Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-01-29
we we're rolling eastward over the plain

4
who was the agent of q wholesale liquor
firm, and 1 won the case, got judgment,
and paid over the proceeds to him. |
| had settled up my account with him
and thought no more of it until some
time afterwards he failed and the as
signee took charge of bis affairs. OF
course had no interest in his business
at that time, but. very soon found that
/ bad very lively interest in it, for the
assignee sent o note TO me asking for the
proceeds Of this judgment which l had
obtained in favor OF the bankrupt. L
told him had paid it over at the time.
and that / certainly should not be a
debtor TO the amount of 81, 900 or -, 600
on suit without knowing it. He replied
that there was no evidence of the pay
ment, and said that under the circum-
stances he would, of course, be obliged
to bold me for it.
"Of course / had hunted for the re-
ceipt, and the more L could not find it
the more alarmed L became, for L had
not the very highest opinion of my for.
mer client. | was IS certain rs ! could
be that / had paid him, and yet | had
nothing to show for it, for, instead OF
depositing the check which received
and sending him my own, | had indorsed
tho check over to his order. | went to
see him, and he assured me that il was
absolutely impossible that L could
have paid him without his know
ing it, and if had paid him must GER
tainly have taken the receipt. This did
not at all check my belief in the fact that
had paid the money, though it did de-
stroy what little confidence [ he'd IN the
honesty Of my client. They became more
pressing, and I saw this snit threatening
me without the least show for defence,
and naturally began to worry. One
night went to bed with nothing else
but this on my mind, and it was so
heavy that | was restless and quite a
while in getting to sleep.
Il assure Won, however, that no one
ever woke with lighter heart than did
the next morning. The missing link had
been restored. and the events Of that day
had come back to me during the night
the dav on which had received and paid
the Judgment. | was Mt the City Court
that morning, bright and early, as soon
as the clerks Office was open. | bad been
city attorney at that time, and ] went
directly to the clerk and said i want
to see a file of the indictments for March
of that YEAR He brought down tue box
and ran over the file with feverish haste
until | found one particular case. L
opened that paper and there found the
long-missing receipt. Think for mo-
ment what q chance that wass On the
dav when the messenger came in with
the check / was in my Office only few
minutes, and just as the messenger from
my clients came ID, there came mes
senger from the Court stating that case
had been finished and that / was to take
up another at once. | had barely time
to endorse the check over, and, taking
the receipt, went over to the courthouse.
and looking over the Indictment had
unwittingly filed away my receipt and
had never once thought of it since, until
it became so necessary to my peace and
happiness.
"YOu may imagine that | wanted some
satisfaction for the worry that had had.
/ let them write until they got ready to
announce their intention TO begin suit
to recover the money. and then | sug
gested that they had better call at my
Office first, and then after sending them
off for little while | showed them the
receipt. and I further added that if my
former client had not destroyed his pa
pers instead of mislaying them as | had
mine that they would find entered on
his book on that day a deposit of that
check, and if there was any further
doubt of it could show his endorse
ment on the check below mine. The
name OF tue firm had come back with
the check, and had verified it. He did
not seem to enjoy it much-not half so
much as | did"
IT ALL CAME BACK TO HIM.
81 did not do quite as well as that,
remarked Mr.. Henry 7. Sperry, as Mr..
Thomas had concluded-Sperry, OF
Hartford, who has considerable to do
with making the Post the paper that it
is" but had very similar experience.
I had been clerk to the receiver of the
Hartford, Providence and Fishkill, and
when the control was turned over to the
purchasers, the accounts had to be ex-
amined before the bondsmen could be
discharged. 1 had squared mine
all right, as l knew, but when their
experts got to work they notified
me that there was a shortage of
sl,475. 80, and 1 started to look over the
books and find ont where it could posi-
bly, be. / knew it must be a matter Of
book keeping, because l had not taken
any such amount OF money out of it,
but where to find the error. for | knew
that was what it must be, puzzled me.
l spent days in going over the books
and they always came out just the same
way, and then l. worried over it nights
/ had gone to sleep with the last
thought, How under the sun am |
going to get out Of paying that money ?
when all Of a sudden there came back
to me one single item, and it
struck me with such force that | was
awakened from what seemed TO me TO be
a sound sleep. The thought was too good
one to lose. | took no chances, but,
springing out OF bed, | sat down to my
desk to make memorandum, Rental Of
Thompsonville Branch. 1t was, as |
said, only matter of bookkeeping, for
the account Of the branch only required
proper balancing, and did not at all in
volye the amount of cash which | had to
handle. The troublesome item once dis
covered, it was easy to show where the
credit had been omitted, which would
have made my books balance, and | had
no further trouble about it. )"
II the mind would prove a willing
driver and prod memory only when 1t
was needed and let it sleep at will, how
many of us there are who, if they were
forced to choose between memory and
forgetfuIness, might be tempted for
moment to let memory go.