Year: 1873

to take the water out Of his hand.
Not being quite ready to use it put
the envelope of money on top of it.,
| as the most convenient thing to
| keep it hot. L did not turn the super
| scription downward, because l fear
| ed it would betray the suspicion


which / now positively entertained,
of evil intentions on the part of my
| entertainer, who had quilted the
| room as noiselessly as he had en-
| tered; l imagined a great many


ways in which he could have become
| acquainted with the cause of my
| journey, and came rapidly to the
! conclusion that my employers funds
| were in danger. That they were


actually so, became evident before


the night had passed i recalled the


mans countenance ViYidly to my
! recollection, and examined from
! memory his features, 50 as to make


some estimate of the character with


whom l had to deal. Physically he


was more than my equal. When l


first alighted at the house il struck


me had seen him before, and after
| some moments of further and pro-
| found reflection, distinctly recalled
| him to my mind as a merchant who
had dealt with our firm during my
/ earlier connection with it, and who
| had failed through the dishonesty
Of friends whom he had helped.


remembered him as having been


spoken of as being disgusted with
! trade and having sought home in
! the wilderness with his family, and


earning a living, literally by the
| sweat of his brow.


There were but two bedrooms in
! the house, both on the same floor, a


passage which commenced at the
head of the stairs dividing them.
While the thoughts which 1 have
related were passing through my
mind, l heard voices in the other
bedroom, and quietly opened my


door, which my host had closed be-


hind him. Standing out in the pas
sage, could distinguish a mans


and a woman's voice. At first their
language was uninteligible, but


gradually my ear became accustom-
ed to the duty endeayored to put


it to, and / could distinguish that


the burden of their talk wa heir


domestic expenses, and the general


current of their thoughts was the


difficulty of getting through with


certain undertakings which they had
in contemplation, or had commenc-
ed. 1t was evident that the man


was more hopeful than the woman.
My excited Imagination at once


framed the theory that the treasure
in my possession was designed by


them to solve this difficulty, and


that the reluctant man was being


urged on by the less scrupulous or
braVer woman.


A sudden movement of one of
them toward the door caused me to
retreat into my room. | heard the
bolt of their door moved, and sup
posing it was to unfasten it, l hur-
ried back to my own apartment and


caught az the envelope, intending to


hasten it out of sight. In my eager


ness to grasp il, it fell tumbling
with the wafered side uppermost
and opened! The waters had been


so far dissolved by the heat and
moisture as to split in two, leaving
one half of each (there were three)
on the flap and the other half of each
on the body of the envelope. Mean
while, there was no sign or sound of
inroad into my room, of which had
seen it was impossible to fasten the
door, save by moving some of the
furniture against it. / became con-
vinced that as yet everything was


safe, and yielding to a feeling of Gu


riosity 1 drew the money from the
inclosure and counted it over. There
were ten one thousand dollar bills !!
l was astounded, and for the time
forgot the fear that so recently haT-
rassed me. l looked at the memo
randum on the back of the envelope.
1t was ''S5 ,OO0." The letter was
open before me. l read it over. 1t
named five thousand as the sum in
closed. There was evidently an
error. | counted it over again.


before me! Again and again L


counted it. l had been used to


handling large sums, and counting


large sums of money daily; but l
actually found more difficulty in ar


irving at the actual count of the ten


bank bills before me, than ever be-


fore or since encountered in count


ing any sum however large, or how


ever numerous the notes. Finally,


putting a chair against the door, l


spread the notes out singly on the
little table, in a row, and counted


them with my finger. Then made


two rows of five each, and again
counted them-then five rows of
two each, and counted them. l
finally, though slowly, became salts
fed that l had in my possession


double the amount of money l was


expected to deliver to my employ


ers' agent. Temptation entered my
soul. Five thousand dollars would


relieve me of all my debts. Here it


was within my grasp. L had but to
seal up the envelope by re-wetting


the waters, inclosing but half the


money, and deliver it sealed to the
agent, and my trust would be, to all
appearance, faithfully discharged.
! Once the thought occurred that pos
sibly it was a trap set for me by my
EMPLOYERS. But their confidence in


me was unbOunded, and the suspi-
cion was dismissed.s l do not at
| tempt to glaze over the dishonesty
of what l contemplated. But l had


been so increasingly worried and
| annoyed by domestic troubles aris-
| ing from limited resources, and so
prosecuted by creditors that | al


most argued myself into the con-
viction that appropriating the mon
ey was simply authorized self-de-


Tense. l would pay my debts, get
| clear of the world once more, insist


upon my wife's adopting my views
of iVing-saYe money-get into


business for myself-and finally pay
back the sum.


l concluded to leave the envelope
unfastened till morning so as to
! give myself that much more time


before finally deciding upon an act


which all my arguments with my
self had not made entirely recon-
cilable. Arrived at this conclusion,
nv attention again turned to my
host and his wife. l could hear his
voice alone now. 1t had been


sounding along in somewhat ele-


Vated tone for some moments.


crept quietly to the partition divid-


ing their apartment from the pas
| sage.


] The bright Autumn mOOny which
was on their side OF the house, shOne


through their window and through


the spaces between the shrunken
planks of the partition, and out into


the passage, and upon its floor in


brilliant bars of light. 1t was easy


for INC to see what was passing in


the room. Man and wife were


kneehng at their bedside in prayer.


The man with uplifted head and


closed eyes, uttering an earnest sup


plicatiOn, his wife beside him, and


one arm passed affectionately thro'


one of his, and head resting against


his shoulder. They were kneeling


at the side of the bed opposite to


me, and his face was plainly visible
Its calm and pious expression was q
! 81, ~ cieDt rebuEs To nv T1r,irts+ e,,z