The detectives hunted down the criminals; the chief one proved to be George Benton.  A wide sympathy was felt for the widow and orphans of the dead man, and all the newspapers in the land begged that all the banks in the land would testify their appreciation of the fidelity and heroism of the murdered cashier by coming forward with a generous contribution of money in aid of his family, now bereft of support.  The result was a mass of solid cash amounting to upward of five hundred dollars—­an average of nearly three-eights of a cent for each bank in the Union.  The cashier’s own bank testified its gratitude by endeavoring to show (but humiliatingly failed in it) that the peerless servant’s accounts were not square, and that he himself had knocked his brains out with a bludgeon to escape detection and punishment.

George Benton was arraigned for trial.  Then everybody seemed to forget the widow and orphans in their solicitude for poor George.  Everything that money and influence could do was done to save him, but it all failed; he was sentenced to death.  Straightway the Governor was besieged with petitions for commutation or pardon; they were brought by tearful young girls; by sorrowful old maids; by deputations of pathetic widows; by shoals of impressive orphans.  But no, the Governor—­for once—­would not yield.

Now George Benton experienced religion.  The glad news flew all around.  From that time forth his cell was always full of girls and women and fresh flowers; all the day long there was prayer, and hymn-singing, and thanksgiving, and homilies, and tears, with never an interruption, except an occasional five-minute intermission for refreshments.

This sort of thing continued up to the very gallows, and George Benton went proudly home, in the black cap, before a wailing audience of the sweetest and best that the region could produce.  His grave had fresh flowers on it every day, for a while, and the head-stone bore these words, under a hand pointing aloft:  “He has fought the good fight.”

The brave cashier’s head-stone has this inscription:  “Be pure, honest, sober, industrious, considerate, and you will never—­”

Nobody knows who gave the order to leave it that way, but it was so given.

The cashier’s family are in stringent circumstances, now, it is said; but no matter; a lot of appreciative people, who were not willing that an act so brave and true as his should go unrewarded, have collected forty-two thousand dollars—­and built a Memorial Church with it.

THE FIVE BOONS OF LIFE

Chapter I

In the morning of life came a good fairy with her basket, and said: 

“Here are gifts.  Take one, leave the others.  And be wary, chose wisely; oh, choose wisely! for only one of them is valuable.”

The gifts were five:  Fame, Love, Riches, Pleasure, Death.  The youth said, eagerly: