Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1897-07-07
uHAppREclAteD HONESTY.
Pride and Fall of the Man Who DalIlsd
 With the Postofiee.

Pride and Fall of the Man Who DalIled
 With the Postofaee.
 You can't always tell about hon. esSy. Sometimes you sec a man making q great show of it just for the sako of tho show, not for the sake of the honesty. The other day Q man wont to the postoffice and asked for two cent stamps. He laid down his diIne, took his two stamps, put them in a pocket case and wont away. Three or four days afterward he had occasion to use one of them. Just as he was about to stick it on tho letter he had written he noticed that itwas a 6oent stamp instead of a , center.
 What do carer" he said to him. solf. If 6 cents will send the letter, 6 will. :"
 Then it occurred to him that the clerk who had sold tho stamps was out 2 cents for the mistake.
 IT can't help it, i" tho buyer ar gued. Tt wasn't my fault, and it's too far to go to tho postoffice now for 2 cents. It's honest, of course, but it's only cents. How it would paralyza the clerk. though, to have mo 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 theso stamps anyway, hard and good, to some body way up. They're just like the fves in size, shape and color. No i wonder ho made tho mistake. By | love, I'll 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 postofiCe to makea show of his hon. esty. There was long line of men waiting their turns to transact busi- ness at the stamp window. Tho hon. est man waited patiently and used up several dollars worth of time trying to give back ? cents that didn't belong to him. At last he got his place at the window.
 T bought these two stamps here the other day." he began, for cent stamps.
 Those in tho waiting line began to crowd up to hear the kick, and the face of tho stamp clerk took on an expression just shade more tired than usual.
 But they 're. 6 cent stamps, went on tho honest man, land the clerk must be out cents. so I want to give them back.
 The stamp clerk opened his eyes bit wider and stopped down to get good look at tho honest man through the little half window. 4 murmur of approval ran through the crowd. The honest man swelled out with the consciousness of his own up rightness. The stamp olerk fooled with his stamps and then said:
 You didn't buy 'em of me.
 No, answered the honest man, it was another clerk. don't be- lieve I'd know him. though, if I should see him. I wasn't long enough at tho window"
 Well, said the clerk very dis tin, ily, II can't tako your cents. Tho other clerk has lost it, that's all. The government isn't out any. thing, and I can't tako it. I'll give you , cent stamps if you like. '" and he reached out for the centers.
 Tho honest man was the surprised 1 ono, so surprised that for Q moment ho oouldn t think of anything to say. Then ke blurted out:
 "Why-why can't you take 'eni. not mino. I paid for flves and got sixes. " tl
 Tho clerk leaned forward and 1rawled out so that half the men in line could hear 1t:
 How do know that you are not : m inspector laying trap to catch me?"
 Tho honest man thrust his hands n his overooat pockets and strode lway with muttered "Well, I'm l--dP' and half a dozen of the nen began to whistle "There Are Others. Now York Sun.