St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1891-09-19
0V ERDRAWN ACCOUNTS.

w LhlJKA WIN ACJUUNIS
Old Father Time as the Cashier o,
q Great Bank.
Old Time sat as cashier behind tho
~indow of bank where ell men must
10 business A long line of custom
Era too vast to count, came. each with
ais check in hand, to the wicket for his
sash stood and watched the scene
sor hours, till it came my own turn to
place my check under Father Times
gray and ancient scrutiny.
A well-dressed man, with confident
air, with . hard, rcsolute face and yet
ups bitten rs If with pain, threw in
his check.
"Your account is overtlrawn," said
Time. Il told your friend so yesterday
Who presented q check of yours"
"What? That's why came myself.
Overarawn! Il should have twenty
years here yet to draw on" exclaimed
the excited gentleman. growing pale
with every word.
"How old do you reckon yoursclf?''
asked Cashier Time.
''Why, only fifty-five. And three
misrepresentation is the deposit to be-
gin with"
"See." said Time, thrusting a great
book under the poor mans eyes. I'm
1854 you, being then nineteen years o:
age, drew three years in one. The
next year, and the next, and the next
yea drew three years in one. You
squandered them in dissipation. You
drank them up. As Cleopatra, the
Egyptian queen, dissolved pearls in a
glass of wine and drank the costlicst
banquet cup that opulcnt vanity had
ever seen. SO you drank up the years
between nineteen and twenty three.
You threw away days and nights as a
king In old times threw coin to the
eab6lc. When by the calendar You
were aged twenty-five by my strict and
accurate books you were thirty five, and
beginning to grow old"
Every WE'LL" began the trembling
figure in reply, '.but I rcorganiz ed
after that Ten years lost, / then re-
formed"
''Truc. But in 1874 you drew days
ana months very fast again. For the
sake Of being rich you squandercd
strength like . spendthrift. You
crowded three weeks into one for long
while. In ten years you lived out
twenty; did the work of twenty, the
worry, the fighting, the litigation, the
travel, the greedy sins of twenty years.
Yea have gotten your wealth. You
hsvc gained the whole world and lost
your life. Whether you have lost your
soal or not is not for me to say. God
knows that This bank does no busi-
ness IN eternity. The account is over
drawn sir. Step aside. old man of fifty
i've, customers are waiting"
And while looked the servants of
the bank came in-Death. Dust and
Eorgctfulncss-and carried him out.
Then came a haggard wretch whose
name indorsed upon the back of \ check
read, "a. Suicide" lie faltercd ON:
II suppose this check is worthless.
There is not another day for me-"
''On the contrary, there arc yet forty
years, that you can draw against; hap
py, useful years. spent for mans good
and Gods praise"
81 doubt it There must be some
mistake"
''Not 90 What shall do with these
years II you will not take them? No
other man can use them; yet thousands
would BE- glad of them, begging SD pitt
fully. And there arc SO many thou
sands of unclaimed years, filed up
within my vaults! They shall he added
TO eternity again when l. Old Time, go
out Of business Yet eternity is no
richer for them. Take your years and
Be happy in the m as God intended"
But the foolish heart declined: and I
saw tho three servants come in and
carry him out rs they had Old Avarice
before.
Then saw tremendous checks paid
out to Malice. Revenge, jealousy.
Evil Im2ginations Bad Thoughts. Dis.
content Old Time could not help speak.
ing his. warning, and though it was
none Of his business, he said:
Gentlemen, nothing draws such
heavy drafts on . mans deposits of
years Of health and strength Is nm
W0O1cSOIuc SuOuGuSS Aucy are more
expensive than 'unwholesome deeds If
possible. Look out that you do not
uverdraw your accounts"
Then saw young man at the win
low. Time asked:
'.How-wil you have it, sir? In large
hills or small?"
'.In large, Il you please. Let me live
. year IN = day. A year of pleasure
crowded into one wild day: The good
things of forty must be had and used
up It twenty. Icannot watt
And Old Time smiled with sardonic
curl Of the lip Is he observed how the
young Nol was making the same mis-
lake that the old fool . fsw steps BE-.
fore had made But the cheek. was
cashed in the big billA -.trs.' -
1 saw. TOD - stood there. how men
their accounts of Good Rep
uta4ion. A nan may. it seems, build
up . reputetion b. long and faithful 4
vears Which viii withseand = good
many blunders; he may check against
3 With sesidl. .rsbsds ihd thaashtless
0esds soeAons time 1seese thss stored