IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I tiiW2A mis ut Uii |Z2 U£ 12.0 ut 11.25 1111.4 I" i 11.6 .% 7] /: 7 /A ■^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 1980 Technical Notes / Notes techniques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Physical features of this copy which may alter any of the images in the reproduction are checked below. Coloured covers/ Couvertures de couleur n Coloured maps/ Cartes g6ographiques en couleur L'Institut a microfilm^ ie meilleur exemplaire qu'il lul a AtA possible de se procurer. Certains dAfauts susceptibles de nuire k la quality de la reproduction sent notts ci-dessous. 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The following diagrams illustrate the method: L'exemplaire fiimA fut reprodult grAce A la ginArositi de I'Atabllssement prAteur suivant : La bibllothAque des Archives publiques du Canada Les cartes ou les planches trop grandee pour Atre reproduites en un seul cllchA sont fllm4es A partir de Tangle supArieure gauche, de gauche A droite et de haut en bes, en prenant le nombre d'Images nAcessalre. Le diagramme suivant lllustre la mAthode : 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7S7?^ A FARMER'S THREE YEARS' EXPERIENCE CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. ff I IfH AT have you made up your mind to do with reference to VV the store ? Do you intend to take it or not ? It's time now a decision was being reached, as it's getting late in the year and we ought nat.to wait till raid-winter before opening, and thereby lose the best trade — the fall trade." Thus spoke my wife as she put away the paper she had been reading and began making preparations towards retiring. " I have not yet reached a decision, although I have been doing considerable thinking about it," I replied, putting aside another paper, as I too had been reading. As my wife moved about the room, placing the furniture in order, she spoke again and said : "Well, there is no use talking about it forever, I am sure. Had I the saying it would be one thing or the other at once. Others have been successful in trade and why should we not do the same ? We are not spendthrifts ; you are not given to bad habits that would use up the profits of a business, and you know yourself that I have always been as economical as any- one." . '^'What v'oii haycT kaid 'IS t^u»? choagh.'^'rl repljed, " but store- keeping i? someiKirig neW to*^ both of ufe." il?slike taking a leap in the dark, us' ntithier ha* bad ar.y experience whatever. I have no fea^s oT anythifig g<5inJs to Vastci that could be saved, ' ut others who were equally as saving have failed. In fact it is said that only about one in ten makes a living out of it, while only one in thirty makes what might be called ' money.' " " I have heard the same, and the same might be said about farming, but we made farming pay, didn't we ? A great many ft ' •.••:.••; .,;; \ :\\\ ;.•: business failures ^ira owjpg ,to too nrgtt riVfng,»t6cc much style with expenswe oli)».lTTT;ig;Cod,ln(u3i ^tjfld "within doors, too much without, through fine horses Sntfcarrfages, to say nothing what- ever about what has been lost through indolence." My wife was much in earnest as she spoke. '* We are free how from all the causes you have mentioned, that's certain," I replied, " but might not this very business of which we are speaking breed them ? One of the things to be most feared is that very indolence of which you spoke. There is considerable talking to do when trade is going on, and as you cannot always be by to do it for us, some of it will have to be done by me. Talking, you know, does not exercise the muscles hke ploughing, or at least not the same kind, so while I am hardening my talking muscles the others will be jetting soft through want of use. Standing, then, may become tire- some and I may be tempted to take a seat, which, if I do, and find it as comfortable as I do now, will raise a havoc with my energy. Then would follow indolence, or what is worse, a kind of imaginary sickness, the same as all working men get when they g: up their manual labor and labor with their minds. We see i.at illustrated in every instance when the farmer sells his farm and moves into town." " Oh, what nonsense you are talking," she then said with warmth. " I do not suppose you will have more idle time in a store than you had on the farm ; if I thought so I certainly would be opposed to undertaking anything of the kind. Have no fears about work, there will be lots of that, but of a different kind, certainly, from that which we have been doing so long. For my part I have become tired of that muscle-expanding work you think so much of, and almost sigh for some indolence or imaginary sickness as a change, so as to give my poor feet and limbs a rest, for they are becoming about as near used up as they can be and yet be used, and I know some indolence would do them good. We need not make the time longer than three years, and^ t]i^n» wJjeci'it ^s e»fgiced, !if;V?J« 4^ /lot like busines5*,Vre4a°iii;i*eJr6uD;aji*(lr^tftrnto thcfefrtf all'restbd and in fine f(jfnl*tb wortc out the remainder of.oi;».days. You after the plough, I dSMx |fii^ f*(iw;;qll«*vte !a/e d^ti^ away and laid to rest fast asleep' in that" sre'e'p* fhal Icnows no wakening — but, what use is there in my talking, you will have your own way no matter what I say, so I am off for bed. Come on, come on to bed." Those cornm^n^s had always been imperative and were ' %^\:\ «— o ■ instantly obeyed by me, but this night I did not feel sleepy. My mind was not easy. I wished to think over the past and look into the future as far as possible, so I remained on the chair where I was. At the time of which I am writing I was living on the farm my grandfather had lived on. It had been his, it was mine. I had a common school education under the old system ; had studied most everything then that is now taught in a High School, including bookkeeping. I had always been well sup- plied with education. I was not so situated at times when money was wanted. I was sometimes short of the latter but never of the former. I had spent a term abroad ; that was owing to a difference of opinion between my father and myself, and in order that it might be settled in a manner that would be final and satisfac- tory to both, he suggested that I go out in the world and see how much knowledge and natural ability I possessed. Acting upon his suggestion I at once started west, where I located in a city, more from a scarcity of funds with which to proceed further than from any particular desire I had for city life. There was nothing to do in the agricultural line in the .city where I stopped, but as I had not been brought up with gloves on I sought other employment and found it. As I became acquainted I made^friends, amongst whom was one who carried on a cooper shop. That man could estimate the cost of a barrel to a nicety, but making up his accounts sometimes bothered him, and when it came to writing a letter home he was indeed in trouble. At the latter I could assist him, and did, for which he took me in hand and made a cooper out of me. The woman who retired a few moments ago thinking so deeply of merchandise, was a native of the same place and had the same kind of an education. At her last school examination she took a prize for general proficiency in what was then taught at school. Of course it was not " free-hand drawing," *' elocu- tion " or '* music," but it might have been had such things been taught, for she was able to take part in the evening's entertainment through the music she learned at home and the elocutionary powers nature had been good enough to endow her with. During tramping days I returned home to spend the winter, as there was not much doing at my trade in that season of the year. ~4— The woman mentioned was anxious to learn some of the dances I brought home with me, as she wanted to use them when visiting with her sister, who had married a rising young barrister, and was settled in a city. It was a pleasure for me to teach her. It soon became more than a pleasure. It became a necessity. Of course I knew she would be associ- ated with people differing from coopers while at her sister's, but that gave me no trouble, as I was more than positive a spark was within her that would flame up when she thought of the good times she had had, and with whom she had had them. I was right. It did blaze up v-'hen kindled with a few letters from me. We were married one first of March, when the day was bright and sunny, with an occasional tlurry of snow. To the latter I have always attributed the imperative commands I have since undergone. It may be so, and it may not, but we in the country say the weather of the wedding day denotes the disposition of the bride, and the day following that of the bridegroom. The second day of March was a delightful day. The farm had been given to us, and we had put it to use by moving on it and working it. We had been more than ordi- narily successful, and through that snccess we werie tempted to think'about embarking on the sea of merchandise. A store was needed at the corners at all times, but then more than another, as a Yankee had been over and was calculating the advisability of building a mill there for the purpose of cutting the hard wood, which remained, into timber. As I thought it over all things seemed favorable. It was certainly necessary that we increase our business, as our family was growing and we couldn't possibly bring them up as we would wish to upon the proceeds of farming oi>ly. I then got up and got the writing material and wrote a letter to Mr. Doyle, who owned the place, asking for particulars. I did it then, as I wished to have the place secure before Mr. Doyle could hear of the Yankee's intention, and as I finished and was placing the letter in an envelope a voice from within called out : " What in the world are you doing up at this time of the night ? Can't you hear the clock strike twelve ? Come on to bed ! Come on !" That call I obeyed, and was soon away from the farm, the store and ambition. > CHAPTER IL THE PLACE AND PEOPLE. THE letter I had written Mr. Doyle was mailed in the morning. Only a few days had elapsed before an answer to it was received, offering great inducement ; stating the probable amount of business to be done, based upon what had been done by him, also a guarantee of the post office, which he said would be directly or indirectly a benefit of at least $50 a year. He cited himself as an evidence of the results of merchandise when well attended to. In closing, he referred to the respect he had for me and mine, whom he had known so long, and had found so satisfactory at all times. In a P. S. he added that it would give him great pleasure to assist, if he could in any way, towards establishing us in the business he had carried on so successfully himself, and when we had decided to accept his offer, he would drive up and see what repairs were necessary, before giving up possession. We had decided to take the place before we got his letter, and at once wrote to that effect ; asking him to come up when ■ he could, as we wished to get the business in operation as quickly as possible. The name of the place is Highboro. The building where* the office is kept and another for a blacksmith shop constitute the town as far as business houses are concerned. They had been there for years, having been built, on a colonization road, originally of logs, but were now frame. The one we intended to occupy had been built for a hotel, with an addition in which was kept a store. It was well made, well furnished, painted white, and was considered the best looking house to be found on the road for miles. The settlement had originally been English, with some North of Ireland families, and some more with no particular origin other than Canadian. At some time the latter had fought for the British and had received land grants in Canada for doing it, and were as loyal to Britain and British institu- tions as though they had emigrated from Britain herself. On the outskirts of the settlement were to be found such names as O'Neal, O'Brien, Kelly and others, which, while they did ^8-. not savor so much of loyalty as some others might, were good names and denoted that their possessors were good citizens. I belonged to the English, and had worked with them hand to hand in more ways than one, but particularly was that so at election time. Years ago it had been more pronounced than it had lately, but that was owing to a general carelessness that had taken hold of the people since spending money and treating by candidates has become a crime in Canada at election time. Thjse people, I was sure, would be pleased to have me reopen the store, and would be liberal with their patronage, being satisfied that fair dealing would be done. They had not liked the last man who had had the place, because he had been so tricky. They had not liked Mr. Doyle either, but he had been with them every time, politically, and for that reason they had patronized him when it wasn't convenient to go elsewhere. The letter, setting time for Mr. Doyle's visit, had been received, and we were daily expecting him. He would come, there was no doubt, amidst considerable gorgeousness, and we were constantly on the lookout. He came as we expected he would, if a pair of high headed horses, hitched to a covered road-wagon, have anything gorgeous about them, and with him came another man I did not know. . I met them at the gate and accompanied them to the bouse. I then took the team to the stable, and was unhitching it when Mr. Doyle came there too. He wanted to move himself about on his leet after his long ride,he said, as he came to where I was. He could hardly keep from devouring me in his joy at the prospects which were ahead of me, and literally covered me with congratulations what time we were together. After dinner we decided to look the place over together, and as soon as my wife was in readiness we started for his house with that object in view. My wife attended to what was needed on the inside, and I was to look after what was required on the outside. So much being needed within, my sympathy began to move towards Mr. Doyle, as one thing after another would be pointed out to him, and I was going to let some of the work needed on the out- side escape my notice, but my wife wouldn't have it in that way ; she saw everything and would point out what I had seemingly forgotten, till I felt sorry, indeed, for Mr. Doyle. As we were making our investigations Mr. Doyle asked whether we would open the house for a hotel. We told him — r— we thought not, as we were under a local option law, and we didn't care about breaking; the law ; and, besides, we were opposed to the liquor traffic, but that we would be prepared to keep whoever might call as a traveler.. He thoughi we were acting unwisely, as he had found the hotel quite as profitable as the store, and besides the profit,it was always cash, and cash, ht continued, we would find was a consideration worth looking after. We would not consent to keep a hotel, so the conversa- tion turned upon the residents round about the place. He toid who were good and who were not. He spoke in glowing terms of those living on the outskirts, saying lt\.ey were not only good buyers but they were good payers as well ; also of their natural desire for a drop of gin, and the way to give it and be sociable. The way to do that, he thought, probably, I would understand myself, through what experience I had had in the world. It was true I had had experience, but it wouid not be used in the way pointed out by him. 'i we never had customers. Neighbors had been dropping in as we were making the inspection. They had had fine times together in the past, and were trying to talk to Mr. Doyle about them, but he had some- thing else on his mind, and was continually bringing it up — that was the amount of money he had made in the trade. The inspection being finished we started on our way home- ward, aud as we walked, along Mr. Doyle inquired as to our resources, saying he would have to report our financial ability as well as our respectability. I told him our circumstances as nearly as possible, without going into details. He knew the farm and what it was worth. The stock and implements we thought would bring about $800. Besides, we had some notes and tome cash, which would amount to about $300 more. "About $1,100 in all, you will be able to raise fo*- immediate use, without saying anything about your real estate," he asked, after making a mental calculation. *• About that," I replied. " Well," he said, turning to his companion, *' that ought to be enough to carry them through with flying colors. Don't yon think so, Mr. Dunn ?" " Yes," said Mr. Dunn, " it's better than I expected." Mr. Doyle then instructed me how to get my goods without going to the city for them. He said he could have the travelers meet us, at any place we might name, with their — 8- samples, that we could buy as well by sample as we could at the houses, and if we midc the appointment in the town where he lived he would consider it a favor if we allowed him to assist us in making our purchases. I accepted his offer, thanked him for it, and made the appointment as he had desired. He then spoke of the advisability of continuing tp buy from one house, and assured me that nothing was to be gained by changing, but, on the other hand, a favor would be granted more willini^Iy, should we need one at any time, if we continued to trade with the one house. Continuing, he said there was no doubt but at some tirue or another we would need a favor, and would need it, perhaps, more than once, as we would have to give a great deal of credit. It was customary to do that in the country, and we would have to do the same, if we wished to sell goods, and goods we must sell if we wished t(9 make money, and money, he supposed, was what we wanted. Money was what we wanted, and I listened attentively as he further explained how an extension of time was of far greater importance than the little we might make at bargaining. We had reached the house. They would not stay for tea. They could be home, they said, before tea was over, if not before it would be read)-. We then went on to the stable and hitched up the team, Mr. Doyle giving me many important hints during the time it took The team being in readiness our visitors bade us good-bye and took their departure. I had heard much from Mr. Doyle, had given much atten- tion to what he had said, as I had great confidence in the man, knowing him to be straightforward and honorable. I thought much about continuing to trade with the house I gave the opening order to. I would need time, I was positive, as I thought over what few attempts I had previously made towards collecting my debts. CHAPTER III. MEETING THE COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS BY APPOINTMENT. A BRIGHT, clear morning in October, with just enough frost left in it trora the night before to make one ambitious, was the mornirig we had appointed to meet the travelers. Prepara- tions had been made the night before, and we were on our way a few minutes after 7 o'clock. Excepting a certain blueness, for which I could not account, I felt as well as I ever had on any day in my life, I was dressed in a suit of clothes I had had made by a tailor. They were of the latest Style and fitted well. My wife looked charming and acted as though she felt so. The children were with us, and were fixed up in nice shape. The friends whom we met on the road were all in smiles. I did not know whether it was our rich attire that made them so or whether it was something else. About half of the distance we were to go was the home of our parents, to which place we intended to return for the night, should business' permit it. We made a stop there, but nowhere else till we reached our destination. We reached it a little before dinner. As we were nearing the hotel we saw Mr, Doyle standing on the stoop, in company with some well-dressed men, who, as they saw us, left him and entered the house. Mr. Doyle received us very pleasantly ; he assisted my wife and the children to alight, and then he conducted us into the house where five earnest, thoughtful men were waiting to see us. He made short work of the introduction ; smiles took the place of thought on the travellers' faces, and in a few moments we were as sociable as though we had known eaeh other for years. Mr. Holes, the dry goods man — who, by the way,claim- ed some acquaintance with us from the fact that his wife had attended church once or twice where we did, but we could, not remember of having heard of either ot them till about a week before, — at once offered my wife his arm and con- ducted her to the parlor, followed by another who had a child by the hand,and another in a similar position,and still another, ^ —10— who carried the baby in his arms, leaving the other man with me and Mr. Doyle. The man who did not go with the mother and her brood was the one who had the groceries. '* Will you take something ?" he said to me and Mr. Doyle after the others had gone. " Oh, yes, we will," said Mr.Doyle, and straightway we made our way to the bar-room. As we were takinc; it those who had gone upstairs returned, and each wanted us to take something with him, but that we could not do, as enough is enough at any time, and one soon got enough there. When dinner was ready each traveller had a partner for dinner but the dry goods man, he having been engaged in "opening out" when it was announced. My wife was right at home at dinner. She had had experience of a similar kind before, when she visited with her sister, the barrister's wife. With mo it was different. I felt lost and lonely and would only have made about half a meal had nol cht man with the grocerie.