The Southern herald., 1902-02-07


downtown as asquickly as possible. The
passenger paid his fare and slipped
the 20 cents change into his pocket.
Caleb rather expected the 20 cents
back, but he wouldn't have spoken
Of 1t for 20 times the amount. Pres
ently the passenger walked over and
took seat by Caleb, Il want your
card, > he said to the tailor.
"Oh, that's nothing said Caleb:
got in a fix like that on a car myself
once"
"Iinsist upon hayingy address" I"
said the stranger, 'and l won't feel
comfortable unless You give it tome. +"
Caleb pulled out a rather soiled card
giving his name and the location Of
his dingy little shop, The passenger
thanked him, put it in his pocket, but
made no movement to return the 20
cents.
Caleb went lunchless that day be-
cause no delinquent customer came in
to pay up, and though Caleb was a
lender he was no borrower. Not a
cent came in all day, He walked
home that evening. Grief. but his
wife gave it to him, Caleb was always
truthful. lie told the tale of his "a
cents and how he didn't get his change
back, His wife called him an addle-
pated fool, said that he'd been
swindled by sharper, and the mean
est kind of sharper at that. because
he would stoop to stealing such petty
amount. Caleb was told thatno good
on earth could ever come out Of what
he was pleased to call generosity.
Caleb fell asleep to his wife's scold-
ings, but she was at again the next
morning, and told him that gener-
osity, like charity, should begin at
home. "Neyer so long as YOU live, "
said she, "will you be able to show me
a single return for your idiotlc con.
duct"
A week passed, Caleb had not
thought much about the quarter af-
fair. He was dimly conscious, how
ever, that he felt a little disappoint-
ment because the stranger whose face
he had liked and whose fare he had
paid had not returned the loaned
money. 1t wasn't the quarter, but
Caleb hated TO have his judgment Of
human nature 60 astray. He would
have given the quartcrcven if ftheman
had had a villainOus face. but this
was one instance where Caleb was
really hurt to think that he had made
a mistake in the reading ofhuman ma
ture. Some such thought as this was
running in his mind when the door
opened, Caleb looked up from his
goose. There stood the man whose
car fare he had paid and who had for
gotten to return the change.
Good morning, Mr.. Billings" he
said. Il was called out of town with
in an hour after | left the car the
other morning, and this is the first
chance I've had to see you. Here's
your 90 cents change. Islippcd | it in
my pocket from pure force Of habit
instead of giving it to you. Besides
that. am absent minded. ! under
stand, Mr.. Billings, that YOU were
once cutter for Lamprey & Co., the
great custom tailOrs. ! am also told
that YOU were the best cutter they had.
They have always made my clothes
and those Of my children. need d
large wardrobe Winter is coming on.
! You NAV measure me for two winter
overcoats, a driving coat and two
suits, one sack and one cutaway. |
see that double-brcastcd frOcks are
going out, so I'll need new single
breasted one. And, by thrway, lneed
a new Tuxedo and a new Gress suit. !
was going TO order all these just
round the corner, so no thanks,
please. OF course, you'll need money
TO get the material. Here's 5000. III
send my boys into be measured to-
morrow"
Three weeks later Caleb Billings
handed his wife $3.50, clean and le-
gitimate profit on the clothes he haC
made for the family of the man whose
car fare he had paid. Mrs. Billings
grabbed the money a bit guttonously
"Caleb." she said, when this man
came into the shop first what did hc
do?7
"He gave me the 20 cents change
from the quarter ! loaned him." said
| Caleb. .
"Caleb." said Mrs. Billings. will
YOU never learn wisdom? That man
still owes you a nickel."-Chlcagt
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