Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1891-04-22

I tui, ouu never IOISlNt HOT forget al
injury. L have my trusted agent,
everywhere, and know how to strik,
at an enemy where he is least pre-
pared Tor blow. / believe YOU ar,
honest and square, though, and say ne
more. ssYour true friend
"JAMEs JACKSON.
"4 Morn STREET, NEW YORK"
A newspaper clipping, or what looked
like one, to Eben's inexperienced ewes,
fell out of the letter He picked il
up and studied it. 1t read:
'.NEw YORK, august 1sth.-In the
United States Court today, before
Judge Benedict, Henry Anderson, a
Nebraska farmer, and Job Belcher, a
Maine merchant, was acquitted of hav-
ing counterfeit money in their posses
sion. 1t transpired that "a set of the
plates from which the currency is
printed had been stolen from the Treas
ury department at Washington, from
which the money i'll question had been
made. Judge Benedict stated that
while the action was immoral, il was
not illegal, and discharged the prison
ers. Both were poor men not long
ago, but now Anderson is worth over
a half million and Belcher almost as
much, which they have made by this
clever trick"
After Eben Witherwax had read this
letter twice through and fully mastered
Its meaning, he struggled for a long
time with the temptation it had
brought, but his struggles, only half
hearted at first, grew weaker and
weaker, and when he arose and walked
on, he had made his bargain with the
devil. He had never been dishonest
in his life beyond the limits which
were set by custom among the farmer
folks in the matter of trading. He
had been to Sunday school when a
boy, and to church almost every Sun
day of his life, and though not pro-
fessedly religious, was looked upon as
"steady," and had always had pride
in his reputation. Here, though, had
come a chance to get the money he
wanted so badly, and his unknown
correspondent assured him il could be
done without danger of detection.
Then, there was Nancy. Life seem
ed little worth living without her, aud
slow as he was, and unwilling to i'm
pute evil to the woman he loved, he
was yet of the same opinion as the
school-master's wife. If he only had
a couple of thousand dollars he could
pay off the mortgage, fix up the old
house, and, he felt sure, win the bride
he wanted. "She likes me best; she
likes me best" he said over and over.
"And if l could only support her well,
she'd have me-"
The balance turned, as it turns so
often when money is in one scale, and
with terrible tremblings and careful
secrecy he wrote to the city for more
particulars. They came, of course,
and in d week he was ON his way to
| New York.
1t was not without severe struggle
that he had taken the two hundred dol
lars that were hidden away in the old
nook that had served his father and
| grandfather for bank. The money,
he knew, was all he and his mother
had to live on till the next crops could
be sold, and he did not dare to confide
his purpose TO her. So, like u thief,
he stole down to the chimney-corner
the night before he started for the
city, and took the money while his
mother slept.
1t had been very hard indeed for
him to face his mothers surprise and
curiosity when he told her that he was
going to the city for three or four
days, and still harder to watch her as
she lovingly and carefully made prep
arations for his comfort that would
have been ample for a three-months'
voyage. The knowledge that he was
deceiving and robbing her was bur
den almost too great for his unaccus-
toned shoulders. The gadfly of de-
sire had stung him fairly, though, and
the golden prize he was going for was
too alluring to make him pause.
1t was late in the afternoon when
Eben Witherwax arrived in the city,
and confused and almost stunned by
the noises of the streets, inquired his
way to the Merchants Hotel, where he
was to meet the man who offered him
a fortune on such easy terms. He
registered, and after getting his sup
per, waited in the reading-room ner-
vously till nearly ten o'clock. 1t SEEM
ed to him that this was late, and tho
roughly worn out with excitement and
fatigue, he then retired, and was soon
in that deep slumber which comes Of
tentimes to the wicked as well as the
just. A fashily dressed young man,
whose broad shoulders announced him
to be member of the sporting frater-
nifty, entered the hotel few minutes
later, and approaching the desk, bow
ed to the clerk, and looked over the
entries in the register. When his eye
reached "James X. Watts" under
which name Eben had registered, ac-
cording to the instructions he had re-
ceived from Mr.. Jackson" a faint
smile covered his face moment. Two
minutes after, he left the place, first
giving cigar to the hotel official.
Eben Witherwax awoke bright and
early. His dreams had been pleasant,
and he was eager to meet the man
who was make him rich. AT the
same time he felt a terrible ner-
vousness. The consciousness that he
was doing wrong, the fear of arrest,
imprisonment, and disgrace, and the
excitement of his new surroundings,
made his heart throb and his nerves
quiver in frightful way. He ordered
a breakfast to be served in his room,
but wheu it came he could eat nothing,
and only sip mouthful of coffee. He
paced up and down his little room,
anxiously waiting the approach of the
messenger who was to come for him.
Suddenly an awful thought flashed
through his brain. Perhaps these city
folks had heard something to his dis
advantage, and had given him up. The
thought was overwhelming. He pic
tured his return home and the renewal