« almost neglected bimself for me and the ba'uy. After dinner I could have had five cigars had I wanted them for nothing, but I didii't take them, on the contrary i stepped up to the bar and threw down a quarter myself. When our cigars had been furnished Mr. Holes was ready for us to come in. We went in, and assisted by 'Mr. Do;'le we made our selection of dry goods. '4 The boot and shoe man was next. Hats and caps next. Crockery after that. . *• Groceries last. It was supper time when we finished, and we supped, but it was not with the sam« amount of attention as that in which we had dined. After supper, came cigars again, after that I found myself in a corner, where the following question was put: "What are your resources and m what manner do you intend to pay for the goods you have purchased to-day ? " I made the same statement I had made to Mr. Doyle, and it was pronounced satisfactory. Feeling as though there was something I ought to know, I asked : *' If at any time collections should be slow, what am I to depend upon, should I not be able to retire paper as fast as it^lnatttres ?" '* My bouse can and will carry you " ghouted Mr. —11- Holes. The others said the same in substance,but not nearl) so loud, owing perhaps to the fact that they had not confined themselves so steadily to the product of '8i as he had, but had occasionally taken pop and sometimes a cigar. All being over at last, we were free to return home at any time we saw fit to do so ; so, without further delay, we made a start and reached the home of my brothers about nine o'clock in the evening. While we were seated in the family room there, the conver- sation turned upon what we were about to do. My brother said he thought we had been doing well enough at farming, and could not understand why we should wish to give it up and go into a business he had not much faith in. " Yes, we have done well at farming," my wife said, " but, for one, I have had about enough of it and would like a change. It may be that we will not reap riches, but if we do not we can- not lose much, 1 am convinced, since I have learned what goods cost and what they sell for. Why, there are lots of things that do not cost half what they are sold at, and there is nothing, whatever, but what has some profit, be it more or less. There is money in a store, I am sure, if it is rightly managed." ** Who is going to attend to this store of yours ? " my brother asked. " Neither of you has any knowledge of merchandise, and while I do not doubt your educational ability, I know there is something else that you will feel the need of before it is all over, and that is experience, of which you have none. '* Experience ?" repeated my wife. " We have made arrange- ments for that very thing to-day, and why could you not have thought, while you were giving the matter attention, that per- haps we might hire it from some one who had it, and had no immediate use for it, till such times as we could get it our- selves, at so much a month. We thought of it and have decided who it will be that will impart it to us, if he wants to, and that person is Mr. Jack Slowsum." " John Slowsum ! " exclaimed our mother, "he is just the boy, if you can only get him, and I think you can, as I hear he did not like travelling, and so he gave it up and is now m town, stopping with his sister. Oh ! I would be so pleased if you could only get Jack, he has had a whole lot of that ex- perience Tom makes so weighty, and, besides, he is religious. Would you believe it ? He can give a better explanation of the parable of the Prodigal Son than any one I have ever heard. He can make it much plainer than can Mr. Parsons, —12— the precentor, and who is also the teacher of the public school. Oh, I do hope you will be able to get Jack." That speech settled the question, closed the meeting, and sent us all to bed. In the niornii.^ we found Jack the first thing, and made known to him the good things we had for him it he wanted them. He did not grasp as eagerly for therp as I had sup- posed he would, in fact he did not grasp at all, but rather he seemed as though he wouldn't take the position as a gift. •' How much can >ou give rae a month ? " he asked. I could not tell, as I had not thought about it, being so well satisfied with being able to offer him a job that the matter of wages did not come into my mind. I asked him then what he would charge, and he told me. I thought it a high price, but we had to have him, so there was nothing to do but accept. We left Jack and returned to Tom's, where we had an early dinner, after which we started for home and reached there iu the middle of the afternoon. I took off my finery as soon as we got home, and did up the chores for the night, thinking at the same time that there was something I could not understand that would cause me more or less trouble before I had finished my undertaking. The travellers had shown us attention and had not overloaded us with goods, but it seemed to be through a spirit of sympathy than otherwise that they had done so. They had given us close figures, I was sure of that, but still there was something hidden that I could not find which made me think the trav- ellers calculated I was going to fail. I did not tell my wife what I thought, as it would be time enough for her to know after it occurred. •'.% M-:.. ii '1 ■■■ ■*■ ••■%» CHAPTER IV REV. MR. GOOD. MAKING a credit sale of farm stock by auction has been a com- mon occurrence in Canada for years, and everybody knows what it is. That was the way in which we intended to dispose of ours, and as I was putting it in shape by picking up an article here and there and putting it in its place one day, my attention was attracted by a horse and cart stopping at our gate. I knew who it was, and at once left my work to go and meet them. It was Mr. Good, the clergyman, with his wife and part of his famil)', come to visit us. He was a welcome visitor at any time, but more so was he then when we were changing from one condition of life to another, and I had been wanting to see him for some time but had not been able to do so. My wife,too, had noticed them, and had also gone out to meet them. No man ever knows what women say when they meet ; none can understand them, however much he may try, so while the women were chattering their way into the house, I took the horse and proceeded with it to the stable, followed by the parson. He always went to the stable with me. He was an excellent judge of a horse, and took as much interest in a good- looking colt as he did in a good-looking child. That taste had come to him paturally. He had inherited it from his father, who had been considerable of a sport in his day, and had owned some fast horses which he had raced for money. His father's horses had been runners, but he, himself, was more partial to the modern horse which is driven in a race than the one which is ridden. Our colts were not up, and he got no chance to comment upon them, so directly we had stabled his horse we returned to the house. The women were with them- selves, and the children were with themselves, so Mr. Good and I had to be with ourselves till tea was ready. After tea we took a walk out for a smoke. After our smoke we returned to the house again, and found the women seated at the table looking over some fancy work. I had stated while out with my visitor what my reasons were for going into store-keeping, to all of ^ hich he had listened —14- n attentively, but bad made no other remarks either way, although he seemed at times as though it was torture for him not to do so. When, however, we were sen ted in the sitting room he re-opened the subject by asking : " Have you had any experi- ence in merchandise at any time in your life ^ " "I have not," I replied, "but we ha/e o/erccme that difficulty by employing a person who has had, and we are in hopes of soon learning it from him." I also told wh- the per- son was, and asked if he did not think we were fortunate in be- ing able to get him. " Oh, yes," he said, " very, and he has had quite enough of 'experience, too, I should think, for I hear he has been in busi- ness and has failed." The fancy work had become unmteresting. The women were listening, and I was much relieved when my wife took up the subject in our behjtlf. She had not fully recovered from the attack of enthusiasm she had been taken with after we met the travellers, and I was positive she would astonish even Mr. Good should she once get started on the subject of store-keep- ing That she had been letting Mrs. Good into some of the sec- rets of the trade was quite plain when one noticed how attentive- ly the latter listened when the former was speaking. My wife spoke. She talked of Jack, she explained to Mr. Good all the ins and outs, the ups and downs, the whys and wherefores, the good signs, the bad signs, the all and everything she had seen, heard or thought of from the time the idea was first conceived by us down to the meeting we were then having, and all tended to convince her that merchandise was what we were intended for and nothing else. Mr. Good listened, but it was uneasily, I knew by the way he moved about on his chair. Thinking he was in pain I brought out a pillow to put under him, which he refused with a smile that plainly said, " Hold on,it will be my turn next." And it was. Breathless, at last my wife stopped, and turning to Mr. Good, she made a remark which I was unable to catch. It doesn't matter what it was,as the turn was enongh,for it gave the parson the chance to speak he had waited tor so long. Availing himself of the opportunity thus afforded, he turned to me with a smile and said : " I heard of your intentions from Mr. Lippie, of Matilda- town, and I talked with him at some length concerning it. ^ He thinks from what he has heard and what he knows that it -16- is doubtful if you find trade as you expect it He says that the very moment a man becomes a mei chant he also becomes a rogue, or is considered so by the public, which is about the saire thing. To make his ideas plain to me he related an instance thaf, had come before his notice only a few days before I met him. A lady, whom we all know, called at their store one day and expressed a desire to have a piece of goods he had brought over from England expressly for his partner's wife. He mentioned the matter to his partner, from whom he learned that the wife would glad'y give way for the sake of accommo- dating the customer. He was pleased when the lady had asked for the goods, he was more so when his partner's wife gave way, and he could tell the lady she could have it, because the lady had been a customer of theirs for years, and now there was a chance for him to give her a bargain worth having without in any way conflicting with the rules of trade. ' You know,' he continued, 'we never charge profit on a favor.* "The next time the lady came in he told her what he could do. She did not take the piece that day, but said she thought she would in a day or so. From their place she went down to John Cheaps and told him about the piece, and how cheap Mr. Lippie would let ber have it. Mr. Cheaps having a similar piece, offered her his at a much less figure and much less than cost, thinking, of course, that he would make a regular customer out of her for good goods. ' Well,' said Mr. Lippie, ' you may believe me or believe me not, but that lady never entered our store again for over a year. It made us feel sad as we saw her go by, for we knew she had been impos- ed upon or had imposed upon herself. But what could we do ? she had refused to believe us once, she would do so again.' Continuing,hes aid, 'That is the great trouble with trade. People expect to be cheated, and are always trying to avoid it or do a little themselves, and are easily imposed upon through their ignorance of what a merchant can and will do, and through their fear.' In conclusion he said, ' Now let me tell'you that that honest farmer will be sick of store-keeping before many months, and if he continues it longer than a year it will be because he can't sell out.' " As Mr. Good ceased my wife spoke and said : " Maybe Lippie did charge the lady too much," but I knew by her looks she regretted having said it, for we, too, had dealt with them for years and had always found them satisfactory. " I also talked with Mr, Steadyman about the matter," said '^y —16— Mr, Good again, after he had smiled away my wife's wrath. " He, too, thinks it's possible you may not find the merchants path strewn with roses, but he did not have an illustration in the form of story to offer as had Mr. Lippie. He acted differ- ently, for his thoughts were in another direction. He thought about the amount of capital you could command and the amount you would need to carry on your business successfully, rie thought you would need at least $5,000 after he had made a calculation on a piece of paper with a pencil, unless you could do business in some other way than that in which others did, and he feared you could not." The last sentence was interesting to both of us, but neither saidj a word, while the wife brought forth the Bible for the minister to read a chapter, as was our usual custom. He read a chapter and also prayed, after which we retired for the night. There was considerable uneasiness on the front side of our bed, and I knew my wife had been deeply impressed by what she had heard. The uneasiness was passed over to me and it was well into the morning before I lost myself in sleep, and I have not the least idea when she succumbed to slumber, as she was rolling and tumbling violently the last I can remember. >Mt> • ■ j4i- ■ *ya i i'yj •'C»t -t^ifei^ li CHAPTER V. THE YANKEE AND HIS MILL. ALTHOUGH I was asleep first, I was not the first awake by any means. Just as I had succeeded in making an im- portant sale I was brought agam into the land of the living by : ** Come, now, get up and get the chores done ; the coffee is on and I think they are getting up in the other part of the house, as I hear a noise there." I hopped out, was into my clothing and away to the barn in a little less than no time, as I was fearful the others would be out and discover I was a sleepy head in connection with my other faults. Breakfast was ready when I returned to the house. Breakfast being over I suggested to the clergyman that we take a walk over to the corners, as I wished him to make the acquaintance of Mr. Hale, the Yankee, who was going to build the mill. After we had been there a few minutes he inquired as to our intention of opening the house as an hotel. I told him in sub- stance what I had told Mr. Doyle. He thought it was wisdom to keep travellers, and also thought it was better not to dabble in liquor. At that point a rig stopped at the door, and as I looked out I discovered it was Mr. Hale and his millwright, I invited them in, and introduced the former to the clergy- man, using Rev. before Mr. Good's name, as I wished the Yankee to be on his guard should it be necessary to use ex- pressive adjectives at any time. Both were favorably impressed, they fell to talking at on e, and continued it till we reached the mill site. '" While Mr. Hale was looking over the place, Mr. Good in- quired for particulars concerning the mill. It would give employment to about ten men. The woik would be continuous if the winters were long enough to enable him to get in stock enough. He was in hopes of finding a home market for some of his work, in which case he would add planers and other finishing machinery. -18- He continued his questioning, but confined himself to such questions as related to the mill only. Mr. Hale being called away to another part of the lot, Mr. Good said to me : " Sylvester, this mill will be a very impor- tant factor in connection with your store-keeping. Why, I had no idea of what could be done with a mill here at the present time, but smce I have talked with Mr. Hale I am sat- isfied he will do well, as there yet remains an abundance of timber, the same as he requires, in the swamps ; and it will also be a benefit to those who live there, and know so well how to handle it through the experience they had as the pine was being removed. Yes, it is indeed fortunate that Mr. Hale has come amongst us, not only that he will build a mill, but because he is a most interesting man himself. Oh, yes, it is fortunate, not only for you, Sylvester, but for those poor fellows as well who liVe in the swamp and have been in such close circum- stances since the pine became exhausted. Now they will be able to use their hard wood, and when that is done they will be farmers in reality as well as in name." "I am thankful, indeed I am, and wish Mr. Hale the great- est success, but I guess he will make it pay and make money out of it, for that, he says, is why he is building it. He talks and acts like a man who means to accomplish whatever he undertakes without all that dilly-dallying and bargaining for a bonus Canadians seem so unable to move without." » I ^s « a4 Mr. Hale being through with the millwright, we at once returned to the house. He and Mr. Good walked together, while the millwright walked with me. We could hear them in conversation, and I was positive as I listened Mr. Hale was getting a good opinion of me. . ;. As it was near noon, I invited Mr. Hale and his man over to dinner. The former accepted, the latter did not. Having impromptu diners was against the rules laid down by my wife in her house, I know, but I thought I would risk it in Mr. Hale's case, because she generally prepared what she called a "blow out" for the Goods whenever ihey came, and one more could not make much difference. As we approached the house a feeling of guilt stole over me as I thought of our householf' law, and knew that I was breaking it, so as we finally reached the gate, I asked Mr. Good to introduce Mr. Hale to the women, while I went on to the barn. He said he would* — 19- and When at last I did go in, I found a happy household, all were in smiles and were acquainted. Dinner had waited for me, and my wife hurried as I came in, for she said she did not want everything to get cold. I was soon at the table, and so were the others. I knew there was something for dinner by my wife's actions that would make me feel proud once more of her, and there was. The prize dish for dinner was a boiled apple pudding. An apple pudding was Mr. Good's favorite, and he praised that one eloquently. The Yankee liked it too, but said his folks generally baked theirs. When the meal was ended the conversation became general, and interesting, too, through the questioning the Yankee got from the women. He had seen most everything to be seen in the world, I thought, as I heard the questions asked, and his answers. It became his turn to question after the women had ex- hausted themselves, so he asked : '* Will you take boardert when you get into the other house ? " " That depends very much upon whom they are," answered my wife. " Well," said the Yankee, " I would like to be one of them, if I pass." " You ! " exclaimed my wife. "Are you not married ? " " Yes, I am married, but have no intention of moving here," answered the American, and continuing, he said he was well settled and comfortable where he was, and that it would not be necessary to remain himself in Canada all the time, or even part of the time, if he succeeded in finding a good foreman. Mr. Hale then left us. It was time for the Goods to go, too, so they left, promising to come again at the first opportunity. After all had left, I went back to my straps, thinking con- stantly what it was that made Mr. Good, like the others, think there was something that would cause me to make a failure of business. Well, maybe I would, but if I did, it would be because I couldn't help it, for I was sure nothing would make me surrender till I was unable to keep my feet longer. I CHAPTER VI. THE SALE.