The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-02-17
He Got His Reward.

A young HAL was eluployeu ny d
large commission firm in New York
city during the late civil war, to negoti-
ate with certain party for lot of
damaged beans. The beans were
purchased, delivered and spread out
upon the upper floor of the building
occupied by the firm.
Men were employed to turn them
over and over, and to sprinkle them
with a solution of soda, 80 as to inn
prove their appearance and render
them more salable. A large lot of the
first quality of beans was then pur-
chased some of the good beans were
first put into barrels, then the barrels
were nearly filled with the poor ones ;
after this the good ones were again put
on the top and the barrels headed up
for sale.
The employer marked the barrels,
"Beans-Al." The clerk seeing this,
said: do you think, sir, that it is
right to mark those beans Al ?"
The employer , retorted sharply :
care you head of the firm ?"
The clerk said no more. The barrel
ing and heading went on. When all
was ready, the beans (many hundreds
of barrels) were put on the market for
sale. Specimens of the best quality
were shown in the office to buyers.
At length a shrewd purchaser came
in (no man is so sharp in business but
he will often meet his equal), exam
ined the samples in the office, inquired
the price, and then wished to see the
stock in bulk. The clerk was ordered
to 60 with the buyer to the upper loft
and show him the stock. Au open
barrel was shown apparently of the
same quality of the sample. The buyer
then said to the clerk:
"Ioung man, the samples of beans
shown me are of the first quality, and
it is impossible to purchase beans any
where IN the market for the price at
which you offer them there is some
thing wrong here. Tell me, are these
beans the same quality throughout the
entire barrel as the appear on the top ?'
The clerk now found himself in a
strange position. He thought, "Shall
lie for my employer, as he undoubt-
edly means / shall, or shall l tell the
truth, come what will?n He decided
for the truth. and said.
''No, sir, they are not"
""Then," said the customer, II do
not want them," and he left.
The clerk entered the office. The
employer said to him: "Did you sell
that man those beans 2"
He said, mo, SIR"
why notW
swell, sir, the man asked me if
those beans were of the same quality
through the entire barrel as they ap-
peared on the top. 1 told him they
were not. He then said: Il do not
want them,' and left"
"Go to the CASHIER" said the en-
ployer, ''and get your wages; We want
you no longer"
He received his pay and left the Of
flee, rejoicing that he had not lied for
the purposes of abetting sordid av-
ariciousness, and benetiting all un-
principled employer.
Three weeks after this the firm
sent after the young clerk, entreated
him to come back again into their en-
ploy, and offered him three hundred
dollars salary more per year than they
had ever before given him.
And thus was his honesty and truth
fulness rewarded. The firm knew and
felt that the man was right, although
apparently they had lost largely by his
honesty. They wished to have him
again in their employ, because they
knew that they could trust him, and
never suffer through fraud and decep.
ton. They knew that their financial
interests would be safe in his custody
They respected and honored that
Young man.