Alls For the Best | Page 6

was in the shop of a mechanic to whom he had sold a
bill of goods some months previously. He had called to collect a
portion of the amount which remained unpaid. The mechanic was not
ready for him.
"I am sorry, Mr. Gray" he began, with some hesitation of manner.
"Sorry for what?" sharply interrupted Mr. Gray.
"Sorry that I have not the money to settle your bill. I have been
disappointed----"
"I don't want that old story. You promised to be ready for me to-day,
didn't you?" And Mr. Gray knit his brows, and looked angry and
imperative.
"Yes, I promised. But----"
"Then keep your promise. No man has a right to break his word.
Promises are sacred things, and should be kept religiously."
"If my customers had kept their promises to me there would have been
no failure in mine to you," answered the poor mechanic.
"It is of no use to plead other men's failings in justification of your own.
You said the bill should be settled to-day, and I calculated upon it. Now,
of all things in the world, I hate trifling. I shall not call again, sir!"
"If you were to call forty times, and I hadn't the money to settle your
account, you would call in vain," said the mechanic, showing
considerable disturbance of mind.
"You needn't add insult to wrong." Mr. Gray's countenance reddened,

and he looked angry.
"If there is insult in the case it is on your part, not mine," retorted the
mechanic, with more feeling. "I am not a digger of gold out of the earth,
nor a coiner of money. I must be paid for my work before I can pay the
bills I owe. It was not enough that I told you of the failure of my
customers to meet their engagements----"
"You've no business to have such customers," broke in Mr. Gray. "No
right to take my goods and sell them to men who are not honest enough
to pay their bills."
"One of them is your own son," replied the mechanic, goaded beyond
endurance. "His bill is equal to half of yours. I have sent for the amount
a great many times, but still he puts me off with excuses. I will send it
to you next time."
This was thrusting home with a sharp sword, and the vanquished Mr.
Gray retreated from the battle-field, bearing a painful wound.
"That wasn't right in me, I know," said the mechanic, as Gray left his
shop. "I'm sorry, now, that I said it. But he pressed me too closely. I am
but human."
"He is a hard, exacting, money-loving man," was my remark.
"They tell me he has become a Christian," said the mechanic. "Has got
religion--been converted. Is that so?"
"It is commonly reported; but I think common report must be in error.
St. Paul gives patience, forbearance, long-suffering, meekness,
brotherly kindness, and charity as some of the Christian graces. I do not
see them in this man. Therefore, common report must be in error."
"I have paid him a good many hundreds of dollars since I opened my
shop here," said the mechanic, with the manner of one who felt hurt. "If
I am a poor, hard-working man, I try to be honest. Sometimes I get a
little behind hand, as I am new, because people I work for don't pay up
as they should. It happened twice before when I wasn't just square with
Mr. Gray, and he pressed down very hard upon me, and talked just as
you heard him to-day. He got his money, every dollar of it; and he will
get his money now. I did think, knowing that he had joined the church
and made a profession of religion, that he would bear a little patiently
with me this time. That, as he had obtained forgiveness, as alleged, of
his sins towards heaven, he would be merciful to his fellow-man. Ah,
well! These things make us very sceptical about the honesty of men

who call themselves religious. My experience with 'professors' has not
been very encouraging. As a general thing I find them quite as greedy
for gain as other men. We outside people of the world get to be very
sharp-sighted. When a man sets himself up to be of better quality than
we, and calls himself by a name significant of heavenly virtue, we
judge him, naturally, by his own standard, and watch him very closely.
If he remain as hard, as selfish, as exacting, and as eager after money as
before, we do not put much faith in his profession, and are very apt to
class him with hypocrites. His praying, and fine talk about faith, and
heavenly love, and being washed from all sin, excite in us contempt