— TAKING POSSESSION OF THE STORE. ■// THE day of the sale had come, so had the auctioneer, and so had the people. The day was everything but pleasant, although it did not rain, exactly. A Scotch mist was falling ; that dampness which wets an Englishman to the skin, and I thought of it more than once as I saw so many of them about. The weather made no difference, the stock had to be sold, as we had no further use for it, so at the time named for the sale to begin the auctioneer mounted the roller, read over the terms, and asked how much he was offered for that cow. He talked, talked long, talked fluently,and tried his best to put life into, the people, but without success. It was too wet, too cold, too dreary ; nobody wanted anything. The day was enough to satisfy anyone. One horse was not bid on at all ; my wife's cutter, for which she had paid $45, sold for $19 to a widower. My buggy, a covered one, with all modern improvements, sold for $27.50. It was very discouraging the way the things sold, but they had to go, and go they did, till the last of the " articles too numerous to mention " had gone. Buyers then made their way to our dining room, as re- quested to do by the auctioneer, where those who bought for cash paid it and took the discount, and the others, who bought on credit, gave their notes, payable eleven months after date. Seven hundred dollars was the total amount of the sale. It was not as much as had been expected, but one horse had not been sold, and that made a difference. As the people were going away and taking their purchases with them, I felt a pang of anguish. My sorrow, though, was nothing at all compared to that of my wife's as the calf she had raised by hand was being driven by the door. She had given him the name of Peter ; he had come in the month of Feb- ruary, and as the weather was cold at the time she had made him a blanket to keep him warm. That act of kindness on her part had made a friendship between the two, that was then being broken amidst tears. When all were gone and we were alone we felt sad as we —21- ^.1, .».*»• we thought of some of the homes it was possible one might find. We were very quiet in the house that evening, and retired early. •* Early to bed, early to rise." We had retired early, we were up early and at work early. We were workers, and by noon had our goods moved, and by evening had the furniture placed. ' When placing the furniture we discovered we had not enough to make the house look as we would like it. We would have to have more furniture. My wife ran over a list of what she needed. I made a cal- culation as she did so and found that at least one hundred dollars out of the amount of my sale notes would have to go for furniture. She made arrangements with one of her neighbors to accom- pany her to town the next day and help make the purchases. They went in the morning as they had proposed to do the day before, and at one time, while they were away, I thought it would be morning before they returned. They came at last, though, and when 1 saw my wife I was positive she was not happy. She answered my questions in monysyllables when I inquired what she had done through the day. I asked for a bill of the goods she had purchased ; she handed it out without remark and then walked away. I looked the bill over and found what I had expected — one hundred of the seven gone that day for furniture. There was ground for a lecture on " extravagant waste of money," but that wouldn't Icwer the bills, and, besides, I was sure she had bought nothing that she could have got along without. Never having allowed myself to comment on my wife's expenditure when a farmer,! found it difficult to begin it then, so I pocketed the bill without remark, although it ex- ceeded by far what a year's would have been in the past. I know it has been customary for heads of families to have a sort of general superintendency over the affairs of the house, as it is to have it over outside matters in agricultHral life, but it had never been that way with us. While a mechanic I had paid my board to the wife instead of the husband in the house where I boarded, and had become accustomed to that way of doing things, and through that had left our household affairs entirely in the hands of my wife. It had worked well ; she liked it, so did I. It gave her a share in the management of affairs ; it saved me a great deal of care. '* CHAPTER VII. THE STOCK COMES. — WE ARE TAKEN IN BY THE MEDICINE MAN. IT was not a long time before we were settled in the new house. The invoices of goods had begun to arrive and so had the goods, for we sent immediately to the station for them » after the invoices would be received. Jack was with us and was at work — coat off and sleeves up. He understood hi<« business and was doing it. To give a description of taking in stock would be tedious, and I will not tire you with one. I will, however, state that profits vary from a hundred per cent, down to about twelve-and- a-half, but on an average it is about thirty. As Jack was marking some articles which are sold at the large profit I thought he was making a mistake in his arith- metic, so I mentioned it to him. He had not made a mistake, and explained why the profits were larger by sa>in<^ that the articles were not often called for, also that the price h^ had put on was only that for which they generally sold. I demurred at what Jack said, and was going into argument, when he stopped me by saying : * Oh, you would cut a dog in two with prices, you would, and some day a hay-maker would cut you in two to even things up, as it were. Put on a profit, and get it, too, if you can, (or that is what goods are sold for ; isn't it ? " That was what goods were sold for, certainly, but I thought *' it wrong to have such large profits in a store that was tobft conducted on the one price principle, and that price to be a reasonable one. The stock was in its place ; the store opened with twenty pounds of sugar for a*dollar. The sugar took the people, and the people took the sugar. Twenty pounds was less than cost, but we had to make a spread of something, and Jack said there was nothing sweeter to spread with than sugar. We spread on a barrel or two. Hardware and medicine had not been bought with the other goods. The houses which dealt in Ihoije goods had not been represented at the meeting of travellers, but Mr. Doyle said he —23— would send them to us as soon as we would be ready to see them. The medicine man had come, but Jack was not at home. He was away at a tea meeting doing the chairman act. Owing to Jack being absent, we did not wish the traveller to open his samples, but when he said he would confine himself to what would be staple, we consented to have him open. We thought about $35 worth would be enough. The traveller thought the same, and agreed to keep as close lo those figures as possible, We bought ; the goods were shipped, and when the bill was received we found it three times as much as we expected. It was $105, and about half of that was for combs. We had no occasion to replenish our stock of combs again while in busi- ness. We did have to have more medicines, though, but we got them from another house, owing to the fact that when we sent our check to pay for the combs and medicines, it was returned to us with the request that we add tvjeniy-five cents to it for exchange. A few days after that the hardware man came, and Jack bought the hardware. At the same lime the man who carried groceries was with us. Not having advertised our business by poster, we decided to get up some hand bills that night, while we could have the assistance of the commercial men. We asked them to help us ; they consented, and, right off, preparations were made for getting up a hand bill that would astonish our neighbors. It wasn't the easy thing we thought it would be, but we per- severed. We wrote, read, altered, re-wrote and then read again, then wrote again, and so on, till we had used up a half quire of tea paper. Then we stopped and talked awhile, after which we tried it again. We talked and tried, and tried and talked, till the clock struck eleven, and yet the task was not accomplished. It suited them, but did not suit me, and as I was the one to be suited, we altered and erased, till at last we got one we thought would do. ..>>^ •. 'T.., ■"»'4:«'^.. —24— as* iii •{pm"i Pi LfiiiO'k a RE-OPENING * ^^yiJ ^'^3- AT ^'^^^ ' HIGHBORO. tu';»7r^ '/;vril eetxr DM i-i ,br, Having leased from Mr. Doyle his property here, and having purchased under his direction a ..,•(■» '-,'■^1 GENERAL STOCK OF MERCHANDISE, 4a ■'* Consisting of Dry Goods, Readv-Made Clothing, Hats i AND Caps, Boors and Shoes, Hardware, Glassware, Groceries, Drugs and Medicines, and in fact all and everything that is kept in a well-regulated ' *^' GENERAL STORE. t These goods were bought right. They will be sold right, and prices will be made with that object in view, as we' intend to remain where we are for a term of years, and want your patron- age while we stay. u jo/' THE GOLDEN RULE WILL BE !:■■'•; OUR MOTTO. "-' ^-y 3 n^^ With the child we will deal as with the parent. Our goods ' are marked in plain figures, there will be no occasion for dickering. .:.(, ,K One Price. One Price. One Price to all." Eggs, butter and other produce taken in exchange for goods. ^' Call in and make our acquaintance, even if you do not buy. We wish to know you, and you should know us.. ,^ ' "^v-;* Highboro, Dec. ist, i866. < Sylvester Lamb. iiiJ ^^U^cs*S'J^KiK H-iii-inn The copy for our hand bill was despatched to the printer, who put it in shape and returned it to us the next day. We, too, were prompt in our actions, for the next day after we receiv- ed the bills, we had them posted in all conspicuous places for miles about us. ;>» ' • " —25— Business boomed at the store which had adopted the Golden Rule for its motto. Twenty pounds of sugar for a dollar went in exchange for eggs, butter and cash. It also went for other things which Canadians use to trade with. Butter out-did all the rest, both in quantity and quality. I questioned Jack as to the advisability of taking more of it, when we got so much it was in our way. " Take all you can get, you'll not have any of it by Spring," he told us, and he was right, for it was all gone and we were eager for butter before Spring came. ;..T--9^,;:3ef^f- f^r-.iyr ■■Y-tJ,' ,K*i'il^-.'ii-t/^w(i i* •Km t:i-,Mi.K>ii maw >i?'-ifcl%.^*iSi;. : --♦iv?- : ■ - ' ■ril o,:i-.. „-;"-j " Lr:iZ i-n .'„,:{ ■;ri>^7r:'-^'r""':U >WK.;a«K|imt rftoT.-T tf. .i^-ri. i -:; ;>i^-,c-:- ;.■ ■ ■■■:>!.;i;.; Ji.'Sii:/?' T ' , ...,-1 Jl^iiufe'.k--:.'. ■s--*.: f.nu\ f^iiti-'T&i., -js^ • bihr > ia'imJbS r3fi.:;m •■^:>i^^lu$i.i' ,fi ",*■•■/ \ rfoiiiw i^aifli ;»^?lto t"* *'^^'" -f^-'- '^ ;-!'.r,-> bris iittjud ,hh^'> - „ / CHAPTER VIII •'\«^V^^" ^'''•'^'''''■'' »JrK> :i,i->m yaiH;/ "the book OF martyrs, h^ >^^^'->^'^^^'V „ _ L I I TOOK to merchandise kindly as the rush continued. So much did I improve that it was but a few weeks before I could tie up a parcel without putting the string in my mouth and holding on to it with my teeth. A woman came in one day and asked for some wincey. I showed her what pieces we had, but was unable to please her. What she wanted was too high ; what was low enough she wouldn't have at any price. I examined the goods ; all felt alike, but were of different colors. That led me to examine the cost mark, which I tound was the same on each piece, but the selling prices varied from ten cents a yard up to fourteen cents Then I went over to Jack, and asked him if he had not made a mistake in marking the wincey, but he assured me he had not, saying, also, that some pieces were prettier than others and would take the eye quicker, and for those that please, we should have a larger price than for those that did not. " It's price you want, for that gives profit, and it's for profit goods are sold," he said with emphasis in conclusion. I could hardly understand his meaning, although I tried very hard to do it. It would not do to dispute his experience, because I might make a mistake in doing it, so I kept quiet, thinking perhaps he was right after all. Later, I discovered Jack was not confining himself to the one price policy as it had been laid down in our hand bill. He had thrown ofT considerable to one person, who had made a large purchase. I did not like to have him do that, as it appeared dishonest to throw off to one and not to another. That matter I also brought before his notice, and asked him if he thought he had been confining himself as he ought, to the rule we had laid down in the beginning. " Oh, don't be so devilish good," he said, somewhat savagely. "You are quite too much so to last long. Have I not always told you it was for the profit goods were sold ? " "Yes," I answered. —27— *' Well, then, when a person buys ten dollars' worth, and you can induce that person to buy ten dollars' worth more by cutting the price a little, why not do so ? " He was getting much in earnest. •' You get a profit on $20 instead of $10, which, while it may not be but little larger in the aggregate, is $20 instead ot $10. The difference between $10 and $20 you will find an item ot much importance, later on, when your bills are maturing about the first of March." Jack was right in what he said, I could see at once, and was pleased to have learned it. I would mention it to my wife and we would do business upon that principle. Jack was a reader, and a reader of religious works. He had brought with him when he came to us, " Fox's Book of Mar- tyrs, " and, having only just got it, he was reading it in his idle time. I liked reading too, and although what I liktd was dif- ferent from what suited him, there were no obJQctiops tq hi^ readmg whatever pleased mm. • ... .. .' . .^ . He would often be called away from reading to wait on cus- tomers. At such times he would leave his book on a pile of clothing, where it would attract attention through its colored pictures. There would appear to be nothing wrong in such an act, nor was there, only one day a neighbor asked : " What book is that you have here, that has made old Mc- Connell so mad. He calls it the ' Book of Martyrs, ' and says you are showing your colors mighty early in the fight, and show- ing them, too, where everybody can see them. *' Divil a penny-worth will you get from him, so you won't, and he had intended to do all his thrading wid yous." What did I hear? Could it be possible anyone would be of- fended at a work on religious matters? Was it really so that Jack's book had given offence ? If so, why was it so ? I had not read the work, and, it was probable, never would. I had seen it, and had used it, of course, but it was for quite a different purpose than reading it. I had used it for the purpose of amusing children, by showing to them the pretty pictures it contained. Just as soon as we were alone, I brought the matter up, and asked Jack what he thought about what he had heard concern- ing the Book of Martyrs and Mr. McConnell. " Mack is a darned old fool," he answered, " to get offend- ed at so trifling a thing as that book." -28- I then asked htm how it was that Mack had been oUTended. " Well," he said, *' Mack is a Roman Catholic, and they have never acknowledged the authenticity of Fores Montynes, ' and, I suppose, that is the reason why he got mad.'* ^ I knew Mack was a Roman Catholic, but had not thought about the difference there is between Christians when it comes ' down to a matter of religion. In fact I had hardly known of there being any, although I had been about a good deal, and ' had associated with many different people. ' There had been coopers working, shop-mates with me, who were Roman Catholics, but I had noticed nothing about them that would lead me to believe there was a difference between their religion and mine. I was sorry the incident had occurred. I was sorry, as a Christian, when I looked at it from a religious standpoint. I was sorry as a merchant, when I looked at it from a business standpoint. Mack had many friends, and there could be no doubt but that he would tell them what he had seen. I could see some of his neighbors going by our place into town, as I looked at the incident from the business standpoint ''~ *^:-""y^ I tried in ail ways to get an opportunity of explaining myself to Mack, but in vain. I tried to explain it to his neighbors, and that was in vain, too. They all seemed to shun me, and did not come in even for their mail. They sent their children for that. I told my wife what had happened, that night as we went to bed, and she, as she heard about it, at once rose up and said that her opinion of Jack was the same as his was of Mack. **^" The adjectives which she used were the same as were used by Jack, and she made what she said expressive through using those very words. She also said that she feared our man Jack, as a useful factor connected with our business, must alter his course, or the time would be short when his usefulness would be gone. I thought the same, but said nothing, as it was right in the midst of winter, and I did not like the idea of seeing him tramp during cold weather. I had forgotten about his sister. I iiiiu I >d i , ^|^/o<.i4i ^^ •/!•»?, CHAPTER IX. CHRISTMAS. — BUYING LOGS AT THE MILL. I »'. THE effect the Book of Martyrs had had upon our business was gradually wearing off, and once more we began to feel like ourselves. There had been no chance for me to explain myself to any of Mack's friends since the incident occurred, and so I had given up seeking for one, leaving the matter to wear itself out, as I hoped it would in time, and as it did. Snow came early that year, and we had the nicest kind of sleighing by Christmas. The times were very good owing to the good roads, and the good time in the year it was. My wife had been to town, where she had purchased a supply of goods for the Christmas trade, and we were selling lots of them. So much did we sell during that Christmas, of goods suitable for the season, and other goods, that our place might well have been called "The Busy House." After Christmas came New Year's, but that in no way com- pared with the other, as a time for business, although we sold considerable between it and stocking the mill. Logs were coming into the mill by hundreds, and those who brought them were well pleased with Mr. Hale and his method' of doing business. They said they would be able to furnish more logs yearly than the mill could use for many years to come. As some of them were telling me that, they stated also how much benefit it would be for them and for me if they opened accounts with us. They also explained how it would assist Mr. Hale, through the amount of money which would be left with him until such times as they would need it. The time that they would need it would be after the snow had gone and the work was finished. They would need it then to pay me and others for what they had got while stocking the mill. The argument was conclusive, accounts were opened, and the credit system fully established in a few weeks. Jack was kept busy for an hour or so every morning, posting the previous day's sales, anH T vished, as I saw him at it, that he had had some of it to do UiC time he was reading the Book of Martyrs. —30— The snow left us about the middle of January, and at the very time we didn't want it to go. It went to stay, too, and did not return again that year, although we watched all the signs we had ever known or heard of that produce snow. Those who had money coming to them for logs, came and got it. Some of them paid their accounts at the store ; others said thay would like to use the money for another purpose, if it was agreeable to us ; others did not even ask if it would be agreeable ; they got what money was coming to them and skipped out of sight — money and all. ^.i^,-] ,^^^\\ As we waited and watched for snow, We felt blue, as day after day passed by and none came. Through the loss of snow we found ourselves in a much different position from that m which we expected to be. ;>oe ,ii.3Y udi v?lii;r»..?ui«:i woaS. Mr. Hale, too, looked blue, as he said he had not stock enough to earn his salt with. He had calculated on at least a month's more sleighing, he said, or he would have hustled himself more at the beginning. bht'.^^ Trade continued brisk, but it was on the credit system, there being no money in circulation. It would sjon be different, however, Jack said, for in a few weeks more the hens would begin to lay, and then there would be currency enough. The amount of that kind of currency circulating in Canada during the spring months is something prodigious. It's just as good as the gold itself, and will pay for anj thing sold in a country store, the same as the coin would. .;&!a W^yn mi^a rn-i.lt tHv"tji was brought into use for the purpose of holding our wealth. The egg trade amused me at first, and I wanted to do all the counting myself, not because I feared cheating would be done, but because it was interesting and amusing. At first I was awkward, but I soon improved, till I was fully a match for Jack. Neither of us, though, could hold a candle with my wife in counting eggs. She could literally throw them from one package to another, she being so nimble with her fingers. Butter, too, had begun to move again, and we were taking all that was offered to us, as we found a ready market for all we could get, from the men who worked in the mill. The mill started as soon a*^ the days were long enough to get the ten hours in in daylight. Mr. Hale was not satisfied -31— with what the mill did at first, neither was he with the way in vvhich the men were doing. Occasionally they had sick spells, and would have to lose time. Those sick spells would occur directly alter pay day, and annoyed him comiderably. He could, and did, effect a cure to a certain extent, by dis- charging some of them, but those who took their places would also have the weakness, and he couldn't make what might be called a permanent cure. At last, in disgust, he said that he had never seen so many nuisances of men in any one place before in his life : one or another had a headache, a backache, a sore finger, or a sore toe, all the time. He had been fortunate in getting a good man for a foreman, as far as a knowledge of machinery goes, but as a hustler of men he was deficient, being altogether too good-Katured. Mr. Hale, however, had hopes of working some "snap" in him artificially, some day, when an opportunity offered itself. He was much bothered as to what was the matter with the mill, that it didn't do what he expected it would, but he did not make a loud noise abou*^ it at all ; he only said he would find the cause of it if it took him all summer. A Yankee contains as much persistancy as an Englishman, only it's of a different sort. While the latter is grumbling at what he can not understand, the former goes to work and dis- covers the cause for whatever it is that annoys him. Mr. Hale was at his mill constantly, running it himself sometimes, ho- ping to learn what it was that was wrong, and at last he decided he had not men enough to keep the saw constantly on the cut, as it should be. He explained to the foreman what he thought, and another man was put on, then another, and still another, till he had enough to take care of the lumber, and not have the saw waiting for the men, as it had been doing pre- viously. He was mas'er of the situation at last, and there was nothing more to keep him away from his family longer, so he left the mill in the hands of his foreman and returned to his home in the States. The mill was a small affair, Ixit what a stir a small amount of machinery can make in business That little mill made a great difference with the amount of business done at our store, and I grieved as I thought of the day when it would be cooled off, after its season's work had been finished. It had been our main support ; it was from it and the eggs we got all the money we had. What goods we sold ,to other customers were charge d or the most of them were, and now, while I think of it, I may —82— i say there was at that time nearly half a thousand dollars on our books. i Commercial men called, and we bought more goods. We bought spring goods and summer goods in great quantities, and in excellent qualities. We had noticed many people who should have been cus- tomers of ours going past us into town. That we did not like, as we were satisfied they could have done quite as well with us as they possibly could at the places they went to. We wanted to stop them, and the way to do it, we thought, was to procure some good dress goods, and offer them at a small advance on cost. If we succeeded, it would benefit both sides. It would benefit us through the increased amount of trade ; it would benefit them because the) would get cheap goods at home instead of having to go to town for them, and having to lose time. They would save time... Save time ; it's doubtful if one farmer in twenty knows anything about saving time. They will hitch up a team one day in every week, or oftener, and run off looking for something in the way of a bargain, spending their time on something they do not get, instead of spending it on their places, making improvements in different ways. The mania for making bargains is something wonderful in agriculturalists. They will waste hours anddays making a bargain, in which, after it's all finished, there is not as much gain as would pay for the time lost in making it. The mania for trade is, indeed, wonderful amongst agricul< turalists, b/.M »ii 't • 'nv ■!! ;:s ,n;sfn ■wii,-: usii 'simi v.- I; ■'( ' '■ * ' it; a- " ■ " ■■ :>;;; rF'j: ..> •■* y ■ ■ <•< Hi'i ;->'ji ■ CHAPTER X. .•Tr,!*] rv ■) JACK TAKES HIS DEPARTURE. — OPENING AN ACCOUNff AT THE BANK. THE weather was getting warm, and Jack showed signs of uneasiness. He wanted to get away again, on the road, he said, and also he said that he had received some good offeis, that it would be detrimental to his interest to refuse. We, too, were getting uneasy, for we thought we had reached a point where it would be to our interest to take the manage- ment of the business in our hands. Both parties to the contract being agreeable, there was no further excuse for keeping Jack, unless it might be the matter of paying him. That we could not do at the time, but we would give him what we could, and the balance we could send him when money would be easier, we thought. We told him what we would have to do with reference to his pay, and as we did so his anxiety to leave us lessened. It was not the same with us ; ours had increased, and so we rather insisted that he should go, as he had practically become a nuisance. March, the month that tries the merchant's loul, had reached us, but our bills would not mature till the middle of it. We had arranged the dates when buying our goods so as to have them spread from two months to six, instead of the usual four. All couldn't be put in that way, of course, and therefore, a vast amount matured about the middle of the month. It would not look well to begin making collections from our customers, so soon after starting, so I decided to go to the bank and get my notes cashed. I went to the bank and found no difficulty in getting the cash, and to judge from the actions of the agent, I could have got all the money the bank had. .The discount, I thought high, but said nothing, as I supposed it would only be a short time that I would have to borrow money, for in a month or two, my accounts would become due. '• The money I got at the bank I divided amongst my credi- *• —84— tors, paying the small ones in full, while on the larger ones I only paid part, giving a renewal for the balance. We passed through March as smoothly as though it had no terrors, within its bosom concealed^ for merchants. There are no showers in April, to awry merchants, they pass over that month as smoothly as time passes. The flowery May was not such a delightful monih for us, as it is sometimes described by the poets to be. Our renewals matured in that month, and the out-look was blue as we entei- ed it. The egg trade held out j?ood, however, and we passed through it without meeting near the trouble we had anticipated. We were in June, but there was nothing of importance matur- ing in that month, and we hardly knew it had come, till it had gone. XAjev 'ari* .- a July ; there was enough maturing in that month to last an ordinary man a year, and we found ourselves very uncomfort- able, as we entered it. The hens had ceased laying, as is their custom to do, and no eggs were coming in, and, for a matter of fact, nothing was coming in. The mill had finished its work and had been shut down some time, and what little tiade we did do was done on credit. July is the month in which merchants make out half-yearly statements of accounts. We made out ours, and sent them to the ones they were against. From those accounts we expected to receive money enough to pass us through tlVe month. In that we were mistaken, for only a few, a very few, paid any at- tention to their accounts whatever. We resolved then to visit each, personally, and see why it was that the accounts had been neglected. We did so, and got various excuses, but no money. It began to look very dark as the time approached when something must be done, to save ourselves. We knew not what to do. There would be no use going over the same ground again for the same purpose, we were positive of that as none had held out any hopes of bsing able to do anything for us till after harvest. There would be no use trying to collect money. We talked the matter over and studied on it for some days, till at last, my wife said " Go again, and if you can't get money take notes, we can put them in the bank and draw the money on them." As I did not quite understand how to do what my wife sug- gested, I was afraid to undertake it, so I wrote to the house that was holding the greatest amount against us, asking what *^36- they would do, and at the same time making a statement of how I was situated. The reply to that letter, stated, that if funds were not provid- ed to return note when due, they would "dra7i' on you at sight." "Draw on you at sight" What did it mean? We had never been drawn on, and were at a loss to understand the exact meaning of the phrase. We suppost.d, however, it was imperative, as the words had been understood, and would be followed by an action in court should we neglect to pfbvide the funds with which to retire the note. A Once more I went collecting, not for money, but for notes. Notes I got, for they are readily given at all times by farmers, and took ihcm to the bank,where they were pinned on to a note of mine, and the proceeds of my note was passed to my credit in my account. The house had made a draft in the meantime. It was accepted by me, and charged up to my account when due. More paper matured in that July, and my rnind was in such a state of excitement that I was almost, if not quite, a victim of insomania. To all the letters I wrote, asking an extension, the answer invariably was, ive will draw on you at sight if note is not retired when due. The agent of the bank had offered to pass an accommodation note, if I would get an endorser, one time when I was talking to him, but I had refused it then, as I did not know whom I could get to do it. I had always refused to endorse for any one myself, and it hurt me most awfully to to ask another to do what I had refused to do myself, but something must be done to quiet my creditors, or they would close me up and sell my stock for sixty cents on the dollar. Sixty cents on the dollar was ruination, I knew, as I thought the matter over, but, who could I get to endorse ? Who could 1 get to endorse ? I thought of many and began feeling of them with that object in view. It was tedious, as one after the other changed the subject just as I reached the all important question. At last I went to my tenant, and my efforts were crowned with success, for no sooner did he understand what it was that I wanted, till he consented to sign a dozen notes for me, if I wanted him to. . >>*} < .; ;.">> ^ The note was made and discounted ; the proceeds were put to my credit, and as one bill after another matured, were paid. July passed at last. "Thank God," I said. "Thank Heaven," said my wife. -^^- :ff^^.>#i'.:.^.a CHAPTER XI. A VISIT FROM MR. GOOD. A STORY had got about that our goods were too high, and so they had been at first, but we had re-marked them to a reasonable profit directly Jack had left, and were selling them at exactly what they are worth. For all of that the story was about, and we had not been able to regain the confidence of the people through it. Many continued to go to town. We were in hopes, however, of stopping them when the fall trade • began, for we had a fine stock, and many good goods. My wife had said there was no use keeping store unless we kept a good one, and it was upon that principle we had bought. The year 1887 was not to be forgotten by many farmers, or for that matter, mej chants either. That was the year of the greatest drought we have known. Months passed without even a drop of rain, and vegetation was almost wholly destroy- ed. Even the weeds, wl.'ch at all times grow so luxuriantly, were short. Hay had been a fair crop, and so had the winter grain, but spring grain was almost complete in its failure, and so were the roots. Corn had to be cut green and fed to the cows, that the milk supply for cheese should not be short, by some ; others kept theirs up in another way, they kept it up with water. The latter way was discovered one day by the inspector, and a general row seemed close at hand, but nothing serous occurred, as each farmer had an excuse for what he had done. Giving the cows too much water for drink was the commonest and t' 3 easiest understood. The future looked dark, there would be no spring grain to sell, and money would continue scarce until after the pork and cheese were sold in the Fall. Those sales were generally late, but at times they amount to large sums. That year it was not expected they ^70uld be very large, owing to the drought we were having. We lived in hopes, however, of having some of our larger accounts lessened when those sales would be made, if not wiped out entirely. In the meantime we would trust to oash sales ''nd kind Providence to carry us through. -87— There is no contentment for a merchant. Long before the month of August was cftit we were worrying over September paper. I longed for Mr. Good as my troubles were upon me, but he came not. He had always been able to produce a little en- couragement by remembering me of seed time and harvest, and that the Lord doeth all things well, during times of despon- dency, when I was a farmer. I wanted to see him more than any other man I could think of. As my wife and I were dividing our troubles with each other one day, a rig drove up to the door. She at once stepped to the window to see who it was. It was : .,, " Mr. Good, Mrs. Good, and the children." • The day was hot. The parson had his duster on, and so had the rest of them, but a duster never became any other human being in the comical manner it does a clergyman, or at least, that is the way it impresses me, and I almost laughed as I went out to see them and help unload. I took the horse and proceeded towards the stable. Mr. Good followed, as had been his custom in days gone by. " How do you like trade by this time, Sylvester ? " he asked, while a smile, not of derision, but of sympathy, lurked around his mouth. *Mt is not what it was cracked up to be," I replied. •* I feared you would not find the perpetual sunshine you had been led to suppose you would before going into it," he said, very thoughtful and serious, " but let us hope it will end well when it does end. That must be, however, some time yet, as this is only your first year, and two more will remain before your lease will have expired. " I trust the end will be well, but at present the outlook is dark, owing to this terrible drought we are having." I was serious, too. *' Besides," I continued, " there are many who go by us into town for their goods, which they might get here as well and as cheaply as they can elsewhere, for I know that we sell as cheaply as merchants do in town, because we buy from the same houses and I am often shown copies of the orders town merchants give, and find we are charged alike for the same goods. I have told them even that, but it makes no difference, they still continue to go to town for their goods." •' It seems strange, it does, indeed," said Mr. Good, with bowed head, *' There must be a cause for it which you have been unable to fathom. We will think it over together -•&8- tonight," he continued, " and perhaps we may be able to ascertain what it is." The horse being finished, we returned to the house, and meeting Mr. Hale on the stoop,he and the clergyman exchanged ed greetings there. Mr. Hale had come to look after his mill interests, the stock being in a condition to move, he wished to instruct his foreman how to classify it, so that it might be shipped direct to the con- sumer without re-inspection. Mr, Good looked in at the store, as he passed and remark- ed that the stock looked full and complete, and that it was tidy and clean. The latter was through the care my wife had been giving it, for I, myself, was not the pink of neatness, nor had been my predecessor, Jack, clean enough to cause one uneasmess. 