The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1904-01-29
A HORSE TRADE.


Ouce there were two men who traded /
horses. Each traded for the purpose OF |
cheating the other. and after getting |
home and examining his property each |
felt that he had succeeded in his de- |
sign.
After that they would take round |
about ways TO avoid meeting, and in
time each came to have ahang-dog look |
People wondered at the change which |
had come over these two men. They had .
formerly been good citizens and steady
church members. Both had been genial,
hale 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
thing that they thought was sure to
happen or that might happen II ii 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
large. 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
a cheat. after all, and that he could still
look the world in the face
"I'll 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 wish
somebody knew about this | hate to
go around just keeping ii 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
in It is that old. dead horse out there. "
Now it 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. lie 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
boy was riding past on a milk cart to
/ cut up with him and plague him about
the Addison girl with the wart on her
chin.
Il must 60 and forgive White for
wronging me-" he said to himself. "and
well be friends again. II 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 large
crowd would not be present when they
met lie wanted other people to see
how pleasant he was going to be while
shovellng Goals Of fire on his old
friends head At the same time similar
thoughts filed the mind Of White. AS
they came nearer each ran forward. with
happy countenance, and an out
stretched hand. not quite understanding
J. H. Fr Trr H. Lao Il To- Il
guilty.
MY dear old friend" said Brown. as
they met. Il want TO forgive you"
II was just going over to forgive
YOU" replied White. "The horse you
traded me dropped dead this morning.
You cheated me, but I'll not hold
grudge against you. /"
What Me cheat youl Not much You
cheated me- The horse | got from you
in that trade died of old age a couple Of
hours ago. But forgive you. Let's let
bygones be bygones."
Then they stared at each other for
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 II figured out
by jingl" he said. 81 believe a man
that wants to cheat and can't get the
chance is Just as bad as the fellow that
does and gets caught at H."
But White looked at it in another
way.
Darn IT." he said to himself. now
won't have a chance to 90 to church and
look at Browns empty seat there and
feel like a boy that got licked for steal
/ ing a piece Of pie that they've just found
ont somebody else took"
Many a mans conscience Is In his
liver.-Chicago Record Herald.