The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-05-17
The POINT OF HONOR.
A TRUE STORY OF THE HEROIC AGE
IN OLD VIRGINIA.
by GEORGE CAREY EGGLEsToN.

In telling this story shall use
fictitious names. Otherwise the
tale is a record of facts. The
principal parsonage, whom | will
call Carleton Coke, because that
was not his name, was not q rich
man as we reckon riches nova
days. But in Virginia in the old
days he was regarded as very
comfortable. That is to say, he
owned one plantation near Rich
mond whose lavish hospitality ex-
ceeded it's productive capacity by
several thousand dollars a year,
and two plantations in Mississip-
pi that were profitable enough to
make good the deficiency, with
ten or fifteen thousand dollars a
year to spare.
Better still, his credit was un-
disputed, and to the Virginian of
those old days credit was vastly
more important than cash. l
shall never forget how he made
me ride forty miles through a
cruel winter storm in order to
pay a few hundreds of dollars to
a friend to whom he owed the
sum. The friend observed that
as nothing in the world could
tempt him out in the storm to
use the money, he could not see
why Mr.. Coke had made anybody
face the bitter weather in order
to place it in his hands. But
when | repeated his remark Mr..
Coke said "Never in my life
have failed to pay debt-big
or little-on the day that it was
due. That is why my credit is
always good"
But he enjoyed another kind of
credit that was even better. He
was the best loved and most hon
ored gentleman in all the country
side-the one man whose word
was law to all his neighbors.
He had a friend whom | will
call William b. Arkwright. He
was man of as 'good family" as
any in Virginia. But he was not
prosperous. His planting was
successful enough, and he might
have lived comfortably upon it's
proceeds. But he was visionary.
He was given to projects, each of
which he expected to yield him a
great fortune, but each of which
left him with a somewhat heavier
debt than before to carry.
1t was in his enthusiasm for
one of these projects that Ark
wright one day asked Carleton
Coke to help him to funds by en-
dorsing his note. The request
was declined on the ground that
the project was visionary and un-
certain, and would probably have
no other result than that of
plunging it's author into new diff
culties.
n
Three months later, Carelton
Coke received notice from bank
in Richmond that a note for
$4,000, indorsed by himself, would
fall due in a few days.
He went to the bank and asked
to see the note. 1t had been ex
ecuted by William B. Arkwright.
1t bore Mr.. Coxe's Endorsement,
forged by it's maker, unquestion-
ably in full confidence that he
would be able to meet the obliga-
ton and thus wrong no one. 1t
was the old story of good inten-
tions thwarted.
Without a word as to the for
gerry, Carleton Coke took up the
note, giving his own obligation in
it's stead. Meantime, Arkwright
went South upon some plea of
business and his family heard
no more of him. Nevertheless, a
name that had always been held
in honor, was saved from dis
grace by the act of self-sacritice.
And the self-sacrifice was the
greater because that year gin
house fire had burned CoXe's
Mississippi cotton crop and thus
deprived him of his income.
Arkwright had disappeared,
but no shadow of scandal rested