The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-08-11
THE TENDER CONSCIENCE OF NATHAN.
A Countryside Story Of Etorekeeper, With
an Automobile Annex and Fire
Insurance Test.
BY JOHN P. eUcKEs.

BY JOHN P. GUcKEs.
Nathan Wishman was the squarest
man in Eastgrove township.
He ran the feed store and coal and
lumber yard at the junction of the
Eastgrove pike and the Habermehi
road. Within few hundred feet of
his place of business stood his home,
sheltering a wife and two children.
Nathan's word was as good as a
government bond. Nathan's honesty
was household saying in four town.
ships.
When he sold a bushel of oats it
contained thirty-two quarts and not
thirty lone. His coal always came
twenty-five hundred and forty pounds
to the ton, whether the buyer weighed
it or not.
If a man ordered ten pounds of
timothy seed and turned his face
away from the scales he didn't get
nine pounds and, fourteen ounces.
And no matter whether a man was
rich or poor, or bought one load or
twenty, Nathan's prices were the
same. They always included fair
profit and nothing more.
YOU'RE entirely too conscientious
for your own good," complained his
wife. eff you had raised the price
of coal two dollars a ton during the
strike no one would have complained
and we would have been a few hum
dred dollars richer"
IA few hundred richer in pocket,
perhaps" agreed Nathan, 'but a
few thousand poorer in our own esti-
nation and that of the poor people
Of whom we took advantage. No,
Martha, I would rather be poor and
have a clear conscience than be the
richest man in the world and feel that
what 1 had I had taken from others. !"
You'll potter along all your life
and never make a successful business
man," snapped his wife. People
49%N,e a~1>ec+ z,~s. 70 he a.. 4-cse1 ~,
business"
mo, not an angel, but an honest
man, and that's all am"
The Wishmans found it hard to
make ends meet at times. Taxes and
insurance premiums and interest on
the mortgage came around with alarm
ing frequency, and it was about all
that Nathan could do to pay them
promptly and lay aside few hundred
dollars year against paying off the
mortgage some day.
When automobiles began to spin
along the pike, Nathan saw that he
might add to his slender income by
laying in a supply of gasoline and dis
posing of it to motorists. There was
scarcely place between him and the
city, thirty miles below, which sold
gasoline, so that he had good trade
from the start.
Every day an automobile or two
stopped to replenish its supply. Ma
than charged only twelve cents gal
lon for the fluid, and the people who
bought it did not hesitate to tell him
that it was a low price.
"Its enough for me-" Nathan
would reply. "I'm charging what I
think is right and I don't care what
other dealers do"
His wife demonstrated and the
neighbors called him unbusinesslike.
1.-THE people from the city that buy
from you could easily afford to pay
more and would do so, they said.
To which Nathan replied eff I
charged any more I would be cheat
ing them. The profit is pretty high
already"
One day a big, red automobile came
limping along the pike. The chauf-
feur stopped it at Nathan's store and
inquired, where can I get some
gasoline around here? I've pretty
nearly run dry"
"Right here" answered Nathan.
In few minutes lie had filled the
automobile tank.
"I'll pay for that. How much is
it 7" said an elderly gentleman in the
tonneau, evidently the owner of the
machine.
Eight gallons, ninety-six cents, "
replied Nathan.
"Hem, that's cheaper than in the
city," returned the stranger, fumb-
ling in his pocketbook. "I haven't
anything less than a twenty-dollar
note. Have you the changer"
''I think have" said Nathan.
He took the crisp new bank-note,
went into the office and in a minute
returned with the proper changer"
"There you are, sir" said he,
counting it out. "Stop again if you
need gasoline when along this way.
Good day."
The automobile puffed away auG
Nathan returned to his Office. He
picked up the twenty-dollar note from
where he had laid it upon his desk ii
haste.
It was so nice and new and crisI
that he felt it for several second!
before consigning it to his casf
drawer. Then he discovered sur
prising fact. Instead of one twenty
dollar note, there were two, stuck
closely together.
Without seconds hesitation, Ma
than jumped up and ran out into th'
road with the intention of calling bacl
the owner of the automobile. But
had already passed out of sight.
"That's unfortunate !'' he exclaim
| al HR,f tha ,nou'1l he hack whe,