0'f: w^r 'Urmt ■JiVT ^Af! We had our tea at tea time, and while we were eating it Mr. Good said it was like a family gathering, that, although we were not a kin by blood, we were by sympathy, which was quite the same thing. -jh^i^ie ''Hl: ith:i''r\\3thhiiuyiiiq Mr. Hale compared it to a tea party. Mrs. Good said, that it didn't matter by which name it was called, as either would be quite appropriate from the number at, or the delicacies upon the table. ''■•■ ' •> .iiitAiMitdl At the commencement of the meal I had been called away by the ringing of the bell we had placed over the door to alarm us when it was opened, while in other parts of the house. I did not get back as soon as I wanted to, nor so soon as I should have for it was only a call for the mail. The caller, though, had a remark to make in the shape of an excise for disturbing us. It would have been as well had he not made it, but he did, and so did all others who came to us for their letters, and went to town for their goods. After tea Mr. Good and Mr. Hale spent the evening walking about the mill while I attended to business Business was brisk that evening, and I did not get through till well into the night, but when at last, I was released, I put out the lights, closed, and fastened the doors, and then went into the room where Mr. Hale and Mr. Good were. " You are at last free, Sylvester, " said Mr. Good, as I enter- ed the room, " so seat yourself, and we will talk matters over, and find, if we can, what it is that is worrying you, for I notice you are worried. When I had taken a seat Mr. Good began questioning me, -39- from all points. He would refer my answers to Mr. Hale, and then, they would be talked over and commented upon by both. . When I remarked that ^ had tried to confine myself to the principles of the Golden Rule we had adopted in the beginning, both smiled. Mr. Good then said, that when he had first read it, on our advertisement, he had been amused, but had thought at the same time how much better it would be for mankind, should all adopt it, and then adhere to its principles, after hav- ing done so. He further said that he was fully convinced, as he thought the matter over at the time, that we would be un- able to adhere to the principle laid down in that rule, or, if we did, we would find ourselves in a position that would not be enviable from a financial standpoint, and latterly, wo would be apt to get into a sorry plight, as most people traded on the principle of getting the better of the bargain if they c^-uld. you who wrote that book, and what kind of a man its author was ? It was written by John, the patron saint of curates, and, * like a curate, John was of a most loveable disposition. He was growing old too, at the time he wrote, and might be said to f have reached his second childhood. It would probably have ! been as well for Christianity had John not written at all, for he seems to have loved his Master so deeply that he overdid * what he undertook to do." " I might give vou a comparison to John, of a later date, and I will. Have you forgotten the story ot George Washington , and his hatchet ? " At the name of- Washington the Yankee looked up, and as : the question had been directed at him, he said he had not. " Do you still believe the story you learned at school about : the father of his country, his hatchet and the cherry tree ? " the i. parson asked him. li'M " No," said Mr. Hale sharply, " we do not believe it now, : for it has been proved beyond a doubt to have been without (foundation. It was written by the preacher who preached for ■■f the Washingtons, at that time, and was made up of full cloth, i for nothing of the kind ever happened. It was only a silly little story." " A silly little story," repeated the clergyman. ** Yes, that is ' what it was, and it was written by an old clergyman who had been a tutor of Washington's, and who, like John, had become old before he wrote, and wishing then to display his knowledge . as an historian, and also acknowledge his gratefulness for past favors, he made up the little tale which has so long been held up as an example for young America to follow. It never occurred, other than in the mind of the man who wrote it, although it has since been used by the world as a fact " You will also note quite a coincidence between the principle characters of these two stories, " the parson further said. " The one was a great warrior, and was supposed to have been the founder of the grettest Republic the world has ever known. That, however, is another mistake, as Independence was not granted through the destruction wrought by the soldier, but was won at a battle fought on Downing Street, London, Eng- land, through the Englishman's natural desire to trade, no matter where he might be, in Old England or in New England. " rhe other was a very pious man, and was the founder of the greatest religion in the world of to-day. You and I believe that, certainly, but there are many who do not, and should they be questioned they would say that it originated some three hundred years after the time we suppose it did, and%ith about the same object in view as the ones had who made Indepen- dence a fact. " Do not think " he said, continuing, '* that I doubt John's sincerity in the least, for I do not, but, as I said before, he was growing old and his memory was bad ; besides he seems to have been possessed of that same serenity in the depth ot his know- ledge old men manifest so plainly to-day." "Prayers !" announced my wife as she and Mrs. Good entered the room, '' and you had better come into my room and have them." We followed them back into the room from whence they had come, and there Mr Good read an appropriate chapter from the Bible, after which he prayed, and then we retired to our beds. As soon as the door of our room closed, I related to my wife what Mr. Good had said, and she at once acquiesced in his ideas, remarking that she, too, had made up her mind to sell goods, if she could, and she wouldn't confine herself a moment longer to the Golden Rule if she found another that would dispose of more goods. She thought, perhaps, she said, that Mr. Good's might be the one she wanted, anywa), she would give it a trial, and if it worked well we would continue it, as it was to sell goods we kept store. The clock then struck ; I put out the lights and got into bed before it had finished tw elve. \K 'i T ■i^: . I !?. .1)-f-3.m Jga! bie? I CHAPTER XII. MR. HALE GIVES ME A POINTER. I AWOKE in the morning much rested after my night's sleep, although it had been a short one. I thought much about doing business upon business principles, and had r^ decided to try it. I felt as though I had been much too honest for my. own good, and began to think that perhaps w honesty wasn't the best policy for a merchant. I did up my chores, and by the time they were finished, ft> breakfast was ready. 4 We breakfasted that morning in silence, for all were deep in thought. ^ f! Mr. Good referred to the coffee, which was so richly i\ embellished with pure cream. '<^ M.'. Hale said nothing. Mrs. Good gave her attention to the children, who, while the others were thinking so deeply, rattled and banged away •> as though they had not been taught that ** children should be seen but not heard." It was a solemn meal. I was pleased when it ended. >/? I did my posting in the morning, the same as Jack had \\ done, and was busily engaged at it when Mr. Good came in. I gave him an American paper to read, a page of which was i. devoted to sporting news. He was fond of that kind of reading and seating himself he read the paper until I finished my work. The time was not long as we had greatly reduced credit busi- ness since we had sent out our half-yearly statements of account. The work being done I put aside my books and took a chair by my visitor, who at once gave up his reading and turning to me said : '* Do not think strange of what I said last night, Sylvester, much of which perhaps would have been better unsaid, but you crowded me so closely with questions that I had to explain myself in the way I did or leave a bad impression on you and Mr. Hale, a thing I did not like to do as both of you appear to be slightly skeptical." ^46-^ " At first I had only intended to explain to you who are so strictly honest, that a proviso or rather an omission had been made in the commandments lOr the special benefit of trade. To go further what can you imagine would be the results in the future had not that omission been made for I am more than positive trade cannot be carried on upon the principles of the Golden Rule which you adopted, to-day, to-morrow, at any time in future, unless a great change takes place and I fear we will never see that change. In the past there has been no time j when the Golden Rule was the principle upon which business was done, if we are to believe what we read, so then what is the use of you adhering so closely to a principle that never i has, never can and never will be used for the purpose you wish to use it. Do as other merchants do, make the people believe - you have the best goods and are selling them cheaper than any ' other man in the county. In nine cases out of ten, a man you have cheated will return to you for satisfaction or another cheating when he discovers what you have done. That is i humanity all the world over as it exists to-day, as it has existed for all time past and a»> it will continue to exist for all time to I come. You cannot^hange it, it's trade. As a farmer it would ' have been foolishness on your part to do what you must do as ; a trader. They are different, one is production, the other ■ trade." A customer coming in just then, our canversation was broken not to be continued that day. ;fi;w.> o-v.r'H iy.nyu%n 'iM Mr. Good and Mr. Hale spent the balartce of the forenoon in each other's company. At dinner Mr. Hale told us about his family ; his daughter Eugenia, and his son Eugene, who, he said, were twins, and j who, he thought, he would send over next summer to our place ' for their holidays. My wife liked that, and acknowledged there was nothing >. she could think of that would be nicer. Mrs. Good was of a similar opinion, and at once invited them, through their father, to visit at her place and make the acquaintance of her children. < Mr. Hale accepted the invitation, and with that the meal ended. *li nl //iia bnfl JcrJ'jrv.'j ■d!i;ovy J. ,1 .Mfw .'.--'jdi "mr Directly dinner was over, Mr. Good left. Beginning on the new principle, I made some startling statements, through ignorance. These statements were doubt- ingly received by some, after the shock, produced with their utterance, had quieted. Meantime, I rubbed my hands >. —46— together, and endeavored to smile away the doubt ; with some I succeeded, with others I did not. With everybody I shook hands, and would have kissed everybody's baby had it been, required. I lied, lied much ; awkwardly at first, of course, but afterwards improved, till I got lying down to a fine art. il Business improved, so much was the improvement, that I 'U found no difficulty in returning the September paper, that had caused us so much anxiety, when we were doing business on ... the principle, laid down by the Golden Rule. ^rig " It has just occurred to me, that a better way can be found i& for you to get the money, than for me to send it through the it mail. You have a bank account, and could pass a draft against me there, which I would accept and pay. In that way you-** could be short of funds at times, when you wanted to, and could exchange some ot your goods in payment of orders, with some, who would need their immediate wants supplied. Then, when at last you would feel a check by your concience, you ; i could make the draft, and, if I am not much mistaken, youJu -47— , > * would find, when matters were settled, about all of it would be yours." I understood that too, and smiled as I thought of it, and so did the Yankee, for he knew he had been giving me a pointer. It was not on the principle of the Golden Rule, that was true, but we had adopted another, so I answered him by saying : " I guess I'll be able to manage it." A few days later, he returned to his home, leaving me in control of his finances. •JfTI- 7 i ■ /Jt^lflv' 'loi A\j-^u'i..\\.n. ",.'?; ■■'■A y <5ub' •■..T■-^^4' a < - .■■•■■ JU J*j -no" Viiim iba ' ■>" 'ivi&ii'' o ■ .r;a;j?.3 u.;.., tiv : of ;■ <•»#- »>:▼•<.*/■ ■ ' . fe-cv; •P' ■ .:'ii'/r-I ' 6flc ,1' nO'^ffo ■SfiS'V 1! ■ ». nil' in 1 1 (iC'-'.' ■yTT Oflw : *j }s/.Vi*nW ■■<,. ■T» % I I' CHAPTER XIII. ',() FALL TRADE. — ANOTHER CLERK. — SELLING THE CHEESE. WE had reached October, and the notes I had taken from the farmers would mature about the middle of it ; so also would my sale notes. As the date was approaching, some called and asked to have theirs held or renewed. At first, I pretended not to understand what they wanted but they ex- plained it so fully that it would have been mean not to have understood them. I had to understand. I could not hold notes that was out of the question, but I made renewals for those who ask it. % Those who had not called I expected were in a position to attend to theirs themselves, and would do so. In that I was mistaken, for when I went to the bank the day after they became due I found only $19 had been paid in. That placed matters at the bank in a bad shape, and I was compelled to use what other notes I had to settle the one on the collateral, instead of using them to quiet the wholesaler. The sale notes were paid in full. • The fall trade I had made so much calculation on was upon us, and I must say, it did not meet my expectation at all, although we were puffing and blowing our goods up to such a height, that we almost amazed ourselves. Many were the soft things we did, but without results, for the run continued, past us, into town. Nothing would stop it that we could do, so we gave it up for a bad job and aimed our attention towards making pre- parations for the winter. Winter was fast approaching and as I had become acclama- tized to the stove I was In no way inclined towards splitting the wood again for the stoves as I had done when Jack was with us. I began then to look for a counting boy who would be far enough advanced at school to be able to assist us in the store at such times as we would need him. I had heard of one who had taken a foremost part at the school examination as an elocutionist, and who I supposed would be otherwise well advanced as he was nearing bis majoritv. His family W9§ well i: Wi ii»* —to- known and was well respected, i hat was another item I took into consideration. At the first opportunity I spoke to his father about the matter, the father said he was trustworthy and ought to be a good scholar as he had kept him nt school till he was twelve years old continually and every winter since. He would not make a bargain for his boy he said, but he would tell him and he could come down and make a bargain for himself. He came the following evening and a bargain was closed. As there was considerable to do outside he began at once and being smart and willing he soon finished it. He was then inside and made rapid strides in clerking. He was not as well educated as I had expected. I discovered one day, when looking over my books, and noticing an entry he had made. The entry was "pance a. 50." I studied hard to undei stand what *' pance " was, but finally gave it up in disgust and called the boy to me and asked him what it meant. " Pants," he answered as calmly as though it was pants. I told him how to spell pants and some other words he had spelled by guess, but did not scold him ; it was not his lault, it was the fault of the school that paid more attention to " read- ings and recitations " than it did to orthography. November had come and collections were as bad, if not|worse than they had been at any time before. It was getting to be too much to bear and we dreaded to put some accounts in the clerk's hands for collection. • vThe accounts which we left with the clerk were against mechanics and jobbers, who, wh ~e they could dress their wives and families, would not pay for the food we furnished them to live on. The wholesalers continued to hound us ; it would have been as well if they hadn't, for we had no money. The cheese had not been sold although 1 1 cents had been offered. Eleven cents was more than cable quotations would allow, but that made no difference, they would not sell, believing 12^ cents would be offered later. In December it was even worse than November, for the wholesaler wrote that he wished all accounts closed before the year would be out, and if we did not take up our paper they would draw at sight. They drawed, but we didn't accept. Drawing had got to be an old thing. " Merry Christmas " was everything but merry with us ; there was no life in anybody. Nobody had any money. —50— -Jo^g bought some goods for Christmas, but not many j there was no Christmas at our place that year. troiJKJshwnQ:;; oim ' ; New Year was hardly worth mentioning. 'When, well into January we heard that the cheese had at last been sold, and not for the 1 1 cents that had been offered, but for 9^ cents, a loss of i^^ cents on the pound, it having dropped to that figure while the English were hanging on. As we thought of the sale of the cheese we felt good, for we expected many of our large accounts would be lessened and the smaller ones paid in full. ^^ i>«^8 '^'^ao Days passed, weeks passed, and yet no accounts had been paid in full, and only a few lowered. It surprised us, we could not understand it, so we began to make inquiries and found that we were not the only ones who had waited for the sale of that cheese. We also learned that the others who had waited had not, like us, continued to wait after the sale had been made for the farmers to bring the money in, but had gone at once and got what was coming to them so as to save the farmer's time. : '.<*u^ ww w: j^w* iul. wf^ {<>;,: jH&jiiiJv It was provoking and amusing as well, for while it placed us in a most uncomfortable positicn, it showed how a farmer would help his neighbor — the merchant. It was a game of confidence, and we had lost. }h- rtt^-'ui-^URil What could we do ? We were in close quarters ; what could we do? Sue ! Yes, if we wished to, but if we did it would be the last of us, for those who were owing us were well off and some of them had money in the Savings Bank. It's bad policy to sue a man who has money in the bank. He is of far too much consequence in the country for a merchant to risk sending him a summons. We looked for the bailiff daily, but he came not, although some of our creditors had prpmised to send him. It was hard work providing for a family out of merchandise. " ■ ''■' '^. 'i - '• ' ■•» . ->;»>t7if 'I'-ilitftt-lojii^'' -fA •i^ll- a CHAPTER XIV. GOODS REFUSED. -THE BAILIFF VISITS US. Hcm BOOTS and shoes were ordered from the house, from which we generally got them, but they did not com'*. vVe waited and yet they came not. Becoming anxious we wrote to know why goods had not been forwarded. In reply we received a letter stating that they had deemed it advisable to ascertain how we stood before shipping. " Would I kmdly furnish them with a statement of my financial ability ? " the letter asked. That was offence, as we only owed them a balance of $65 out of a $1,000 deal. That fact we wrote to them and at the same time said that had we been able to collect our accounts as closely as they had theirs we would have been offof their books. The reply to that letter stated that we had recently been asking renewals. That was news. During the time the correspondence was being carried on the house had made a draft for the amount of its claims. We accepted and paid the draft before the letter was received that contained the news. We owed them nothing, it was none of their business how we stood financially, and our next letter told them so. Another letter was received from them which we will keep for all time, to remind us of the quantity of cheek possessed by a Canadian wholesale house. ... t .^I'j.l.:^:^^.