The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-11-26
A THANKSGIVING SURPRISE.

IL was no affair OF slow growth. Inc
feud between Ezra Eastman and David
Townley arose sharplSBand suddenly. al
most, as it We're. a thunderbolt descending
from a clear sky. No two men could be
more unlike than Ezra. simple and a little
shiftless. with apparently no more powerful
ambition in life than to lead the local
prayer meeting Alright and 10 keep himself
as free from debt as possible; and David,
f~orehanded TO the last degree, keen and
careful himself. and impatient os the many
who failed to be equally so. Yet they had
been fast friends all their lives. and in any
temporal doubt or difficulty there was no
one TO whom the honest deacon would so
naturally apply.
David sees things so kind of clear that
it's a comfort to borrow his eyesight once
in a while" he was wont to remark.
1t must be admitted he was also forced
to borrow a little of David's money as well
once in a while. Excepting spiritual coun-
sci. which his more prosperous neighbor
took at a discount, he had but little to offer
in return, but he always paid cheerfully
the interest required of him and magnifed
to the full his old friends kindness in be-
ing thus ready to come TO his assistance.
From time to time poor Ezra still further
wv Aho opp AdllO ny DCAD pIOiup
almost to the moment in the repayment of
these advances. But at last there came a
season when all his undertakings were
more or less unfortunate, and the Townley
loan, this time amounting to $50, remained
a couple of months overdue.
For the first month, with a magnanimity
surprising even to himself, David affected
to disregard the delay, but as the second
month wore on no ha0oma innatient ond
finally logged a trihe sharply the memory
of his unfortunate debtor.
II amt a hard man. Ezra" he said. 'but
/ think it's high time that money was paid,
and If you can make 1t convenient I'd like
1t by the last of the week"
Despite the lack OF faculty it was Ez-
ra's first experience OF being dunned, and
yet Of himself he took no umbrage at it.
He was ~singularly loyal in his nature, and
he tried to argue with himself that David
did no more than right in thus demanding
his own. He even attempted to find Scrip
ture as Justification, but here the evidence
all seemed upon the other side. Ezra's
Bible contained no praise for the man who
was so overcareful that he could crowd an
honest brother in his hour Of need, and,
so far as the searcher was concerned, the
only result attained was that he felt i'm
PEELED to choose as the theme for the fol-
lowing Friday-night prayer meeting the
corroding power of the love Of riches.
During the day or two which interviewed,
while straining every nerve to scrape to-
gether the money required of him. he still
found time to amplify his text. and when,
at the last moment, he sat down. as was
his custom, to scratch off a few unmethod-
at the ease with which he filled an ample
sheet of paper. Generally, though the gift
of e4tepporizing was his TO ,emarkah'e
and necessity were alike a delusion. a great
source of labor to him; but this night his
pen seemed a fountain Of thought; and
when he laid ii down he felt that he 'oulG as
easily have filled a volume as a mere sheet,
He never needed to look at those notes
after writing them. Indeed. as / have i'm
piled, he never need to write them. but as
some orators have been known to depend
upon a coat button fer inspiration. so Ezra
pinned his faith in this harmless habit. and
with a few random thought and texts
scrubbed off beforehand, he felt fortified TO
eXhort a multitude.
a pocket wherein he had already placed the
envelope containing David ,CoWnley's $50;
occasioned by the gathering together of the
latter, II is a curious fact, that once started
upon the familiar road toward the meeting
house. the written notes monopolized his
thoughts almost to the exclusion of the
bank notes. He even passed the Townley
homestead in his preoccupation, and when
at lHe turn Ol luC TOdu aUty Ohu ne tlCOuH-
tered David. 1t was with the .rapt man
ner of the religious enthusiast still upon
him hat he drew from his pocket the
precious package, and presenting it said
You'll send me a receipt in the morning.
David?'
having first carefully deposited the en-
velope in a very secure breast pocket;
looked after him with a dry laugh half half
could contain SO curious a specimen.
1T does beat my time, the shiftlessness
the dark like this and not giving it so
much as a thought, just because he's so
choke fun Of his prayers; I amt got no
my money, anyhow
Half an hour later, however, this cause
| Of complacency was taken from him. Go
ing to his desk. ready In his cvn prompt.
careful way TO write out the receipt re-
quired of him. he discovered TO his amaze
ment that he had not got the money after
all. He still had the package Ezra had
given him. but it contained no $50; ana, as
If to add insult to injury. what 1t did con
tain was a long succession OF texts with
thoughts thereupon. and the trst text
which the irate eyes rested read as
follows: nod
already received your consolation
A milder or more reasonable man might
have argued from the first the probability
of a mistake. but in all the days or ms me
mildness was a virtue TO which David
ToWnley laid no claim, and hrst and last ne
felt f~uriously certain that no mistake could
have occurred in SO apt and maddening a
manner.
uncomfortable rage. Daring to cheat me
ont Of nv lawful money and then throw
his Scripture snivellings in my teeth. But
I'll preach him a sermon; Ill give him
something to think over before his next
prayer meeting" -.
And so. i'm wrath which grew hotter with
every moment, he rushed out into the dark
ness and waylaid the unfortunate Ezra. re-
turning from meeting tranquil and salts
fed, filed with a peace which was quick
ly submerged in the torrent OF words now
emptied upon him-a peace which deserted
him completely when. thinking he saw how
the misunderstanding had happened. he
| shamefacedly searched each or his pockets
in succession, and In no one of them could
discover the fatal envelope which was TO
conciliate his foe.
Then it was that the demon OF. anger and
mistrust entered even into the deacon 5
gentle soul, and he cried:
Il believe you have the money all the
time. How else could Ii get out of my
| pocket? 1t was in there with the paper.
and if I gave you one | gave you the other.
i amt the sort of a man TO be made a
swindler of, even by you. L guess If the
town vote was called for 'twould go the
other way"
After that, of course, words on both sides
followed fast and furious; but while the
words multiplied the money failed to ma
terialize, and pending their temperance
the first angry accusation of each man be-
came in time his settled conviction.
With a bitterness of soul entirely foreign
to him, Ezra was compelled TO make good
the loss. and soon after doing so was
stricken with the mortal illness which sew
eral months later terminated his life; but
in sickness as in health-yea. in the very
hour of death-his enemy remained i'm
placable. and the lost money did not come