A man whose word is as good as his bond is a man the world admires. It
is related of Fox that a tradesman whom he long had owed money found him
one day counting gold and asked for payment. Fox replied: "No; I owe
this money to Sheridan. It is a debt of honor. If an accident should
happen to me, he has nothing to show." The tradesman tore his note to
pieces: "I change my debt into a debt of honor." Fox thanked him and
handed over the money, saying that Sheridan's debt was not of so long
standing and that Sheridan must wait. But most of us know men who are
less scrupulous than Fox.
If I should die to-night
And you should come to my cold corpse and say,
Weeping and heartsick o'er my lifeless clay--
If I should die to-night,
And you should come in deepest grief and woe--
And say: "Here's that ten dollars that I owe,"
I might arise in my large white cravat
And say, "What's that?"
If I should die to-night
And you should come to my cold corpse and kneel,
Clasping my bier to show the grief you feel,
I say, if I should die to-night
And you should come to me, and there and then
Just even hint 'bout payin' me that ten,
I might arise the while,
But I'd drop dead again.
_Ben King._