FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100  
101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   >>   >|  
tolen the coins. Otherwise you would not have made a matter public that was quite sure to ruin the young man's reputation." The four committeemen writhed under this thrust, and the minister went on: "On the other hand, I have no doubt in my mind that Mr. Haley is just as innocent as I am of the robbery." "Ye say that 'cause you air a clergyman," said Cross Moore bluntly. "It's your business to be allus seeing the good side of folks, whether they've got a good side, or not." The minister flushed. "I thank God I can see the good side of my fellow men," he said quickly. "I can even see your good side, Mr. Moore, when you are willing to uncover it. You do not show it now, when you persecute this young man----" "'Persecute'? We oughter prosecute," flashed forth Cross Moore. "The fellow's as guilty as can be. Nobody else could have done it." "I wonder?" returned the minister, and walked out before there could be further friction between them; for he liked the hard-headed, shrewd, and none-too-honest politician, as he liked few men in Polktown. If the minister did not distinctly array himself with the partisans of Nelson Haley, he expressed his full belief in his honesty in a public manner. And at Thursday night prayer meeting he incorporated in his petition a request that his parishioners be not given to judging those under suspicion, and that a spirit of charity be spread abroad in the community at just this time. The next day, Walky Dexter said, that charitable spirit the minister had prayed for "got awfully swatted." News spread that on the previous Saturday, only a few hours after the coin collection was missed, Nelson Haley had sent away a post-office money order for two hundred dollars. "That's where a part of the missing money went," was the consensus of public opinion. How this news leaked out from the post-office was a mystery. But when taxed with the accusation Nelson's pride made him acknowledge the fact without hesitation. "Yes; I sent away two hundred dollars. It went to my aunt in Sheffield. I owed it to her. She helped me through college." "Where did I get the money? I saved it from my salary." Categorically, these were his answers. "If that young feller only could be tongue-tied for a few weeks, he might git out o' this mess in some way," Walky Dexter said. "He talks more useless than th' city feller that was a-sparkin' one of our country gals. He talked mighty hig
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100  
101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

minister

 

Nelson

 

public

 

dollars

 

hundred

 
fellow
 

office

 

Dexter

 

spirit

 
spread

feller

 
community
 

charity

 

abroad

 

Saturday

 

suspicion

 

opinion

 

consensus

 

missing

 

prayed


collection

 

missed

 

charitable

 

swatted

 

previous

 

answers

 

tongue

 

useless

 

country

 

talked


mighty

 
sparkin
 

Categorically

 

acknowledge

 

hesitation

 
mystery
 

accusation

 

Sheffield

 

college

 

salary


helped

 

leaked

 

politician

 

business

 

bluntly

 

clergyman

 
uncover
 

flushed

 

quickly

 

robbery