Year: 1864

n


The down train was three hour
+ late. We were were sitting aroun
the red hot stove in the station houst


waiting with all the patience we CO


command for the coming train, dis
posing ourselves as best we could t


kill time.


, Within it was cheerful enough, bu


without clustering, driving suo,


was beating down, and any perso


venturesome enough to 20 outsid


for a moment, was glad TO beat


hasty retreat to the fire. As one re


marked "the snow cut ones iace as /


1t was snowy needles" Huge drift,


were being piled up on the track ant


our prospects for getting off were Iii


milishing every moment, for no Ell.
gine could 60 through such mount.
ans of snow which were being piled
higher with o..ory Hcsu Dlast. y
small party were seated in the cor
ner, and each were helping while
away the time by giving their expert.
encc Of some incident of their lives.
II do not know that I can tell any
story that will interest you," spoke
the third man, qnict little person
who had here. fore kept silent. "but
! will tell you Of little sharp Gnan-
cial practice that / was once interest
ed in ut this very station Some
years ago this was an important din
ing station where the trains stopped
for refreshments aud it was then very
different from what YOU see it to-
night. was ut that time employed
by the company to stand ut the din
ing room door and collect the fare
for meals of the passengers. In
those days there were rascals travel
ling rs well rs honest people, and if
39NuQtridlG'6 '6r broken bank money, it
was generally offered as it was sup
posed that money could not be very
closely scrutnnizcd at an Getting house
door, where change was always made
in hurry--but it was quite the con-
trary, for the best judges of money
are always selected for such places
| had been unusually lucky, having
got clear of taking any, although it
was offered me nearly every day.


Having been called away for n
couple of days, the man who took my
place put the money in my hands on
my return, and amongst it was n five
dollar and a three dollar bill--nice
new looking money, but perfectly
worthless in there being no such cx-
istcnce.


This was n poser, as I had to re-
turn all good money TO the company
the poor money was charged to me.


Well, I kept these bills in my pocIi-
ct till they became perfct eye sore
to me. was poor and could illy az
ford to lose it, still l could not make
mp my mind to try and pass them
Finally after several more had tried
to palm off poor money on me, con-
cluded that it WAS a poor rule that
would not work both WAYS. SO one
I smothered conscience and
took out the money. But no one Of
fcred me any large, bill so l had to
put it back in my pocket again.


Several days passed with the same
result, and I had about come to the
that I would have to be
honest in spite Of myself, when one
three sedate-looking gentle.
men passed into breakfast and after
they had eaten, two OF them passed
into breakfast and after they had eat
en-, two of them passed out, leaving
the third one TO pay the bill, he final.
" came 70 the door and handed me,
O Heavens n ten dollar bill. How
my heart palpitated and how my hand
shook here was n chance of q thous-
and, n man with ten dollar bill, and
| was certain no Judge Of money. r
handed him the five and the three and
a half dollar in silver. 1--WE used gold
and silver in those days.) He care.
lcssly glanced Mt the money, put it in
his pocket aud quietly got on the
train, my heart misgave me a good
deal for perhaps he was a poor man
and could not afford to lose so much,
and 7 was guilty Of a crime, feeling
that | had never experienced before.
While | was thinking over these
things and had about made up nv
mind to 90 in search Of the man aud
make amends for what ] had done -
The conductor cried all aboard,-the
bell rang. the train moved Off. aud |
was left alone with my reflections and
my ten dollar bill, stood there few
minutes mechanically looking over
the money in nv hand, when nlancing
at one Of the bills | gave a sudden
start--and what do you think? The
ten dollar bill that the rascal had Civ
on me was the basest counterfeit that
| ever saw. In my anxiety to dis
pose of my own worthless money, I
had entirely overlooked the posi-
hility that the man with the solemn
countenaAce might perhaps be trying
the same trick on me.


could easily account now how he
had only glanced at my money and
did not wonder that he hurried on
the train. | could sec it all now, |
had been beat at my own game, and
I could not blame the man. With a
heavy heart put two dollars more TO
profit and loss and that closed my
experience in that kind Of fnancier-
ing.