Year: 1861

The Deacon who was present anC
, heard these illusions to himself, winceC
and coughed uEeasily. Capt. Ball wen
on without appearing to mind him.
So, said / to the minister, concluded
| would serve the Deacon as he would
probably have served me under similar
circumstances. kept the note by me {
good while, and when ] thought the par
ticulars of our settlement had slipped hi'
mind, ] said to him one day, may be HI
would like to take up that noe which haC
been due considerable time. He wa
urprised-looked excited and angry
said he had paid, and held out soutly fol
a while but there was the note There
was no proof that it had ever been paid
and finally he took his pocket book, and
with some pretty hard words, paid it over
again with interest.


And now, said the minister, what are
you going to do about it


suppose, said |, the money must be
paid back.


So l went to the Deacon the next day
and told him that, on reflection, was
convinced that he was right and was
wrong about the payment Of the note,
and returned him the money-me hun
dred and thirty dollars-a good deal to
his astonishment.


The Deacon coughed, and wiped his
forehead.


hoped then all was right, continued
Capt. Ball. | tried to satisfy my con-
science that it was all. But was afraid
to 60 back to the minister, he has such a
way of stirring up the conscience and
finding mud at the bottom, whenw we fiat
ter ourselves that because it is out of sight
there is not any impurity there. And /
knew that as long as dreaded to see the
minister something must be wrong; and
on carefully looking into my heart the
little matter of mortgage which fore
closed on poor man, and got away his
farm, when be had no suspicion but /
would give him time to redeem it. BY
that means, | had got into my possession
| property worth two thousand dollars, for
which / did not actually pay, and for
which Isaac Dorr never realized more
! than half that amount. But the procee-
ding was entirely legal, and tried TO ex-
cuse myself. But my awakened con-
science kept saying;


You have taken a poor mans land
without giving him just return; the
law of God condemns you, although the
law Of man sanctions the wrong. You
shall have no peace of soul-your heart
will burn you--until with justice you
wipe out your own injustice to him and
all others whom you have wronged.


Against the decree of my conscience
| rebelled long time. 1t was bard for
me to raise thousand dollars, together
with the interest from the time the mort
gage was foreclosed; and it was like ia
king portion of my life to be obliged to
subtract so much money from my gains,
and give it to a man who had no legal
claim upon me. Igroaned and mourned
over it in secret, and tried to pray, but
that mortgage came right up between my
prayer and God, and heaven looked dark
and frowning through it. At last could
not resist the appeals of conscience any
longer, and | went again to the minister,
told him my troubles, and asked him what
| should do.


There is a simple test, said he. Do
you love your neighbor as yourself? If
you do, you will be just to him if it takes
the last dollar you have in the world.


That was terrible sentence. l went
out staggering from il as if had receiv
ed blow.


o God I said, how can be Chris
tian?


But | had help beyond myself, other
wise | could never have ended that strug-
gle. knelt before God, and solemnly
vowed for bis sake, for the sake of his
pardon and love, l would not only do
Justly to the poor man l had wronged,
but would give up, if need be, all l had
in the world, so that might have peace
in him. A strange, soothing influence
came over my soul, and voice seemed
to say, "Though you lose all you have.
God, and Christ, and the blessings of
heart pure and at peace, shall be left you
the best and only source of happiness
in life." And in the solemn night time,
after gave up the struggle, that comfort
came to to me so great and precious, that
1 felt willing, if it would only stay with
me, to accept poverty and go into the
world poor and despised, hugsing that
DrioalaSu blae-in0 in nv heart. l'he next