Hadleyburg town has been praised by many people about its moral deeds. The town is corruption-free. Such a reputation makes its inhabitants grateful. However, the town unintentionally upset a stranger. The residents of Hadleyburg pay little attention to non-residents. Therefore, wronging a stranger is almost impossible and does not bother them. When the stranger is wronged, he declares revenge against the whole community. The stranger believes that corrupting the town will make good revenge since the townspeople are incorruptible.
The stranger visits Edward Richards and his wife, Mary. Edward is a local bank cashier. In Edward’s house, the stranger leaves gold coins worth forty thousand dollars. Besides, he leaves a note detailing how a poor gambler passed through the town, and a good citizen gave him twenty dollars. Then, the citizen advised the gambler about his immoral life. The gambler has since then become prosperous and wants to repay a person who advised him. Unfortunately, the stranger cannot remember that person. Therefore, the person should identify himself through writing a note containing exact words that he uttered to the gambler. The note should be given to Reverend Burgess, who is supposed to read it aloud in a public gathering.
Edward goes to the newspaper printer, Mr. Cox, to place an advertisement explaining the state of affairs to the townspeople. When he gets back home, Edward regrets advertising the issue. He wishes he had kept the money. As well, Mr. Cox has similar thinking. The two decide to rescind the advertisement, but it is too late. The people believe that the stranger could have been helped by Barclay Goodson, who died weeks ago. Before long, the nineteen town’s couples receive a letter from a man called. Howard Stephenson. Stephenson claims that indeed it was Goodson who advised the stranger.
Nevertheless, Stephenson argues that he was there when Goodson was advising the poor gambler. As a result, he knows the exact words that Goodson uttered to the stranger. Stephenson writes out the information believed to have been used in advising the gambler. He advises the nineteen to use that information to claim the money. However, the nineteen don’t know that they have the same information. The day of announcing the adviser was full of drama. All the people had written similar information. Burgess read out names but chose not to read Edward and Mary.
After opening the letter inside the sack, the people realized that there was no stranger. The man behind the whole thing wanted to test the honesty of Hadleyburg residents. The coins were also made up of lead and not gold. The townspeople decide to reward Edward and Mary the coins due to their honesty. Ultimately, Edward and Mary admit that Burgess did not read their names deliberately. Consequently, the couple dies, and the town is redeemed to its original reputation.
