The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-01-12

NhSiuoiou tuho NY employers 1unUS
were in danger. That they were actually
so became evident before the night had
passed. 1 recalled the mans counte
nance vividly to my recollection, and
examined from memory his features, so
as to make some estimate of the char
acter with which I had to-deal. Ply
sically he was more than my equal
When fist alighted at the house it
struck me 1 had seen him before, and
after some moments of further and pro-
found reflection 1 distinctly recalled
him to my mind as merchant who had
dealt with our firm during my early
connection with it, and who lad failed
through the dishonesty of friends whom
he had assisted. l remembered him as
having been spoken ofas disguised with
trade, and as having sought home in
the wilderness with his family, and
earning living literally by the sweat
Of his brow.
There were but two bedrooms in the
house, both on the same floor, passage
which commenced at the head of the
stairs dividing them. While the
thoughts which have related we're
passing through my mind l heard voices
in the other bedroom and quietly
opened my door, which my host had
closed behind him. Standing out in
the passage could distinguish a mans
and woman's voice. At first their Ian
guage was unintelligible, but gradually
my ear became accustomed to the duty
| endeavored to put it to, and I could
distinguish that the burden of their
talk was their domestic expenses, and
the general current of their thoughts
WAS the difficulty of getting through
with certain undertakings they had in
co ntemplaion or had commenced. 1t
was evident that the man was more
hopeful than the woman. My excited
imagination at once framed the theory
that the treasure in my possession was
designed by them to solve this diff
Guilty, and that the reluctant man was
being urged on by the less scrupulous
Or braver woman.
A sadden movement Of one of them
toward the door caused me to retreat
into my room. 1 heard the bolt of their
door moved, and supposing it was to
unfasten it, hurried back into my own
apartment and caught at the envelope,
intending to hasten it out of sight. In
my eagerness to grasp it, it fell off the
tumbler with the wafered side upper
most and opened The waters had
been so far dissolved by the heat and
moisture as to split in two, leaving one
half of each (there were three) on the
flap, and the other half of each on the
body of the envelope. Meanwhile,
ri c,r of
into my room, which I had seen it was
impossible to fasten the door save by
moving some of the furniture against
il. becnme convinced that as yet
everything was safe, and yielding to
feeling Of curiosity drew the money
from the inclosure and counted it over
There were ten one thousand dollars
BILLS Twas astounded, and for the time
forgot the fear that SO recently har-
assed me. looked at the memorandum
on the back of the envelope.
1t was $4,000" The letter was
opened before me. I read it over. 1t
named 9 1000 as the sum inclosed.
There was evidently an error. I counted
it over again. Ten thousand dollars
was the sum before mel Again and
again l counted it. had been used to
handling large sums and counting
large sums of money daily; but 1 actu-
ally found more difficulty in arriving
at the actual count of ten bank bills
before me than l ever before or since
encountered in counting any sum, how.
ever large or however numerous the
notes. Finally, putting chair against
the door, spread the notes out singly
on the little table, in row, and counted
them with my finger. Then l made
two rows of five notes each and again
counted them; then five rows of two
each and counted them. I finally,
though slowly, became satisfied that
had in my possession double the amount
of money was expected to deliver
to my employers agent. Temptation
entered my soul.
Five thousand dollars would relieve
me OF all my debts. Here it was within
my grasp. 1 had but to seal up the en-
velope by rewetting the waters, inclosing
but half the money, and deliver it sealed
to the agent. and my trust would be, to
all appearances, faithfully discharged.
Once the thought occurred to me that
possibly it was trap set for me by my
employers. But tLeir confidence in
me was unbounded, and the suspicion
was formed only to be dismissed. L do
not attempt to glaze over the dishon-
esty of what 1 contemplated, but | had
been so increasingly worried by domes-
tic troubles arising from limited re-
sources. and 80 prosecuted by cred
itors, that | almost argued myself into
the conviction that appropriating the
money was simply authorized self
defense. l would pay all my debts,
get clear with the world once more,
insist upon my wife's adopting my views
of living, save money, get into business
for myself and finally pay back the sum.
/ concluded to leave the envelope
unfastened until the morning, so as to
give myself that much more time be-
fore finally deciding upon an act which
all my arguments with myself had not
made entirely reconcilable. Arrived at
this conclusion, my attention again
turned to my host and his wife.
could hear his voice alone now. 1t had
been sounding alone in an elevated
tone for some moments. / crept quiet
ly to the partition dividing their apart
ment from the passage. The bright
autumn moon, which was on their side
of the house, shone through their win
dow, and through the spaces between
the shrunken planks of the partition
and out into the passage, and upon its
floor in brilliant lars of light. 1t was
easy for me- To see what was nascino,