Year: 1871

difficulty, and that the reluctant man
was being urged on be the less scrupu-
lous or braver woman.


A sudden movement of one of them
toward the door caused me to retreat
into my room. I heard the bolt of
their door moved, and supposing it
was to unfasten it, | hurried back to
my own apartment and caught at the
envelope, intending to hasten it out of
sight. In my eagerness to grasp it,
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. Meanwhile,


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. I became convinced that


as yet everything was safe, and yield


ing to feeling of curiosity drew the


money from the inclosure and counted


it over. There were ten one thousand


dollar billsl I was astounded, and for


the time forgot the fear that so re-


Gently harrassed me. I looked at


the memorandum on the back OF


the envelope. 1t was $4,000" The


letter was open before me. read it


over. It named five thousand dollars


as the sum inclosed. There was evi-


IDENTIFY an error. / counted it over


again Ten thousand dollars was the


sum before me! Again and again I


counted it. had been used to hand


ling large sums, and counting large


sums daily; but I actually found more


difficulty in arriving at the actual count


of the ten bank bills before me, than [


ever before or since encountered in


counting any sum however large, or


however numerous the notes. Finally,


putting a chair against the door, I
spread the notes out singly on the little
table, in row, and counted them with
my finger Then madetw rows of five
notes each, and again counted them, =
then five rows of two each, and counted
them. I finally, though slowly, be-
came satisfied that [ had in my posses
sion double the amount ofmoney was
expected to deliver to my employers
agent. Temptation entered my soul. Five
thousand dollars would relieve me of
all my debts. Here it was within my
grasp. I had but to seal up the envel-
ope by re-wetting the wafer, inclosing
but half the money, and deliver 1t
sealed to the agent, and my trust would
be, to all appearance, faithfully dis
charged. Once the thought occurred
that possibly it was a trap set for me
by my employers. But their conf
dence in me was unbounded. and the
suspicion was formed only to be dis
missed. do not attempt to glaze over
the dishonesty of what I contemplated.
had been so increasingly worried and
annoyed by domestic troubles arising
from limited resources, and SO perse-
cuted by creditors, that I almost urged
myself into the conviction that appro-
priating the money was simply author
lied self defense. would pay all my
debts, get clear of the world once more,
insist upon my wife's adopting my
views of hving-save money-get into
business for myself-and finally pay
back the sum.


I concluded to leave the envelope un
fastened until morning so as to give
myself that much more time before
finally deciding upon an act which all
my arguments with myself had not
made entirely reconcilable. Arrived at
this conclusion, my attention again
turned to my host and his wife. I could


hear his voice alone now. 1t had been
sounding along in somewhat elevated


tone for some moments. l creot quiet
ly to the partition dividing Their apart
ments from the passage. The bright
autumn moon, which was on their side
of the house, shone through their win
dow and through the spaces between
the shrunken planks of the partition,
and out into the passage, and upon its
floors in brilliant bars of light. It was
easy for me to see what was passing
within the room. Man and wife were
kneeling at their bedside in prayer.
The man with uplifted head and closed
eyes, uttering an earnest supplication,
his wife beside him, and one arm passed


ffectionately through one of his, and
her 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 ex-
preston was a sufficient rebuke to my


unjust suspicious. began to listen
in time to hear him say: pardon, o,
merciful Father, not only the sins of
Thy humble servant and his household,
but turn the hearts of those who have
done evil unto him, who have wished
/ -, ;,,,,,r,- o,J 1ub n h vo barIoro6 nm
Just suspicious of him. Bless such, 0
Lord, and preserve them in order that
they may turn from their ways and
seek the path of righteousness.


His serious, earnest and manly voice
struck a chord in my heart, not only in
sympathy with the honest and tender
that was passing from his
lips, but of contrition for the wrong /
had done him by my suspicious. L in
compared him, whatever
were his good or bad deeds, at least an
humble penitent, before his God, with
the wretch that I had decided but few
ago to make of myself, by the
of my employers
and still haunted, however, by
the relief it could obtain for me, would
uOb QulGe give way 10 tne leellnS OF re-
pentance which was knocking for ad-
mission at my breast. I had half de-
cided to turn away and drive these
better thoughts from my mind, when [
observed something moving in small
crib that was placed at the side and
toward the foot of their bed Its oc-
a grandchild, whose parents
they had informed me were dead, awak-
ened probably by its grandfather's
voice, rose up, looked around, and set
tied down upon its knees, and clasping
it's little hands as its grandfather's
were clasped, and looking upward, out
the window at the moon, whose
bright light fell upon its darling face,
began moving it's lips as if trying to
repeat the words. Nothing SO like an
angel ever met my sight. The grand
father began the Lords prayer. The
little fellow seemed to have this by
heart. He repeated it word for word,
his tiny, silvery voice sounding in
sweet accord. I could not turn away,
nor any longer resist the better emo
+iOps which r haI bitbarto Kent down