The day had wearily worn to its close,
The night had come down with its needed repose,
As a book-keeper wended his way from the store,
Glad that his toilsome hours were o’er. The night was cheerless, and dismal, and damp,
And the flickering of the dim street lamp
Went out in the wild rough gusts that beat
With furious speed through the gloomy street. Tired and cold, with pain-throbbing head
He sank to repose on his lonely bed;
Still through his brain, as the Book-keeper slept,
Visions of Debtor and Creditor crept. The great Balance-sheet he had finished that day,
And Profit and Loss in the usual way,
Showed how much money the merchant had made
Or lost in the preceding twelve-month’s trade. And he dreamed that night that an angel came
With the Ledger of Life; and against his name
Were charges till there was no room to spare,
And nothing whatever was credited there! There were life and its blessings, as intellect, health;
There were charges of time, opportunities, wealth;
Of talents for good, of friendship the best,
Of nourishment, joys, affection and rest; And hundreds of others, and each one as great,
All with interest accrued from the time of their date.
’T ill despairing of ever being able to pay,
The Book-keeper shrank from the angel away. But the angel declared the account must be paid,
And protested it could not be longer delayed.
The Book-keeper sighed, and began to deplore
How meager the treasure he’d laid up in store. He’d cheerfully render all he had acquired,
And his note on demand for the balance required.
Then quickly the angel took paper and wrote
The following as an acceptable note: “On demand, without grace from the close of to-day,
For value received, I promise to pay
To him who has kept me, and everywhere
Has guarded my soul with infinite care; “Whose blessings outnumber the drops of the ocean,
While living, the sum of my heart’s best devotion,
In witness whereof, to be seen of all men,
I affix the great seal of the soul’s “Amen.” The Book-keeper added his name to the note,
While the angel across the great ledger page wrote
In letters as crimson as human gore,
“SETTLED IN FULL”—and was seen no more.