- -^ 4'J~i'//»i; A general store is not complete without boots and shoes, and for that reason we gave another order. That order was not filled either. ■ We gave no more, as it would be foolishness. We were much puzzled over the actions of the boot and shoe men. We knew without a doubt we could pay all we owed, even if we had to sell out for 60 cents on the dollar. " There was only one more large bill besides the boots and shoes against us, that was held by the hardware man who was rated at a million dollars. We did not fear them as we had been told that they never took action at law for the recovery of their claims, they had money enough and were satisfied with interest from those who were worth it, and to those who were -52— not they trusted to their honesty to pay when they could. They never sued. They were the most persistent dunners that I thought that I had ever seen, but I attributed that to the fact that they were the first Canadian milHonaires I had met in business. They out-dunned all our other creditors put together, and if it hadn't been that I thought they were only having some fun with me I should have tried harder than I did to pay them. The Canadian millionaire is a curiosity. As we were having a chat one day in the store with some of our neighbors, the bailiff walked in, taking a seat by the stove he joined in the general conversation till he had warmed himself. After that had been accomplished he gave me a nod, and then rising he went into the other room and I followed him. When the door was closed he took from his pocket some papers, which he began sorting over. At the same time he said to me " I have a summons for you." . ^,,. ,■ ■ , "A what?" Tasked. *'" "'' " A summons," he repeated, still looking over his papers. " Let me see it, then," I said. I was anxious to know what it was. " Here it is," he said, as he handed it to me. I took it, read it and found it was from the firm that was rated at a million DOLLARS. ■S^'i. f » ij 1 /./ «i •!.▼».' " I got another,'^ he said, as I finished reading the first. ^-^•*'*- "Another?" ''*"''-' "Yes. another, here it is."^^"^^^ '^^''^'''' .w.yt.b::.v.M ^^/^ I took that and found after reading it that it was only for a small claim. . . . " Here IS another, he said agam. ' * V ; , •* What, another ? " I was amazed. ' '■*' •^*' " Yes, by — by — by George I have another still ! " " What, yet another ? " "Yes, by Ge — Ge George, I had four — four summonses for YOU," he stammered as he handed the last one to me. He not only stammered, he swore, and he swore without stammering. His profanity was eloquence. I could have assisted with some- thing a trifle more modern than he used, and would have done it had I not been so overcome with sorrow. Four summonses ! Four summonses! I kept saying as I looked about for a seat on which to sit. Four summonses ! Four summonses ! Four summonses ! 1 repeated. The bailiff repeated profanity. He had known tne from a boy. —53- Four summonses ! It was dreadful and no mistake. Four summonses to attend court. It was, indeed, a sad time for me. I had no money and there was no place that I could think of where I could get it. The only thing that would relieve me was snow, but no snow came. I must have remained in the position I assumed when I took my seat and placed my head in my hands for perhaps ten minutes, before I was aroused by a cessation in the bailiflPs shouting ; a hand on my shoulder, and a voice that said : " Brace up, brace up, my boy, I know its a damn shame, but don't give up like that, you will find a way out, and it may be much sooner than you expect, for " The darkest hour is just before day." I braced up^ and began questioning him as to how I could stay them off till such times as snow would come, or something happened that would afford relief. He instructed me how to proceed so as to get more time than I supposed would be needed. I acted upon his advice, but It was something terrible to do, for I knew I owed the debts and that they ought to be paid. They would have been paid too, had I been able to get the money to do it with, long before the bailiff came. What made it seem worse was the smallness of all but the millionaires. The other three, in total, was not a quarter of what the large one was. Something was wrong ; what was it ? What made those men who held the small notes sue ? .,.^ „ , The more I thought about it, and some other things that had happened, the more I was convinced some one was gossiping aboulwis, as Mr. Good supposed there was when he was with . us last. "", "■ ■ ' Who was it, and how did so many hear it? It was puzzling, to say the least. :\i U oo t'i, yaiui.! ,x'''''* •-, /s" ! yf'l fir; <; vA) ■ hm-; ,h tm-i iiiO,,^i*4ijK'«W. .v-v* r/<».'iy if.Li' fCfiT ■jih ;;;:t {3U Jaf.ii ir^i;:.. •V,,.-f-' '■'•'' 7/.. :.iX .'lit) .i.7 ,-.:i U-vAf ^Mj, ;;^'i; ...Ji^^ji . CHAPTER XV. ' " ^^5t'>«^^ ^ilL-yrti I. ft 1 J " '^; MR. GOOD IS SNOWBOUND AT OUR PLACE. , _ THE summonses brought by the bailiff reminded me that I, too, had sent summonses, and* that ihere ought to b« something for me at the clerk's office. Not having heard from there, I supposed there would be money there, which I could get by going after it. I therefore went to the office and made inquiries concerning the results of my litigation, and was informed that nothing had been paid in. i was also informed that execution had not been ordered out, and that nothing further had been done after judgments were signed. I had judgments against for all. „^,,. 1 then ordered the clerk to issue executions, which he proceeded at once to do, but as he was making preperations he asked if I was sure the bailiff would find anything when he went to seize, because, if he didn't I would have the costs to pay myself. In compliance with a request of mine, he then read over the list of goods which were exempt from seizure, and I decided to wait. I then inquired if there was no other way in which to make them pay. " Oh, yes, " he answered, *' but it's very tedious. You will have to get an order from the judge to have them examined as to their ability to pay ; he can then, if he thinks they are able to do it, order them to pay so much a month, and they, failing to do as he orders, can be committed to jail." That was enough. I «;aid no more about the ether way, so putting in disputes to two of the claims upon which I had been sued, and paying the other two, I left the clerk's office. On my way home I thought much about the other way of collecting a debt. I also spolce to my wife about it, after I had reached home, and we decided to have one man examined. His wnfe and daughter had visited us, and had been extrava- gantly dressed when they did it. I was wishing again for Mr. Good, and I was also wishing for snow, but neither came. I had often seen the preacher go by, to and from his mission in the swamp, but he never stopped, — 56 — as it was always on Sunday. I saw him go by on the Sunday after the bailiff had called ; we had nO' Med to each other, but nothing more. It looked like a storm, I noticed, as he drove by tha* day but, had about forgotten it. A As \^e were sitting before a blazing fire in the evening of that day, d knock came to the door. I answered the knock at once, as I knew the night was terrible, and I did not wish to keep whoever it was waiting, for the night was indeed terrible. It was Mr. Good, I saw as I opened the door. r. " Come in," I said as he hesitated. My wife hearing his voice as he spoke to me came into the hall also, and laughed loudly as she saw the parson in his robe of white. " This is a terrible storm, Sylvester," he said, as he stamped the snow off from his shoes, " and I had to stop to warm myself, else I would not have disturbed you." " Don't mention disturbance," my wife said, as she swept the snow off his coat with a broom. " It may be one, but if it is it's one that we like, so get off your coat and overshoes and prepare yourself to remain where you are for the night." Then turning to me she said, " Husband, put out the horse." I obeyed her command, after which I went into the store-room and brought forth a bottle which contained the same as the jug had when we farmed. We had not used a jug after we had become merchants, as we could obtain it in cases, put up in straw, five years old, much better. 'k'M': . My wife was tickled as she finished speaking us though she had a joke on somebody. Thinking it could not be me, I turned towards the clergyman to see if he was the victim. He was not, or if he was he showed no signs of it, for his face wore its usual smile of composure. When my wife had become composed again Mr. Good began on another subject by saying : '* The neighbors have been showing you their English, have they?" Then with a slight chuckle he answered his question by another, asking : " Are you not English ? Of course you are. Then why did you not use your own English and make them sell whether they wanted to or not, or if I could not make them sell their cheese, you could have made them pay you the money, for it's more than probable they had it in the house or in a bank where they could have gotten it, had they been pricked up a little. However, its perhaps as well you let them have their own wav, as you might possibly have given oflfence had you prosecuted, and suffered in the end. "They are very avaricious, and want every thing they see, -even to this earth we inhabit, and it's possible they n?ay one day have that, for they conquer and colonize wherever they go, assisted, of course, by the strength and awkwardness of a Scotch- man, and the chivalry and deviltry of an Irishman. '• Have you forgotten what was on the Saxon's banner as it has come down to us through history? No. Well, it would be as well now if you erase it from your memorv, for investigiition has proved it another historical mistake. There was nothing of the kind upon it, but, on the contrary, there was what so well denotes the character of the Saxon wherever he IS found, and at whatever he may be doing, or the manner in which he may be doing it. A hog was on the Saxon's banner. " The characteristic so well represented bv the animal goes no farther th^n money making, Sylvester. For while they ^69— - would hang on for a. cent and perhaps lose one and a-quarter as they did with the cheese, they would assist you with that same determination should you at any time he overtaken hy a calamity Don't, however, look for assistance from there should you meet with business reverses for they would disgust you with equivocations before they would endorse a note to help you out of your difficulty nor would they lend you one hundred dollars unless you give them better security than what a bank would ask." As Mr. Good finished, we chuckled, as we thought of the fathers who had brought us up and who were both Englishmen. "So youJ.-.'iL' ii-^>' '.;-^«>''»W mi. ji- ;,..? [N. ■" V^'A" ; ' CHAPTER XVI. tw 'r\., . ' 04^ '*•'' ■ P trJl .r BANK WITHDRAWS. — MORTGAGING THE FARM. — A LAWYER S BILL. ;>vr '.'i- '^'THE beautiful snow." That was the first time that I ever •I saw anything beautiful about snow, but it did look beauti- ful as I walked out of the door in the morning after it came. The weather was cold but I did not 'nind that as the snow was what we wanted more than anything else to help us out of our difficulties. I made paths to places where paths were to be made, myself, being so full of ambition I could not wait for the clerk to do it. Breakfast was ready when I had finished, but I did not have time to enjoy it. No time was wasted in conver- sation, the snow had made us doers instead of sayeis, and the time had come for doing whatever was to be done. I went at once to my books for I thought Mr. Good had something he wished to say to me alone, and I expected he would come into the shop directly, I would be at liberty. I was not mistaken ; he came in as I had expected he would just as I put my books away." *' Sylvester," he said as he seated himself by the stove, ** You do business at the Society Bank ; do you not ? " ' "I do," 1 answered. " Yes, I thought so," he continued, "and it may be as well if we talk about that institution this morning, for I hear it's in a most deplorable state. Only a short time ago, as you must remember, a run was made on it, and although it did not go down at that time, some of its secrets were exposed, and the real state of affairs became known. It was in a had state ; efforts were made to hush the matter up ; a new General Manager was put in charge, one of great importance and a leader of society, but of no avail ; the Knglish bondholders wanted his money and had to have it. The Directorate was changed, but to no purpose ; the Englishman wants his money. He wants it yet ; he is getting it, and getting it in gold. In a short time he will have all the bank has, then there must be trouble, and without doubt, suspension Now, what I wish to say to you is this j when the bank faih )u will be called on to make good your discount, that is certain. Well, then when the m •■H -62- time comes don't run off to another bank and open another account, but just put a mortgage on your farm ;ind raise the money in that way. You will find it a g'eat saving, as you will get the money at 5^ or 6 per cent, per annum instead of 8 per cent, discount you now pay on three months' paper. That alone will be quite an item you will find if you calculate the difference between discount on three months' papers and so much per cent, per annum. , It will seem hard to mortgage your place, I know, but I assure you, you had better do it, as it will largely repay you in the long run." I had not thought of mortgaging my farm, my whole thoughts had been the other way, but after he explained it, I thought about it more, and dreaded to do so should the bank demand it. " It may be," continued Mr. Good, " that your wife will demur when you approach her, as it is something terrible to a wife to know there is a mortgage on her home when it has once been free, but I think from what you saw last nij^ht about both of you going down together, she will not offer any objec- tion which you cannot overcome, unlesss she changes her mind." ..,:.,, .^ We chuckled again for we both had wives. I then told him that I did not expect much opposition from mine because she understood such things quite as well, if not better than I did, and, although she might not jump at a pro- posal to mortgage her home I had no dou'jt but what she would sign one when she would understand why she was asked to. The sun was shining brightly and the snow was beginning to pack, so Mr. Good left us in the forenoon before the sun would have packed the snow hard enough to make it difficult for his horse to draw the cart. ,; jr;-v,ii/ He always brought us something. This time he had brought us snow and adyice. Whenever he came he increased our happiness, and no man was more welcome at our home. It should be the same elsewhere. v'l»i-w>^ lb v>b*5l Many were surprised that Mr. Hale did not come in that winter, but I made the payments for logs punctual, and their surprise did not last long. At the same time I made collec- tions from those who were owing me. They too were surprised and sought a market elsewhere, but were not successful. It seemed to us then that we had better act upon Mr. Hale's suggestion concerning the draft, we did so, and with good results —68— Through the business the snow brought, we were enabled to scop proceedings against us in court, by paying the claims and the costs. What Mr. Good had suspected about the bank was true. It did not break down entirely as he had supposed, but it did what was quite the same thing, it withdrew from business, and I was called upon to make good my accommodation. I tried to open an account with the other bank, but without success. The agent said they had more business than they wanted, which was probably true, as they had the business of both banks. I had kept Mr. Good's suggestion about mortaging the farm in my mind considerably, had also made a calculation with a pencil, and discovered the difference between discount and interest. The more I thought of it, the more I was convinced that Mr. Good was right. I spoke to my wife about the matter, and when I had finished I feared she was suffering. I then told her what Mr. Good had said, and she consented to think the matter over. I could not help comparing her outburst of love and loyalty on the night of the snow storm, with her actions when I asked her to sign a mortgaee — to myself, of course. We decided to mortgage the farm. There was nothing else we could do, so I then went to the lawyer who advertises money to loan at from 5^ to 6 per cent, per annum. He was just out himself, he said, but he knew of a gentleman who had some, and we would go at once and see him. We went and saw the gf ntleman ; he had the money, but wanted 8 per cent, for it. That was too hi(?h a rate the lawyer said. Returning to his office, he informed me that his neighbor, another solicitor, had the money and we could get it there, but it would be most too expensive, he said, as both of them would have to be paid. I was not so sure of that so I stepped into a neighboring office and made inquiries. He could get me the money at once, and would if I instructed him to proceed. He was also the bank's solicitor. v , : I instructed him to proceed. He also stilted that he would commuHicate with the Head Office and mform them what we were doing and that they would not take action at law for the recovery of their claim unless they had not previously done so. That was satisfactory, in fact it was just what I wanted. Shortly after I had instructed the solicitor to procure the loan, ■)• -64— I received a letter from him, asking me to come in and bring my wife with me as the papers were ready and he would like them signed. it^iw :yU As requested, we went to town and had the papers completed. " Will this be all," my wife asked after she had signed her. name. " Yes," he replied, this will be all and the money will be here in a few days." Not many days later we received another letter from our solicitor and thought as we looked at it, the check was there. The check was not there, however, but the intelligence was that the company had " kicked " at the last minute and would not take the loan at all. It also contained the information that he knew of a private gentleman who had the money, and who would let us have it, and that we had better come in at once and see him, ij I had to go, there was no alternatives. I had to have the money. It made no diflference from whom it came. I had to have it. So without arguing with myself I went once more to the solicitor. Cf.?,^ : As we talked about the company " kickmg " he made explana- tions concerning it and told me who the gentleman was that had the other money. He also stated that his neighbor was the gentleman's solicitor, and that he would have to do the business, but that he would look after our interest and would not allow him to get in any " fine work." Another set of papers were soon completed and in a short time we had the money, less $50 cost. The loan was $1,000. The rate was not 5^ or 6 per cent per annum. I asked the solicitor how it was the cost was so high. His answer was not satisfactory. t^- I asked another, he said, " where is your bill of cost ? " , <,;.j " I have none," I answered. " Get one then," he said, " and I will have it tarred if you instruct me to proceed." ■65. ' ^ V , .^. THE BILL OF COSTS. Fees. Disb'rs'mts. Instructions $ 4 00 $ Letter to agent and postage 50 03 Agent attending to search registry oflfice 2 00 50 Letter from agent 50 03 Letter to client 50 ,03 Letter from client '•; ...t;. 50 *""' Letter to agent to obtain abstract of title 50 30 Agent attending to order abstract 50 Agent attending for abstract, paid register 50 5 00 Perusing abstract of tittle after having received it 5 00 Letter to client ;.'.".» .