The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1903-09-08
A HORSE TRADE.
by $. e. KrsER.

Once there were two men who traded
horses. Zach traded Tor tue purpose OF
cheating the other, and after getting
home and examining his property eacn
ielt that he had succeeded in his de-
sign.
After that they would take round
about ways to avoid meeting, and in
eime each came to have hang-dog look.
People wondered at the change which
nad come over these two men. They had
formerly been good citizens and steady
church members. Both had been genial,
nale fellows, who had cracked their hon
est country jokes and laughed loudest
at them themselves, but after the horse
trade they lost their old gayety of spir-
its.
They kept away from church; they
avoided not only each other, but their
neighbors, and from cheerful old souls
they became sour-looking fellows, who
went about continually dreading some
hing that they thought was sure to
aappen or that might happen II 1t didn't
turn out otherwise.
But one day the horse that Brown had
traded to White lay down and died
White was filed with joy. He felt that,
after all, he had not cheated the other
man. His conscience seemed to pull
iarge, jagged prod out of him. He even
went out behind the barn and whistled,
Just to make sure that he hadn't forgot
Ten how. He was glad that he was not
cheat altar n Nd haf ho oCt,Id cff1l
look the world in the face.
IN go to Brown" he said to himself,
"and forgive him for gouging me- can
afford to be magnanimous. for wicked
ness is its own punishment. l wish
somebody knew about this. / hate to
go around just keeping 1t to myself.
never thought before that I'd ever be
glad to get cheated. but it's one of the
pleasantest things | know of. | wish
could afford it right along. The old
worlds all right. It's the finest place
I've ever seen and one of the best things
n 1t is that old, dead horse out there"
Now 1t happened that while White
was having all this pleasure Brown, too,
was happy. His horse had fallen dead
Of old age and general debility, and he,
therefore, supposed that he was the
cheated one. He was so glad that he ate
five or six green apples without noticing
what he did. The sour look left his
face and he ran out to the road where a
boy was riding past on milk cart to
cut up with him and plague him about
the Addison girl with the wart on her
chin.
Il must go and forgive White for
wronging me-" he said to himself, land
we'll be friends again. If he has the
courage to look me in the face, and at
night | won't hear the crickets all say
ing, Cheat. cheat. cheat, any more"
So he set off down the road, humming
Nelly Gray as he went. and surprising
the people he met by joking with them in
the old way.
Presently he saw White coming to-
ward him. He was sorry that a large
crowd would not be present when they
met. He wanted other people to see
how pleasant he was going to be while
shoveling Goals of fire on his old
friends head. At the same time similar
thoughts filled the mind Of White. AS
hey came nearer each ran forward, with
4 happy countenance, and an out
stretched hand, not quite understanding
why the other didn't hang back and look
guilty.
My dear old friend" said Brown, as
they met. Il want to forgive you"
Il was just going over to forgive
you," replied White. 1.-THE horse you
traded me dropped dead this morning
You cheated me, but I'll not hold
grudge against you. l."
What! Me cheat you'll Not much! You
cheated me. The horse got from you
in that trade died of old age couple of
hours ago. But forgive you. Let's let
bygones be bygones"
Then they stared at each other for a
moment. and began backing away,
while the guilty looks returned
When he got home Brown sat down
and thought. At length he seemed to
have it figured out.
by jing!" he said, al believe a man
that wants to cheat and can't get the
nance is just as bad as the fellow that
ioes and gets caught at II"
But White looked at it in another
way.
Darn it," he said to himself, now
won't have chance to go to church and
look at Browns empty seat there and
feel like boy that got licked for steal
ing piece of pie that they've Just found
out somebody else took"
Many a mans conscience is in his
liver.-Chicago Record Herald.
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