True Riches; Or, Wealth Without Wings

ings without emotion; less than human had his heart instantly and spontaneously rejected

of mind. He had not anticipated so direct a guardianship of Ruben Elder's child as it was evident would now devolve upon him, in consequence of the mother's death. Here was to be trouble for him-this was his

ecome acquainted with the real state of affairs. "If not," he added, firmly, "the loss will be

desk, completely absorbed in thought. At length he called to Edward Claire, his principal clerk, and said that he wished to speak a few words with him

o attend to for me. It is not very pleasant, it is true; though nothing more than people are requir

y we

ed las

is death in

ointed me h

A

appointed somebody else. I've too mu

ceive your regular commissions for att

ouble. But that doesn't signify now. Elder has left his affairs in my hands, and I must give them at least some attention.

A

e, and to-day thought it only right to call upon the widow, and see if any present service were needed by the family. Such a scene as I encountered! Mrs. Elder w

ock

unprepared as I was for such an occu

widow is d

ve gone to th

children

, not, I should think,

will, I presume, t

nd to whom she could leave the child. On me, theref

child! and of s

ainly, to be left a

, but felt nothing of the

will you make of h

ind to call in the neighbours, is more than I can say. I left in the bewilderment of the moment; and now remember me that something is to be done for the dead. Will you go to the house, and see what is needed? In the next block is an undertaker; you had better call,

ake. Claire appeared serious. The fact was, he had seen enough to touch his feelings deeply. The grief of the orphaned child, as he was a witness thereto, had brought tears u

ersons in, you say?"

ated a number

hree or

s, of

es

opose to take the c

sked me a number of questi

hat n

relatives or particular friend

ld her ther

whom I had a

had she to s

ny thing for the child's support. I sai

el

ook the child, she might be induced to board her

o understand that t

, s

ll have to be bo

e woman's face, man

y n

, coarse, hard-lookin

ie concealed under u

. Jasper. No, no. The child who has met with so sad a loss as that of a mo

ew hours before, had all subsided, and the surface of his heart bore no ripple of emotion. He thought not of the child as an

again. Of course, the neighbours will give needful attention until the funeral takes place. By that time, perhaps, the child will have made a friend o

her a very high price. Readily, for it was but acting from habit, did he yield to this temptation. His success was equal to his wishes. The woman, altogether unsuspicious of the cheat practised upon her, paid for her purchases the sum of ten dollars above their true value. She lingered a short time after sett

e store. Soon after, a clerk went to dinner. Only a lad remaine

me, and the young man's mind was ov

o himself, as he drew open the money-drawer in which he

toyed with the gold and bills in the drawer. Two five-

ove the bargain; am I not entitled to a fair proportion of the profit? It strikes me so. What wrong w

channel; there were deep contractions on his forehead, and his lips were shut firmly,-"this kind of work,

, did Claire take from the drawer a five-doll

me instant Jasper entered. The young man's heart gave a sudden bound, and

"what luck did you have with the old

with affected indifferen

so

I made her pay pretty stron

s together energetically. "How much over

five do

! You're a t

y strongly flattered by his approving words. The truth was, at the very moment he was relating what he had done, there c

at madness! Whi

s now, born of a quick

ck as soon as possible. I want to be ho

iece obtained by a double crime-the robbery both of a customer and his employer. Quickly, as if he had touched a living coal, was the hand of Claire withdrawn, while a low chill crept along his nerves. It required some resolution for the young man to meet his pure-hearted, clear-minded wife, whose quick intuitions of good or evil

into his face with more than usual earnestness. This not only embarrassed but sligh

that his employer had desired him to return to the store as quickly as

usband; but of its nature she could divine little or nothing. All day her dream had haunted her; and now it reproduced itself in her imagination with painful distinctness. Vainly she strove to drive it from her thoughts; it

ght with less repugnance of what he had done, and w

e, as the world now is. Where each is grasping all that he can lay his hands on, fair or foul, one must scramble with the rest, or get nothing. That is so plain that none can deny the proposition. So, Edward Claire, if you wish to rise above your present poor condition, if you wish to get rich, like your enterprising neighbours, you must do as they do. If I go in for

tter suggestions, from which he was at first inclined to retrace the false step he had take

it from one not very well skilled in prices. In making an entry of this particular transaction in the memorandum sales-book, the figures recorded were three dollars less than the actual amount received. So, on this, the fi

rted room gave to his feelings a hue of sobriety. He was not altogether satisfied with himself. How could he be? No man ever was satisfied with himself, when seclusion and silence found him after his first departure fro

ace homeward when the shadows of evening began to fall! But now he lingered-lingered, though all the business of the day was over. The thought of his wife created no quick impulse to be away. He felt mor

t do as it does. We must take it

ment. Yet he could not banish the accusing spirit;

ery. In this state of mind, he took from his pocket his ill-gotten gains, and t

alanced; Jasper made the balance himself. So the cash will only show an excess to be accounted for; and from this may come suspicion. It is always m

cket. In a little while afterward, he l