Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1884-05-23
proved 70 have becn slmple frauds and


in the street and asked him IL he had
received notice OF assessment ten per
cent--from the Treasurer of the Grand
Orient. No, Walter said he had not.
"Well, said Moulton, ''they sent to
me, and notified mo that IL the assess.
ment was not paid within thirty days,
my stock would be forfeited, or, IL they
chose they could come on and collect
1t, rs the bond which signed Just for
forms SAKE! gave them power to do.
So l have sent on the hundred dollars.
l tell you, Walter, it came hard. Ol
/ wish I'd listened TO my wife, and left
the thing alone"
Walter went home feoling unhappy;
but he dared not speak with his wife on
the subject. "Ol II had only listened
to Jennier That was the burden of
his wall.
1t was during the first week in No
vember that Walter had given the
mortgage on his home, and drawn his
thousand dollars from the Savings
Bank. IL was in July, next following,
that Moulton and Simmons had been
assessed ten per cent. on the stock they
had taken. At that time, rs Walter
afterwards learned, Simmons had been
inclined to let his stock, and his thou
sand dollars already paid in. go, rather
than be bled any more; but the officers
OF the company had very clearly shown
him that they had power, under the
bond he had given, to come on and
make distraint on any property of his
they could find.
And Walter was in for two thousandl
II the worst should come, it would
swallow up the rest of his farm--every
bit of it! He suffered more and more;
and he suffered the more keenly be-
cause he would not speak with his wife,
and ask her sympathy.
~ year had passed, and another No.
vember had come. One morning, at
the post-oflice, Charles Moulton, pale
torture, pointed out to Walter Witherell
an item in city paper, which friend
had sent him. Walter took the paper,
and read rs follows:
"a SAD CoLLApsG.-we fear that many of
the honest, hard-working farmern and me
chanics OF the surrounding country are suf.
@ ferers by the collapse of the Grand Orient
pany, 81 called. The affair has been stu.
pendous swndle from the first; yet, so
adroitiy did the corporators do their business
thnt their victims can gain no, redress The
company owned all the land they pretended
TO own; but. in truth, o more utterly worth.
less tract of land than was their territory was
not to be found on the continent. But the
loss of money paid for stock is not all. A few
monoyed men have bought up the whole con.
otrn, and are now making distraint upon the
original subscribers to the stock, for the col
lection of the full face value Of the premium
notes which they unwittngly gave Mt the time
OF subscribing. We venture to say that scarce
ly man of them dreamed that he was giving
q bona-dde note when he signed that smpe
innocent-lookiug bond. 1t is hard, but it
might have been worse Some may find tho
experience worth all 1t will cost, while all may
'Cohbcr, stick to your last"
Walter gave back the paper with
n groan, and quickly sought the fresh
air. When he got home his wife was
frightened. She thought him deathly
sick. She fastened to his side and
wound an arm around his neck.
"Dear Walter, what is it? What is
the matterP"
40, Jennie, Jennie! if had only
listened to you"
And then, in broken tones and in
tears, he told her of the sad collapse of
the Grand Orient. He concealed moth
ing but told her the plain, unvarnished
truth. Not only was the two thousand
dollars gone that he had already paid,
but they were coming for two thousand
more, and he coulu not escape pay
ing it.
Jennie sat down and looked into her
husbands face. What meant that
lurking smile which he caught mt the
corners OF her blue eyes and about the
full, ruby lipsp Was it possible that
she could find it in her heart to make
sport of his cruel, bitter agony?
Waller she said at length, "will
you go and get your certificate OF
stock and let lis look it over?"
He arose, moving like q decrepit old
man, and procured the envelope and
brought it back. Jennie took it, and
drew out the certificate and opened it.
Where is the company's scalp" she
asked.
WHAT" cried Walter, sis there no
scalp"
No, and look at the signatures. Do
they look us such signatures ought to
look?"
A brief silence, and then the wife,
with happy tears mingled with her
smiles, threw her arms around Eer
husbands neck, exclaiming as she did:
40, Walter, l know you will forgive
me now. did bold thing; at tho
time you might have called it an out
rageous thing; but L could not pay
away that hard-earned money for what
| knew to be mess of pottage Dear
husband, you have never owned
share of this stock. | went to Kate
Moulton-I knew that Sparkler was to
call thore before he came hcre-and i
got her to beg of Mr.. Sparkler one of
the blank certificates of stock, on the
plea that she wanted to keep the pretty
picture for q curiosity. He gave it to
her, and she brought it at once to me-
When Sparkler called upon mo l sent
him about his business of-hand. | told
him just what thought of him and OF
his company; and | will only say that
he was very soon glad to get away.
Then | carried back the thousand dol
lars to the Savings Bank, and Mr.. Hol-
den took it back Just as though we had
never touched it, And Mr.. Baldwin
very chcerfully gave me up the mort
gage for the return of the thousand dol
lars he had given you. The certificate
i filled up myself, believing you would
never notice its strange look.
"Now. Walter, darling, 1 am ready
to be scolded. Let me have it Just as
sayagely as you please; only, when you
" Ask it now. Jennic,' he said, in q
low, broken whisper.
" 1t is this; want you to promise me
that you will never
"Hold on!' He caught her to hi.
bosom, and kissed her yain and again.
30! my own blessed wife never, never
again, will / step aside from the true
upright, straightforward and 10 Ultimate
path of honest business and labor.
have had enough of speculation. Some
men may enjoy it; some may prosperir
1t; but was not cut out for it. No,
Jennie, your grand lesson shall not be
lost on an unworthy husband Wher
we are done with this home we will
leave ii TO our children; and they shall
find it in good condition and unincum
bered; and / shall not be ashamed t.
have them know just how much of tn,