, 1902-12-08

--.|9R
You have overlooked some items,
SIR" | said.
for conscience sake, and accepted the
position OF assistant bookkeeper with
that big importing house, without a
prospect Of advance beyond bookkeep-
ing all my life, just because l felt that
| could keep my precious silver self
untarniShed by the wicked world.
Il was very proud OF myself when
they advanced me to be head book
keeper, and prouder still when | dis
coveIed an error of my predecessor
whereby the firm had profited two
hundred dollars. | went to no end Of
trouble to correct the books, and
called the attention of the head of the
firm to the fact, sure of his hearty
approval. Did you ever see that white
haired, blue-eyed broadcloth saint, the
head of the importing house? He was
the bright religious beacon of the city.
you know, the very beauty of holiness,
and he stroked his whiskers and
looked me steadily in the eye, and in
his low, smooth, silvery voice, said:
"'Young man, their business is not
yours. Attend strictly to your own
affairs, and always let others discover
and correct mistakes against them
selves
at tool me two days Of struggling
-,fkl -,,,oIf o-1 <u,~ r;phtr ~ CLAM.
less agony, before I got that two hun
dred dollars credited back to the firm.
A little later a commission house rem.
dered their statement, and l discov.
cred that in it they had duplicated a
shipment, resulting in a balance due
to us that was some three or four hun
dred dollars too large. l explained the
error to our white-haired saint, but
the following day he settled the &C
count according to the original state.
ment. l thought he must have misun.
derstood me, and at the first oppor,
tunity I reverted to the matter. This
time he hauled me up SO short that 1t
took my breath away.
"'Young man. he said, we don't
hire you to keep books for other pco-
pie That was all, but 1t was more
than a hint, and l took it.
The next error on our side was just
an even hundred; there was no use
mentioning it, I should only be get.
ting myself disliked, but t%hereupon
came the first nick in the silver wash.
1t suddenly occurred to me to appro-
pirate that one hundred dollars to my.
self, saving a deal Of trouble in doc.
toring the books, and doing no injury
to any one.
"Whew! Wasn't 1 thunderstruck by
that first glimpse of pewter! But |
kept saying to myself, Young man. at
tend strictly to your own business and
let others discover and correct mis-
takes against themselves
You remember how l loved her
Hugh, and how she loved me, ever
back in those old college days. and
how it tormented me that in her deli
ate health she must be teaching
school until l could lay up enough tC
provide a home for her. Well, | tell
you truly, my boy, that when my pock
ct was once accustomed to that hun
Hrch dollars. and l to the fact that /
was no more genuine silver than the
venerable head OF the firm, my only
regret was that | did not discover il,
long before and that I had let slip
other opportunities. Nothing more
went past me after that. I promise
you.
.Shn pnynr EnaU M inInnI TIL
every one else she thought me the pur
est of pure silver, and she died-thani
God-without a doubt Of it. But she
lived happier. and she lived longer and
was infinitely more comfortable on &C
count of it, which is good value re
ceived for me. and I'd do the same
again II | we're to start all over to
mC~-~w.
"Oh, yes, helped myself world
without end when l once got my hand
in. Real mistakes came too slowly,
and l invented other ways ur.il l be-
came quite expert at bookkeeping. and
every time that l made an %appropria-
ton l said as a kind OF grace owe it,
Let others discover and correct mis-.
takes against themselves
"All the time I grew in favor with
the firm. The fact is that in time l
came to know too much Of the inner
life of that firm to be left outside the
fold at night. They thought it wiser
to make me one of them, and the first
| knew the dear old man offered to
take me into partnership. 1t vas only
then that fully realized the impossi-
bility OF deserving my pet ledgers. for
by that time I had them in such shape
that a new man could hardly have un-
derstooG them.
Il hesitated and YVES lost. Instantly
| realized that those blue ayes saw me
through and through. and went home
with my heart in my boots. l could
not Eat supper; l could not sit and
look at my wife without biting ny
lips to keep back the tears. Why. l
really thought OF killing her, and then