Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1911-03-16
WHY DAVE HELPED TIE
WIDOW.
(By ii. l. Cobb.)

a very poor boy. His father had
been poor and close and mean,
with small ideas, and put in so
much time chasing pennies and
nickles that he never succeeded in
capturing many dollars.
But az a money-maker Dave
was a success. He was just as
hard and close as his father;
money-making being his only
virtue, and, like great many
other money-makers, tlattered-
himself with the belief that it was
an indication of a very superior
order Of intelligence, and seemed,
to think he ought to be an honored
man in the neighborhood because
he owned six hundred acres of
land and long hank account.
While it may be true that Dave
inherited a degree Of selfishness
from his father, it is also true
that he cultivated the principle
till he was wellnigh on level
with the brute creation.
Now it happened that Dave
had a very poor neighbor, Widow
Ross. who had number of small
children to support by her wash
ing, who had been stricken with
fever and who had to be cared for
by the neighbors.
When Dave was appealed to for
aid for the stricken family, by a
good woman, he bluntly refused
to give anything, declaring that
he had nothing to do with such
poor trash, and that he was not
the cause of her misfortune, and
that he worked for what he had
and if he gave it all away he
would be a beggar himself. He
might have said much more if the
good woman had permitted him
but she broke in and said, "Dave
billiard, may the Lord have mercy
on your poor, stingy, selfish soul
hope You will not have to face
this poor widow and her children
at the judgment. Dave stood
nonplussed, for she had left with.
out giving him a chance to reply
| Dave had been told that he was
a mean man many times before
but generally by some man whom
he had squeezed" in money
matters; but this was the first
time he had ever been told so by
a woman, and it hurt his vanity
and made him feel uncomfortable
and the last words of the woman
II hope you will not have to face
this poor widow and her children
at the judgment" seemed to stick
in his mind, and he could not dis
miss it, try as he would.
Supper time passed, bed time
came, and still the, now hated.
words of the woman rang in his
ears. Dawes wife saw that some
thing had gone wrong but sup.
posed that it was about money
matters and would have been the
last to guess that he had dis
covered conscience.
1t was long time before Dave
slept that night; but finally obliy-
ion came. The hours of slumber
however, were as fruitful of
trouble as those of the day had
been. He dreamed that he
wandered far away to beautiful
city that was surrounded by walls
of gold and that the many spires
ne could see over the walls were
decorated with the most beautiful
diamonds and pearls that he had
ever seen, and the music that
fioated out on the air was the
most delightful be had ever heard.
He noticed that continuous
stream of people was pouring into
the city. So falling into line he
marched up to the gate and would
have passed In but was halted at
the threshold by a majestic per,
sonage who demanded; "Ry what
right do you demand an en-
trancef"
Dave tried TO sneak Int yvas nm