The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-08-11
ne discovers that he's given me two

Then he went into the house and
explained the occurrence to his wife
"That's not your lookout if he
gave you too much money" said she.
lust forget all about it and let me
have the extra twenty-dollar note. ]
can make good use of it to buy the
children coats this fall. Dear knows
they need them bad enough"
Martha I'm surprised at you p
exclaimed Nathan. "That would be
dishonest. This money doesn't be-
long to us.
"That's just like you p retorted
his wife. Dishonest Pooh I'd
just like to know how that man who
gave it to you made it. People that
ride around in automobiles don't al
ways make their money honestly"
"That may be true, but it doesn't t
give us the right to be dishonest
"Oh, we'll Suit yourself! The
chances are that the man has so much
money that he will never miss what
he gave you. OF course if he doesn't
come back in a day or two you can
keep it."
81 will keep it for him till he does
come back, if it's one day, or two, or
a year." said Nathan. "I'm not
going to take what doesn't belong to
me-"
"All right If you want to be so
foolish, do it !" exclaimed his wife
angrily.
So Nathan took the twenty-dollar
note, placed it in an evelope marked,
"This belongs to man who owns a
large, red automobile. June sd,
1906" and put it in the bottom of
the cash drawer in his safe.
Week after week passed until three
months had gone, and the owner of
the red automobile did not return for
his money. As Nathan's wife had
prophesied, he evidently had so much
that he did not miss it.
But every day Nathan looked up
and down the pike for some sign of
the red automobile.
He was standing at the store door
one morning in September when an
automobile flew by at rapid rate.
In the front was seated the chauffeur
to whom Nathan had sold the eight
gallons of gasoline some months be-
fore; in the tonneau, the very man
who had given him the extra twenty
| dollar note in mistake.
"Heh Heb Stop p shouted Ma
than, dashing madly after the flying
automobile. "Stop! Stop! Stop p
The machine had gone full quar-
ter of a mile beyond Nathan's place
before it was brought to a halt in
answer to his cries.
"What is it?" demanded the man
in the rear quite impatiently as Ma
than came up.
"It's this" said Nathan. "You're
the man that bought some gasoline
of me in June. You gave me too
r,,.cl, ,,.arAv T.,rr around end come
back. I've got 1t in my safe for you. I"
Impossible p replied the man.
"I do remember buying some gaso-
line of you. I recollect that I gave
you twenty-do1lar note and that
you gave me the change. That was
all right"
eyes yes but you gave me two
twenties," said Nathan earnestly.
"No, you're mistaken" laughed
the man. ST couldn't have done
that"
eyes, you did. Come back. That
twenty's been worrying me ever since,
and want to return it."
"Turn her around, Charley" in
structed the owner of the machine
with a smile. eff this man insists on
making me a present of twenty, I
guess it's worth while to go back
after it..
In few minutes Nathan had the
pleasure cf returning the twenty
dollar bill to its rightful owner.
Thanks, my man." said the
stranger. Twenty isn't very much
to me, but it's refreshing to think that
one can occasionally come across an
honest man. In the business in which
1 happen to be engaged, find very
few of them. Good day, SIR
"Good day." responded Nathan,
and the automobile sped away.
When Nathan told his wife of the
occurrence, she said, "Well, Nathan
Wishman, that's what comes of your
tender conscience. You might have
had that twenty dollars and been well
come to it. Instead of that you let
your foolish ideas of honesty turn
your head"
Mrs. Wishman was not bad wo-
man; she would hotly have resented
being called dishonest; she was simply
observing that universal maxim,
"Look out for No. ~
For some months after this incl
dent things moved in their accustom-
ed way about the Wishman place.
| Customers came and went away salts
fed, Nathan laid aside few dollars
now and then, and his wife scolded
him continually for that supreme
weakness of his-a tender conscience.
Along in late November, when the
frost had taken most of the leaves
from the trees, Nathan was awakened
one night by bright glare at the
window. He jumped out of bed, ran
to the window and looked out.
There, just few hundred feet be-
low him, he saw his store and lumber
piles in flames.
"Martha Martha p he shouted.
"Get up! Get up The place is
burning ''
In an instant his wife was at his
side, and in a moment she realized
what was occurring. One glance told
them both that everything was
doomed.
The fire had gained such headway
that it would have been impossible
even for the fire company at Board.
willie fot1r miles awav. to save il had