-iu. '.v\- - 50 03 Letter from client 50 Opinion on title 5 00 " ■ "' Valuators' fees 5 00 Telegram to client 50 25 Tele^^-ram from client 50 Consultation with client on closing proceedings 5 00 ■'; Attending capitalist for funds 10 00 Error 50 ''-'^ Mistake 50 '/^* Forgotten 50 J* * Billofcosts . 300 ; Mi Copy 150 ■^':>i ""^ , $49 50 $5 90 Say $50.00 ! , When I showed the lawyer's bill to my wife she was amused, afterwards she was mad, and said as she finished it, " Say $50," and allowed it was a good way of settling an account to throw off some of it. She also read the items, after which she wondered how it was the solicitor had n(5t charged for smiling and winking at her. " For,*" she said, " He was fully as sociable as the dentist was who filled my teeth, and I believe he would have gone farther than the dentist did, only he hadn't me in so good a place." I said no more about the bill. 'I had no money for professional services. "^ *^ * All my surplus funds were in the hands of those from whom I coulcf not collect it without a judgment summons. -" 1 rl.fi' B .<(io:>:hy ,i-ui ^F CHAPTER XVII. ■■•>•; i^ SOME VISITORS. WE made use of the money we got on the tnortgage by releasing our endorser, and by paying our overdue account. It did not take the whole amount to do it, but carrte very near it. The wintt r had been favorable to lumbering ; the mill had in a large stork and was running steadily. Spring opened warm, and continued so ; the crops looked well, and promised to be abundant. The farmers wtre in good spirits, and so were the merchants, as the outlook was bright for both. We were not carrying the large stotk we had pre- viously when we were endeavoring to stop the trade from going past us. We bought onl) what would sell readily, and between what business the mill made us and what we got from our neighbors, we did a good trade for a country store. It in no way, however, compared to what we had been led to suppose could be done before opening. In the earlv part of summer my wife received a letter from her sister, Mrs. Law, the barrister's wife. It stated that she would visit us in a few weeks if nothing happened, al.so, that her husband, the barrister, would come too,at some time during *' Long Vacation." We also received a letter from Mr. Hale, informing us that his son and daughter, Eugene and Eugenia would be over after the fourth. The summer was getting well along, and we were looking for intelligence from those we were expectii.g to viwit us, that they would soon be starting, and we were all in readiness to receive them, when a letter arrived from our sister, informing us that she would be up directly Dominion day had passed. The next day after Dominion day she came, havina left her home the next morning after the show and reached our place in the afternoon by stage. It may be suppobed from the position our sister occupied in lociety that she came to us amidst g'eat splendour, but she did not, she came pnly as an oi'dinary mortal might, and was \ —67- ^ dressed in an ordinary travelling suit, she having refused our offer to meet her with our own conveyance at the station. She was a jolly woman, and romped with the children till she looked, herself, as fresh as th6y did. She drove some but not much. A few neighbors called and their calls were returned, but what visiting she done did not amount to much. She seemed to like playing with her neices and nephews more than anything else we could bring forward to amuse her with. We enjoyed ourselves with our sister in all ways, and at all times, excepting, only when she referred to our store as a funny iiitle shop. " Why, you have everything one might say from a needle to an anchor, in your shop, ain't ycu Conney ? " she would laugh- ingly remark to my wife, as she inspected our stock. It must not be inferred that those sisters weie Irish, because one called the other Conney, for thiy wtre not, and Conney was not used by them as a diminutive tor Cornelia or Cornelius, but was for Constance, my wife's name. The fourth ot July had long gone by. and at any time we might expect our other visitors, so we were not much shocked when the staj e driver brought in the intelligence that he bad a couple of Yankee cubs dirtct from their native jungle, on board, consigned to us, with his mouth wide open, M> wi e, who was by when he spoke, at once started for the front door to welcome them Our sister, who was also by, left by the back door which led into living parts of the house. I knew by the sounds which came from the front, that it wns a meeting of sympathetic souls, for all the sounds were those of delight. The st ige had bten gone but a few minutes when the young American came in the store to me. I greeted him, and looked him over as I did it. He was a good six feet in height, and might possibly weigh 175 lbs. whtn set out. He was not extravagantly dressed and tiiere was nothing to show he was the scum of wealth, except the ring on his finger, the pin in his shirt and tlie watch chain across his vest. When he had finished answering my inquiries concerning his father, he looked out of the window and a ked if th.it was the mill across the road. Answering him that it was, he expressed a desire to go over and see what kind of a " pepper-box " it was, saying that his father said it w.isn't much larger than a pepper- box, but it could shake out lumber faster than pepper could be shook out of a box. /.VyfiJi -68— .& I directed him how he could reach the mill, for I was unable to accompany him myself as I would like to have done, but it was mail time and I dare not leave. -.u i He had been gone but a short time when my wife entered the store accompanied by his sister, and said that her sister was up-stai.'s dressing and she had thought it a good time to introduce Miss Hale to me. .j;i ,-^i! il.'t.v ^iu,*.i)| 'jiiii uj .ri.mi;»;j.n^ h-y^',i-bt.{i -A- "Yes," I answered, " it is time they were back, tme distance is not far and they should have been here some time ago. '*Well," he said with a long breath, "I don't care how soon —70— they come for I am getting anxious to hear Genu's opinion of Canadian preaching. She is quite a critic, and will discover the hits and misses made by a speaker about as well and as quick as it can be done by a reporter." -"^: • _ Leaving his chair he walked into the road and looked in the direction they would come from, somewhat uneasily, I assured him all was right without a doubt, and that perhaps they had met friends after church and had spent time talking with them. " Here they come now, or 1 expect its them, for I see a horse and carriage coming this way," he said as he was loolting down the road. ;'• He was right, in a few minutes more they drove up and were assisted by him to alight. Taking the horse, I led him to the stable and was unhitching when the young man came out, and walking up to me, said, *' Are there any young men attending that church that Genu would be likely to get mashed on ? " " No," I answered, " there is not," and I thought at the time there was not. *' Well," he said, " something has happened her, and I don't think it's through the preaching she has heard to-day, it it is, it must be different f.om what we have at home." Returning to the house, my wife's sister met us on the stoop and began eulogizing Mr. Good's preaching, regretting at the same time that her husband had not been with her to hear the sermon she had heard that day. We walked into the house and into the sitting room where we found Eugenia sitting on the sofa. '* ' • ' '^"'^ I asked htr her opinion of Mr.Good's preaching, and although she was not loud in her praises, she acknowledged he spoke well. ''"^ My wife who had been preparing tea, came in just then to tell us it was ready, and that we should come out and take it at once. While at tea Mrs. Law continued to talk of Mr. Good's preaching, calling him Davy, for she had known him when that was his name and everybody called him by it. My wife had noticed nothing remarkable about the sermon, nor any unusual flow of eloquence and said so, but there was something unusual she had noticed and at the first cessation in her sister's tongue, sHe asked, speaking to Eugenia : " How did you fike Mr. Ed." " Very well, " answered the girl, surprised somewhat at the -Ti- the question and continuing as she recovered herself she said, "I thought, though I liked his sister the betttr of the two." " Oh, did you," said my wife, doubtingly, " Well, you will have an opportunity next week to know exactly which it is, for I have asked them to visit us and they have accepted." While taking my smoke after tea the young man sat down beside me and said : " I knew there was something in the wind when I saw them drive up. It's rare, my sister thinks so deeply as she appeared to be thinking then, and I know for almost a certainty there had been a mash, or nearly one somewhtre that day." Ed. Good is a strapping young ft How," I remarked, " and a girl is not to be blamed if she thinks some, after b ing intro* duced to a man like he is. ^, Mrs. Law continued her praises of the clergyman till it became tedious, after we had returned to the sitting-room. There was no ♦ay to stop her that would be r'^spectable that I could think of and I wanted her stopped as she kept us from saying anything else. It occurred to me then to try an old fashioned game on her and put her to sleep if I could. I began to yawn ; my wife yawned shortly ; I yawned again ; my wife did the same. In a few minutes mpre I yawned once more; my wife yawned once more; then Mrs. Law yawned; we repeated it. Mrs. Law repeated it ; we repeated it a. number of times ; so did Mrs. Law till finally she said : "Oh, dear, I am so sleepy." The twins didn't yawn. I don't know whether they understood what we were driving at or not, it was good breeding that kept them up, but they kept up and never yawned once. „i As the door of our room closed my wife began a report of the day's proceedings, by saying : " Well, if you ever saw a fellow gone on a girl, Ed. Good is on Genu Hale, and I think she too is somewhat gone as well, if one is to judge from her actions." i '., :,. » i, .. Not having heard of Ed.'s return before, I was anxious to know something about him, so I asked my wife how long he had been back. There was another sjibject on her mind, however, and the answer to my question was neglected while she rattled away about Ed. and Eugenia. "Well," I said, for I had to ?"" something touching the matter, " I trust nothing serious v ..i come out of it, that it will only be a passing fancy that will go away as soon as they are separated." .^^5,|;:j„ .tif; —72— " What nonsense," said my wife, as she put out the light and was getting into bed, " if there is one thing more than another that I would desire to see in this world, it would be that the acquaintance made to-day should ripen into a love that would only terminate in a sacrifice of hearts on the alter of Hymen." Early the following week the parson's horse and cart stopped at our place. It did not contain its usual load, /or it only had two in it, and those two were Ed. Good and his sister Catharine. I will not go into details of what happened the young people, I couldn't follow them and I don't care about drawing "on my imagination for anything to put in this work, I started to tell the truth, 1 have done so as far as I have gone : there is enough more truth to tell to complete it without anything imaginative, so, I will not say a word about the young peoples' love making. Ed. was a cricketer and a goal-keeper for a lacrosse club, and was often called away to play matches with the clubs he belonged to, Eugene generally accompanied him on those occasions, and once in awhile the girls would go too. when Ca^^harine had acquaintances in the town where the match- was played. Eugene talked considerable about base ball, told the way they played it where he came from, but base ball is entirely too delicate a game for Canadians, and is rarely played by a good ball player. It was to Ed.'s round arm bowling he referred, when he said : *• he can get more English on a ball with his arm than a billiard player can with a cue." '"''*'•'.-''•■', -" ^-ut . Hy;-'i-^""^ v-*"^ The young people enjoyed themselves, but it was not so with our other visitor, the barrister's wife, she had become dissatisfied. She thought we were showing our American visitors more atten- tion than we were her. That annoyed my wife, for she had not intended to do anything of the kind, although, she did try to make it pleasant for the youngsters, because they were young and could enjoy it, but she had no notion of slighting her sister. She had though, offended her, and one day the barrister's wife and the merchant's wife had a spat. When it was reported to me i^ night I heard again what I had often heard before : that Dad was always a whining thing at home, and always had more sorrow for her father's ears than all the rest of the children put together, and that it was for that very reason she had been nick-named " Daddy," while her real name was Mary Jane, I also heard that it was doubtful if she would have been able to win the barrister, had his hair been of a —73- A fr. fashionable color. I spoke up at that and told my wife that she need not attribute her sister's success in winning the bar- rister to the fact that the man was red-headed, for there were too many girls who would jump at the chance of getting a professional man for a husband, even if his head was red, or for that matter had his been blue, they would have taken him just the same, so long as he had his profession ; and besides, I told her that I thought it was this man who was particular, and that he had married her sister for her beauty and for nothing else. Mary Jane was a beautiful girl, and the learned love the beautiful in nature as well as in art. Our sister had not met with success in convincing our other visitors of the importance of a profession although, she had told much about her husband ; the poetry he wrote, the lodges and societies he belonged to, the excursions and processions they had, and how pretty he looked when dressed in his kilt. The children had listened as she talked, but it was not with interest. It was through the good teaching they had leceivedat home which taught them to respect age, that made them do it. ■T CHAPTER XVIII. iH'h i;W\ *'' ; v The lawyer came when he said he would, and he didn't spread as much as I had supposed he would. He was very sociable as he looked the place over ; he inquired if there was much money to be made in store-keeping ; said he was pleased to see me take a start at something besides farming, which, he thought, was too slow a life for a brother-in-law of his. We visited the mill, but he did not understand that, and did not seem desirous to learn any^hmg about it. We visited the old —74— place — the farm. We fished for trout and caught some. We talked considerable ; some about pc^Utics, and some about sociahsm. We differed politically, also socially, or rather on socialism. Directly the barrister had come, my wife sent a note by Catharine to her mother asking her and her husband to meet Mr. Law and his wife at our place for dinner. The invitation was accepted, and we would have the dinner on the following Tuesday, at half past one o'clock, i During the time intervening before the dinner would be, I thought much about it, and at times would feel very uncom- fortable, because I had some misgivings as to how our guests would like each other. I had not much acquaintance with 'ny brother-in-law till after I had married his wife's sister, and did not know what kind of a man he was, and what I might depend upon, He had, though, been sociable enough whenever we had met, and I had no complaint to make, unless it was at times when he seemed to imagine himself away up above me. It was only at times, however, and those times would be when we were engaged in an argument upon one of the 'political questions of the day. He would pay no attention to the arguments I advanced, and acted as though he thought it was my duty to give in to him whether I felt like it or not. That I could not do, not having been accustomed to give in to anybody but my wife, and besides I had doubts about his being altofi[ether right at times. I had my own ideas and advanced arguments to support them, as any man has a right to do. He would listen to them till it became tedious, and then he would close the case in his own favor, with a wave of his hand and a sentence which he seemingly considered con- clusive, and all that should be necessary to convince. Afterwards he would bring up another subject which we would talk about till such times as it became tedious too, then he would decide again in the same manner he had the others, and then there would be no more of that. I didn't like his way of arguing, and was positive if he tried it on the Goods he would get a yank that would place him on his haunches, if it didn't down him entirely, for they allowed no one to hand anything down to them. . n^'t'.'.^iifi^jfn Ti'^'Hn The Goods I knew well. They had always been here, or at least had almost always. The old Colonel had been with Wellington in the Ptnmsula and at Waterloo. He had emigrate^ to Canada 4ii'ectly the war closed, and had settled -76— near our country town, where he remained till he died. His son had been colonel of the militia and his grandson colonel of the volunteers, till such times as he had seen fit to resign, and then his resignation had been accepted and rank allowed. He was now representing a neighboring constituency in the Dominion Parliament. My father had served under the colonel of militia in '37. I had been a volunteer under the last colonel, and it was altogether probable my son would serve under a Good if he ever served at all. It seemed to me that they belonged to us, and it was possible, should occasion require it, I would stand by ttie clergyman in preference to the lawyer — my brother-in-law. ■^ Mrs. Good had been Honorah O'Neal when a maiden, and was the daughter of the leading hotel-keeper in our country town. She had been a lively girl and did many curious things when young. During the time the Fenians were contemplating the advisability of establishing an Irish republic in Canada, she dressed herself in green, fastened her collar with a harp of Erin in gold, and attended a charity ball with Capt. Ed. Good while Davey was away at college. That raised a smoke and almost a fire amongst the British who live amongst the Canadians, and chere is no doubt but an attack would have been made then and there had it been deemed advisable to attack Ireland when Ed. Good was in command. Her brother Lawrence was also at the party ; he was another great obstacle in the way of the British that night, as nobody doubted but that he would stand if needed It was a most presumptuous act on the part of the girl, and was the talk of the town the next day and the days following, till after Ihe issue of Grant Cameron's paper. It contained a column and a half description of the ball, and made Honorah the belle, and besides it gave a sketch of all the O'Neals Cameron had ever heard of from the one with the bloody hand, down to Larry, the sport, who had accompanied Catharine Good to the charity ball. The article in the paper quieted thmgs, for Cameron, who had been our school teacher, was inspector of schools at the time, besides being editor of our local paper, and was therefore con- sidered authority on all subjects * > • : j Our dinner was worrying me ; the lawyer was becoming acquainted, which fast made him n^ore important than he had been at first. I was thinking over that very thing at the very time the clergyman drove up with his wife. I went at once to meet them, and was starting with the horse for the stable when ' —76— the clergyman stopped me by saying : *' Sylvester, do not put the horse away, Eugene and his sister will take him and go to our place and remain there while we are here." Things must be getting interesting between the Goods and the Hales, I thought, as I turned the horse about. '^^ | '"The clergyman and his wife had gone into the house and had been introduced to the barrister by the time I got there. Mrs. Good had gone away with my wife to take her things off. Mrs. Law was in fine spirits. . The barrister and the clergyman were conversing leisurely upon general topics of the day and the weather., .,.,j ,,..,» .,„. i Mrs. Good returned to the room, but only remained with us for a few minutes ; she was not much of a conversationalist, and did not take part in the conversation. My wife's sister noticmg her quietness, invited her in to see Conney's flowers. f>c I was in and out, to and from the store, to .v.