The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-02-15
UNApPRECiATED HONESTY.
Pride and Fall Of the Man Who Da,lied
With the Postoh7ce.

Pride and Fall of the Man Who Da,lied
with the Postoff1ce.
! You cant always tell about hon
esty. Sometimes you see man
making a great show of it just for
the sake of the show, not for the
sake of the honesty. Tho other day
a man went to the postoffice and
asked for two cent stamps. He
laid down his dime, took his two
stamps, put them in II pocket case
and went away. Three or four days
afterward he had occasion to use one
of them. Just as he was about to
stick it on the letter he had written
he noticed that it was Il cent stamp
instead Of ) center.
"What do l care?' he said to him.
self. IF cents will send the letter,
| 8 will y
Then it occurred to him that the
clerk who had sold the stamps was
| out cents for the mistake.
| Il can't help it, the buyer az
gued 1T wasn't my fault, and it's
too far to go to the postof1ice now
for 2 cents. It's honest, of course,
but it's only 2 cents. How it would
paralyze the clerk, though, to have
me come in and reotify his little
mistake for him. Make him feel
good for Christmas sure. Probably
he makes such mistakes frequently,
and I'll bet mighty few men go back
to make them right. It's easy enough
to kick when the things against
you, but this is different. Somebody
ought to kick about these stamps
anyway, hard and good, to some
body way up. They re just like the
fives i'll size, shape and color. No
wonder he made the mistake By
Jove, Ill go over and soc him"
So the two stamp buyer put on his
overcoat and hat and went out into
the cold and tramped over to the
postoffice to make a show of his hon.
esty. There was long line of men
waiting their turns to transact bust
ness at the stamp window. The hon
est man waited patiently and used
up several dollars worth of time
trying to give back 2 cents that
didn't belong to him At last he got
his place at the window.
II bought these two stamps here
the other day." he began, for 5
cent stamps
Those in the waiting line began
to crowd up to hear the kick, and
the face Of the stamp clerk took on
an expression just a shade more
tired than usual.
But they're 6 cent stamps, went
on the honest man, and the clerk
must be out 2 cents, so I want to
give them back -
The stamp clerk opened his eyes
bit wider and stopped down to get
! good look at the honest man through
the little half window. A murmur
of approval ran through the crowd,
The honest man swelled out with
the consciousness of his own up
rightness. The stamp clerk fooled
with his stamps and then said:
! You didn t buy em of me.
mo, answered the honest man,
1T was another clerk / don't be-
lieve I'd know him. though, ii /
! should see him. l wasn't long
enough at the window
well" said the clerk very dis.
tinctly, II can't take your 2 cents.
The other clerk has lost it, that's
all. The government isn't out any
thing, and | can't take it. I'll give
you cent stamps if you like, and
he reached out for the centers.
The honest man was the surprised
one, so surprised that for moment
he couldn t think of anything to say.
Then he blurted out:
Why-why can't you take EN-.
They'r not mine. / paid for fives
and got SKIES.
The clerk leaned forward and
drawled out so that half the men
in line could hear it:
How do I know that you are not
an inspector laying trap to catch
me?"
The honest man thrust his hands
in his overcoat pockets and strobe
away with muttered well, I'm
DID, and half a dozen of tho
men began to whistle "There Are
Others. Now York Sun