A Hive of Busy Bees | Page 7

and saw the sign in
the window. He went in and told the druggist he would like to have the
job.
"'Are Joe and Henry friends of yours?' asked the druggist, looking at
him sharply.
"'Oh, no, sir.' replied Charles quickly. 'We used to be good friends; but
something happened between us that I don't like to tell; and they
wouldn't have anything to do with me afterward.'
"'I'm glad to hear that,' said the druggist. 'I rather think you're the boy I
want.'
"For two or three hours Charles worked steadily, now and then
whistling a snatch of tune. Then he went to the druggist and said, 'I
have finished the job you gave me. What shall I do next?'
"The druggist went to the little room to see how Charles had done his
work. The boy had found some boxes lying about; and he had placed
the bolts in one, the nails in another, and the screws in a third.
"'And see what I found!' exclaimed Charles. 'It was lying under those
old crooked bolts in the bottom of the chest.' And he handed the
druggist a five-dollar gold-piece.
"The druggist took the money and said with a smile, 'Now you may
place the bolts and screws back in the chest just as you have them
arranged in the boxes.'
"After he had done that, Charles was sent on a few errands; and then he
was dismissed for the day.
"A few days later the druggist gave Charles a key and said, 'You may

come early in the morning and open the store, and do the sweeping and
dusting.'
"At the end of the first week, when Charles received his pay-envelope,
he found the five-dollar gold-piece along with the week's wages.
"One morning not long afterward, when Charles was sweeping the
floor, he found a few pennies lying near the counter. He picked them up
and laid them on the shelf, and told the druggist about them. Another
day he found some pennies, a dime, and two nickels. These too he laid
on the shelf, telling the druggist where he had found them.
"About a month later, when he was sweeping one morning, he found a
bright, shiny new dollar. How he did wish he might keep it for himself!
"'The druggist would never know it,' whispered a tiny voice.
"But just at that instant, Bee Honest began to buzz around his ears.
'Don't forget what Mother told you,' said the bee. 'She said she would
never be ashamed of you, as long as you were perfectly honest.'
"Charles turned the shiny dollar over and over in his hand. The bee kept
on buzzing--'Never do anything that will make your mother ashamed of
you. Be honest! Be honest!'
"'Yes,' said Charles at last, 'I will.' He laid the dollar up on the shelf;
and when the druggist came in, he told him about it.
"The druggist smiled and patted him on the shoulder. 'You are an
honest boy,' was all he said. And at the end of the week, Charles found
the shiny dollar in his pay-envelope, beside his usual wages.
"A few weeks later, the druggist began to give Charles large sums of
money to take to the bank for him. 'I have found that I can trust you,
my boy,' he would say.
"Charles worked in the store all that summer; and when school opened
again, he helped the druggist mornings and evenings. His tired mother

did not have to take in so many washings now; for Charles always gave
her his money at the end of the week.
"After he had finished school, the druggist gave him a steady job in the
store, with good wages.
"'Charles,' said the druggist one day, 'do you remember the day you
sorted bolts and nails for me?'
"'Indeed I do,' answered Charles. 'How glad I was to find work that day,
so I could help my mother a little! And I shall never forget how
surprised I was when I found a five-dollar gold-piece at the bottom of
the chest.'
"'I put it there on purpose,' said the druggist. 'I wanted to find out what
sort of boy you were.'
"'You did!' exclaimed the astonished boy.
"'Yes; and when you brought it to me I was pretty sure that I had found
an honest boy. But I wanted to be able to trust you with large sums of
money, so I tested you still further. I left pennies and nickels and a
dime on the floor; and last of all, a dollar. When you picked them all up,
and laid them on the shelf, and told me about them--I knew then that I
could safely trust you.'
"'I should like to ask you,' said Charles suddenly--'was there a
gold-piece lying