Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1895-10-25
as the debt much?" groaned Ma

piled. Il am ashamed of myself
and have been ever since | yielded
10 the infa'uation. Not that 1t Is 50
large a sum in itself; but 1t Is fear
fully large for me III my present po-
sition. II Is twenty four pounds"
Maria clasped her hands with a
movement of despair. Money, rec
ollect, reader, is estimated by com
parison. \ thousand pounds 10
one man is an insufficient tritie; a
few guineas TO another seems for
tune.
Il have contrived TO make up part
OF IT," continued George. II have
parted with my fathers watch-Ma-
ria, if you look in that sad, reproach-
ful way, You will drive me desper-
ate. | priced the watch, ay, as much
as you could do; but necessity is
stern. have parted with one or
two other things clothes that
could spare and we had a trlhe Of
ready money. | did what ! could ;
but when put it all together it
amounted to only fourteen pounds,
leaving mo ten to find; and came
over here, hoping YOU might help
me-"
Her tears fell upon his hand as
she held it. George, my dear
brother, you know that not only ten,
but twenty times ten, you should
have from me if | possessed it; but
| have but a few shillipgs in the
world | have required nothing
since | came here. My mourning is
still good, and neither my uncle nor
my aunt Hester has given me a far
thing, seeing, perhaps, that | did not
want it. There is only one thing to
do; we must tell the truth to MIN
and get him TO help you"
"No," impulsively replied George,
81 would rather let the blow fall up
on me than to apply to my uncle;
for know that it would be useless
You remember he passed through
Middleham at Christmas, and he
halted there for few hours. He
asked us how we were getting on,
and he told us that if we kept steady
he would befriend us; but if we got
into debt or difficulties, through i'm
prudence and folly, we might 90 to
a prison or 10 the work house for
him. Maria, he is not man TO 90
from his word"
Too truly Maria felt that. Mr..
West was an upright man in the
moral acceptatlon and the term Sc
we're in uprightness; but he was par
ticularly harsh in judgement TO the
wrong doing. She pressed her
hands upon her aching temples.
81 do not see what can be done.
Perhaps my aunt Hester might help
us"
"Do not say U.S." interrupted her
brother, with burst Of feeling. "Do
rot bring yourself into my sin. Help
me, you mean. | do not think she
would. Aunt Hester, | remember,
used to bemore harsh than my uncle
in manners, at any rate. No, Ma
ria, as there can be no help from you,
| may not look for ii from them. |
must abide by the consequences of
my folly"
"When must this money be PAID"
she inquired.
"By the second of April. 1t wants
rather more than a week to it."
81 will see what | can do be-
tween now and then. | will not
leave a stone unturned, George dar
ling. But what will become of you
if cannot?"
"Ruin, and nothing else; and |
shall richly have deserved it,"
A disheartenlng thought rose to
Maria's mind, and she gave ii utter
ance.
"If helped now-though indeed,
George, | do not indeed know where
to look for the hope of doing it
you may fall again into the same
snare"
Never" he replied; and for once
his syes met her clearly, conscious
in rectitude of purpose. ''This has
been to me a life's lesson; what |
have suffered since | cannot describe
to You or bear TO think of. have
scarcely had An hours sleep in a
night. All my future depends upon
its being kept secret. am at the
mercy of scales turn; if the one
goes up, | am saved; If the other
goes down, am lost; for, it turned
from the bank as gambler, who else
will take me on?"
George, how could you fall into
it?" she exclaimed.
"Ah, Maria, you do not know how
powerful are temptation and ex-
ample; they have led away older and
wiser minds than mine. | did not
intend to do wrong. When was
persuaded from home in an evening,