The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-03-14
al Iittle Bor,s Temntation.

! 1t all happened in a very few mo-
mentS, but it was a serious battle while
it lasted. The visiting doctors had de-
parted, the head nurse returned to the
ward, and Willie Shelton, elevator boy,
porter, and general usefulness" as
one of the house surgeons called him,
came in through the main entrance of
! the hospital from an errand up town.
A roll of greenish brown something
lay on the floor a few steps from the
doorway. More from force of habit, the
boy stopped to pick it up, thinking it
one of the many scraps of paper he
gathered for the waste basket during
the course of a day. What was his
amazement to discover a thick roll of
ten-dollar bills, much soiled and
frayedl
There is a feeling, a sort of half saw
age instinct in us, particularly in chill
dren, of ownership in whatever is come
upon by chance On elaboration we
would be Mortified at entertaining such
a thought, which would scarcely be ac-
knowledged even to ourselves; never
theless it passes like a faint glimmer
through the mind. Gazing on the notes,
the boys first distinct thought was that
DR.. Jones had dropped them going out,
as he had met the doctor at the corner.
He walked out into the bright sun
light with the intention of oVertaklng
hin. OF course he would return them.
What a. lot of money, and all that could
be done with it, All unsought came
the vision of the careworn mother,
hard working, patient and oh! so good,
toiling for scant wages in the big WOOL
en- mill down by the river. Only that
morning she had spoken of the rent
about due, and she did try hard to
I0nPS
down the street. How many rolls like
this had passed through the great
mans hands! Mother might get that
new dress she wanted-she might take
a trip to see Granny away off IN the
little farm house among the hills
The tired little feet dragged slowly
along. 1t belonged to DR.. Jones, who
was always good to everyone. Then
the faint whispers of the tempter came
back-poor little sister, whose BABY eyes
glistened when passing the SHINING WIN
dows of the toy store yesterday;
"Rrother. if 1 only had doll like that!
and his promise that she would get one
some day. What infinite POSSIBILITIES
Law within his reach just then!
DIR. Jones was still in sight; he could
not have missed the money yet; per-
hans would not until night, and then
would he think of the hospital, much
less would he connect the elevator boy
with the affair? 1t was such small
thing from the doctors store of plenty.
a man reeled around the corner with
flushed face and torn coat. Willie
stopped suddenly he should ever
come to thatl The man brushed rough
lv mast him. Unconsciously the child
fingers closed tighter over the money
bnld in his pocket. 1t may have been
the soft feeling of the notes; it may
have been his loathing of the creature
gone by; whatever it was his whole
soul awakened to the reality that ne
wars on the verge of stealing-that he
wished to keep what was not his own!
The idea filled him with deep self-con-
tempt. Truly he was the lowest OF the
low-he could cheat the man who had
been Kindness itself to him, ever since
he worked in the hospital.
Fearful lest the temptation should re-
turn and trying to Danish the Thought
of so much money in his possession. his
cole aim now was to reach DR.. Jones as
speedily as possible.
The latter had finished talking to
friend and was turning away, when the
boy touched him on the ARM