pve quite forgotten what faith
erigaye as; indeed, that was matter of no
4 consequence compared with what I made out
of the load we sold the widow
q ''But don't see that you made much out of
that, said Charley ,7as@I h -. :.
4 thing better than the most brilliant fortune
ever achieved. I'll tell you how:
| II had 1t in me, as yeu see, to be a little
or, perhaps you will say good deal--dishon-
4 est. And if had begun in adifferent way,
might have gone on cheating more and more
all my life, until should have quite forgot
ten there was such a thing as conscience