> n •\n'i The gentleman had got on the social question. The parson used the arguments he had learned at school, in support of the present condition of affairs, out of the old lessons on political economy. The other used the more modern ones, such as are used by agitators. The lawyer thought it would be wise to tax the land, the parson thought not; he thought the b'.ildings should be taxed, because without the buildings the land would be valueless, taxes were paid for the purpose of government, and government was for the protection of ourselves and our wealth against the ravages of the baser elements of mankind, and for that reason he thought those who had the most wealth should pay the most for protections. lix. I thought the same ; I had read the same lessons. The lawyer thought different, although, he too, had read those lessons ; he explained his theory, but I did not understand it, and therefore, am unable to give it. He explained another theory which he had ; that was the division of all the wealth of the world equally amongst the inhabitants, and said when it was accomplished each person would have about $5,000. Mr.Good smiled, so did I, for I had read in a mechanical journal, only a few days previous, an article on that very subject, in which the writer said that there wasn't enough wealth in the world to give every person fifty cents apiece, much less $5,000. The writer was a practical business man. >W4.iiiyf#: >*,w. Continuing in support of his theory, the lawyer told us of a —77— it, son law the Jews had which caused a redistribution of wealth every fifty yeais. cnwi i'fiCs\H I .ftljf vfU tft*>w ,] luh )rf:cinm^»{f hi Mrs. Good and Mrs. Law had returned from the garden ; the former looked provoked at the man who would not stand his ground and receive his blows in a manly fashion. Mrs. Law, on the contrary, was in her glory, as her husband decided one point after another in his own favor ; the same as he had done previously with me. I had expected the clergyman would have been more determined than he was, and was somewhat disappointed when he had not said, *' You are wrong, Mr. Law," the same as he did at times to me " Sylvester, you are wrong," he would say, and then set me right by an illustration that would be conclusive. However, he said nothing of the kind, and the lawyer continued to chatter till my wife called us to dinner. • oim u.ib I locked the store door that day, as I did not wish to be disturbed. When we were seated at the table Mr. Good gave thanks, and then I began carving. The hour was late, and I was posi- tive the appetites would be good, so I loaded the plates in real old farm-house fashion. They were emptied in a professional fashion by our visitors, and were passed back to me to be reloaded. i a vit^^i'^tnM ot? nf& ^f^f dit, >m ■ w^vp oj rn-'n While our appetites were being appeased we were very quiet, but when that had been accomplished the conversation was renewed. " As the pudding disappeared the talk began to flow." It was not so brisk though, as it had been before dinner, for the men were too full to talk much, and what they did do was done lazily. Mrs. Law, thinking, I suppose, to liven it up a little began telling us once more about the lodges, societies and clans her husband belonged to, and abo-it their celebrations, excursions and walks, then waxing warm as she was closing, exclaimed : " Oh, you ought to see Deary in his kilts." Mr. and Mrs. Good looked at Mr. Law,and then they looked at each otlier. The lawyer meanwhile took his importance as a clansman with dignity. As Mr and Mt% Good were exchanging glances, an expres- sion of inquisitiveness flittered across their faces, and then, the former, turning towards the lawyer, asked : u^4 iiUfr'^.?>i Uunmi ■>: —78— v'( " By what right do you wear the kilt ? " —"' --*' — ' • By what right did he wear the kilt, I didn't know, nor did he either, seemingly, for he looked at the ceiling, then at the table, and then at his wife, blushing deeply all the time. A pause of a few seconds followed ; all eyes were on him, then he said, in the vernacular of his parents : ■■rh.n 3.; •' Me mither was a Cameron." '•What?" said Mrs. Good, "A Cameron and red ? There are no red Camerons." i'>: " Yes. there is red Camerons too," snapped the lawyer, " Me uncle was red, and he served his full time in a Highland regiment." " Twenty-one years in the ranks ! God save us, " exclaimed Mrs. Good, with uplifted hands, assuming, like the lawyer, her mother tongue. . -.r. r' > ,' ' .iuw 'o, How the mighty had fallen. I thought my heart would break as I looked at my brother-in-law, who was getting redder and redder,and in fact we were all becoming somewhat embarrassed, and the only hope I had left was in what Mr. Good would say when he spoke He had not said a word while his wife had been speaking, and would not had she continued to talk till this time, for he had full confidence in her ability to hold her own in any place of the kind she might get in. He knew that still water ran deep, and he knew what was at the bottom of it. His wife was a living representation of still water. She had ceased. There was no more to say, s 3 I listened for him to speak. He did so, but he did not give i\ history of his ancestors who had fought and bled for Britain, as almost might be supposed he would. When it was on military matters the conversation had ceased. While not wishing to "Hange the subject, however, entirely, as the lawyer had done len in a tight place, he took up the career of Bill Good, the pugilist, and gave us a slight sketch of it at the same time trying his best to establish kinship with that individual. Meanwhile, Mrs. Good had been looking daggers at Conney, but Conney was enjoying too much satisfaction to be affected by a look. She had been tortured time, time and again, while visiting with her sister, with lodges, societies and clans, and «s she was learning something about clansmen she had not before known, she was a most attentive listener, and did not wish to be disturbed till such times as she had the full particulars. # Honorah, however, would give her no rest, but continued to harrass her with looks that plainly said : —79— " Rise, Conney ! Rise, Con ! Rise, Constance, or I'll do it rnyseh." When my wif' "ould endure it no longer, she arose, and the meal ended, Mr. Good excused himself and went to call on a neighbor ; Mrs. Good also excused herself, and went to call on another neighbor, who had lately came over from England, and who, since her arrival, had lost one of her children, and was grieving heiself into a fever over it, which, the doctor feared, might turn to typhoid. She was a power in a sick room, and had often been known to leave her children in charge of her husband for days at a time, when a contagious disease was about the neighborhood, and remain with the sufferers till danger was past. Mr. and Mrs. Law went into Jhe garden lor the purpose of seeing the flowers, they said, but as I looked out of the v>indow I thought it was for another purpose. Someone was pleading, and it wasn't the lawyer either ; he seemed to b laying the charge and the woman was pleading, herself, in her own defence. Poor lady, I thought he ought not to scold you, for you were doing no more at dinner than you had at hundreds of other times when you bragged of the loages, societies, and dan^ your husband belonged to, and how pretty he looked in his "kilts." I was miserable ; the dinner had not been the pleasant aflfair I had hoped it would in the beginning, and it had all come about through no fault ot mine ; it had come about through the difference there is between gentlemen. 1 sincerely hoped something would turn up that would bring about sociability once more amongst my guests. It was mail time, and the mail had come. In sorting over the letters I found one addressed to Mr. Lav/, which I at once sent to him in the garden. It contained a call home on impor- tant business, he told me as he came in the store, and if it were possible he would like to catch the evening train and get home that evening if he could. I urged him to remain, but it was impossible for him to do so. I then went after the horse, thinking all the time what a job I would have to catch the train, and doubting considerably my ability to do so. Just in tne midst of my trouble I saw a man with a span of horses hitched to a light road wagon driving leisurely by. I hailed him ; he stopped and I asked him if he could catch the 6 o'clock train if he exerted himself a little. Looking at his watch, he said he could and would if I wished him to. I thanked him and explained the circumstances, I • ■/ then went in after Mr. Law, to whom I told what had occurred. He was in readiness in a minute; a minute more was in the wagon behind the fast horses ; in a minute more they started, and I waved a farewell to my brother-in-law. It may be wicked in me to say that I was pleased when I saw that team strike their gait, but I was, and may as well acknowledge it, for I had come to believe my brother-in-law had mistaken his calling, and was to a certain extent an imposter. Daddy retired to her room as soon as her husband left, and remained there till supper time. She was not able to come down to tea when my wife went up to call her, owing to a head- ache. Our other visitors did not return till late, they having found much sorrow in both places were they were. Mr. Good was the first in, and he came on into the store where I was, as his wife had not yet returned. He inquired concerning our business, and for once I was able to report favorably ; we talked about other things for about perhaps an hour, when our wives came in and took us off to bed As our bedroom door closed, my wife gave vent to her feelings, and I thought, as T saw her carry on, it would be a wonder if she didn't explode, while she talked over the incidents of the day. " Poor Daddy," she said, ** was always making herself trouble in just such cases as you have seen today. She never seems able to know at what time to hold her tongue." I made no remarks. It was not my place. It was her family and she alone had the right to comment on their actions. Jane's head continued to ache the next morning, and she was unable to get down to breakfast. ; ^j^rt Jjcs^irsV T jj-i^iti^ij s,m It was near noon, and still the horse and cart had not returned, and the parson began to show signs of uneasiness, and Slid : , *' It's Strange those children do not come ; they should have > been here two hours ac;o. I know, of course, that they were going to a pic-nic, and it may have been that they were kept ■. up later than usual, but even should that be the casi theyi. have had plenty of time to get here by this time." y I suggested that it was possible they had continued their ^ pleasures by a dance in the evening, as I knew Yankees were ^ quite curiosities, and thought that the pic-nickers would wish to •" see as much of them as they could while they were about, and ^ perhaps bad made a party in the evening fpr that purpose. >^ -81— The young people drove iip just then, and the parson went out to meet them. •'Oh, Mr. Good," said Eugenia, as she saw him, "do not be angry with us, we have kept you waiting we know, but how could we help it, when we met such pleasant people yesterday at the picnic, and who made a party for us in the evening, to which of course we stopped. We could not refuse them, after they had shown us such marked attention could we ?" " No, perhaps not, " answered the clergyman, and then he assisted the } irl out of the cart. Mrs. Good, who had come out of the house, while Eugenia was speaking, asked if they had enjoyed themselves at the party. - " We did, " both answered. ** Very well then, say no more about it, but be off to your rooms and prepare yourselves for dinner, " she said, as she put a hand on each and started them towards their rooms. I turned the hoise about and hitched him to a post, then I went inside to assist our visitors in getting ready to take their departure. " Good-bye, Eugene and Genu," called out Mrs. Good from the foot of the stairs. " Good-bye ! Good-bye ! Mrs. Good, " came down stairs, amid a ripple of laughter. " Good-bye, " came out of the window above. That too, was followed by laughter. In fact we all laughed as they drove off. We had had other amusements with the young people's name. The lawyer not havirg liked his wife's English name of Jane.had substituted another in its place, which he said was the same in meaning, although it was spelled differently. The name was Gean, and was the one borne by a favourite aunt of his, whom he had left in the old country. ' . Jane's headache continued, but with not the same severity as it had for some days, till it was relieved at last by a letter from her husband, requesting her immediate return home. " Poor Daddy, " I thought, as I saw her making preparations for a return home, what a sad time you have had, and how different it might have been, had you not been so deeply impressed with the importance of learning. " Good-bye, " I said, as I left her at the train. " Come up again, when you can, it will do you good, for you look ever so jnuch better than you did when you came," i^ -,;^;■v. t 7 i —82— " Good-bye, silly, I will if I can, but if I don't you must come to see me." " Good-bye, silly." There was a meaning in the words, as she used them, for a nan must either be a fool or a knave, who could say that she had improved, after being a witness to what I had. V).i^y '■uf> iJV .?"■;>■ 1/ ri'rrfvl b^''',-"- , -^ii (!.;■ ,^;*ivx;"^' u':'i^>^i :•;■ , f ' ' ■' . .f^v'I ■' f:- 1 ' '^'0 --; ■ » "- ;=,-■»* - i!J^" ". i\/ ■>' -i.r,;i .'." U-.; ' . . >.l.,J-4.^^. f -i ," 'V :' ,•)! 1 '!: . ■■ '■■;;^ .;"vj]^ '■>■ ■■,• i.'^V-iV-->v::;-,;' f:,i*-.!U,':;::< j:5-r;,;. "^t'r. -:*.■, '•"v*-;/ i,-J'-;vi CHAPTER XIX. A DANCING PARTY. .)t''i t'.- i> *<»:< THE next day after our sister left was Sunday. The Americans as usual attended church, but that day they were not alone as had been their custom. Tom went with them for the purpose of being examined in his catechism at Sunday School. I knew that was some of my wife's engineering, for Tom had his catechism on his tongue's end for years, and it would probably remain there the rest of his days. It was her engi- neering I learned before the day was out. She had sent Tom, because she knew Mrs. Good would not let him away without his dinner, and perhaps not without his supper. The twins, of course, could not come home without Tom. As I was doing my reading that afternoon, I picked up what I thought was a new book, and what reminded me of the Book of Martyr's from its covers. It was not that book, however, it was an autograph album, which Catharine had brought up for the barrister to write some poetry in, as she had been requested to do by his wife. I thought of the poet and his poetry I had heard so much about, and wondered if what he would write in the album would really be original or not. I opened it ; turned the pages to find the poem, and at last found it. .. Ill; f V To Miss Kate Good: ■'■■■ " Fair maiden, as the time is nearing when the trials of life begin, Try and keep your eyes about you, for the charms you might fall in. When at first you meet your fate, by yourjfate I mean a lover. Do not, when it's getting late, coax to have him longer hover. Do not give away to sweet things, nor yet ask too many drives. For you know not what may meet you, in the future of your lives. While I would not wish to have you, let slip by your youthful pleasure. I would advise that you be cautious, and be temperate in a measure. Oh, be temperate, oh, be careful, for you surely do not know. What the future may have hidden, for yourself and for your beau. . . , fir / I —84— * , , .. .,,., Yes, you surely will meet sorrow, and it may be in reverse. So be careful and consider, what is written in these verses," '" ', ,, " yv-^ 0-vr{ Faithfully Yours, *■ ■" . Robert Burns Law. "Robert Burns Law, well I'll be hanged, " I ejaculated, as I ciphered out the signature. Can it be possilile that his name is really that, or has he assumed it, as he did the kilt. Calling my wife's attention to the matter, she said, that was really his name, and that it was one of the reasons why he had given so much attention to poetry after he had noticed it within himself. " For you know," she continued, " he is a strong believer in foreordination, and believes as much as he does he is alive that he was named for a purpose, by a power that is rnore than human." I contmued looking through the album, and found a variety of verses, both sentimental and the other way. I was just going to close it when my e)e was attracted by some elegant penmanship, which, upon examination, I f3und to be as follows : .-, \' . )> i To Miss Catharine Good : '■? ' f> " In this world of which you form a part, " "^^^ : ' ;i.^Wt^r\^., 7r You will meet with both troubles and woes ; v, By forgetting about having a heart. While hunting with others for beaux. .J .5 v^' QUi-.: A JV.: .)» Don't act like you wanted them all ji^- -i^ For all you are sure not to get', '^Ofi'-i'-'J'i ,"'.'i p-jfl:.';'" \' Besides, one is enough for a call, . . '■ ;^ .^jjL';;' And that you ought not to forget.'' ' , , \ » \. What's more, you can only have one, :'■' ^''/^ -'i''^- <■ -, To assist in this journey through life ; '■ "'', i _ ;"' So hitch on to that one and be done, : ' "^^''^.'V, And you'll save yourself worry through strife." • '•'' "jV' '• Eugene Hale> , N. Y. •hh vJf u v'lV'ft.n :viti>i\i ;^'iiv' ■'■•V! '.r-Y*" Well, Eugene, I said aloud, you have inhcfrited some of your father's tact, for if I do not mistake you have given Catharine a pointer she may use tor a purpose, when you both have grown older, and have thoughts more serious than you now have. On the opposite page was more, written in a beautiful round hand, slightly shaded. It read : !,. -85- Dear Catharine V ;; '.i. >:.■ *' You and I are together in youth ; Bolh are trying a husband to win, Let us trust we may never in truth, Get gone on the same hair pin." nv ,«\>7- [yii/f ^ Eugenia. iw I hardly could understand where the last word in the verse was appHcable. Of course I knew what a hair pin was, but could not understand why she had used it, so I called to my wife once more. She explained that girls sometimes referred to their beaux as their hairpins and that it was slightly slangy, hut that it contained a great deal when given particular thought. There was nothing, she continued, that could give a girl more annoy- ance and nothing that she would be more particular about than a hair pin, unless it were a mnn. My wife was right in her calculations when she sent Tom to church with the twins. He did not get back till nearly midnight. •?;"-',;-$:>..;;" ^'^'r^n^i-n'ii-* A few more days only remained for the twins to stay in Canada, so my wife decided to make a party as a kind of a farewell before they would go. She liked them and was determined they should enjoy themselves if it was in her power to make them. She knew they liked dancing, and she decided to have a dancing party. She, therefore, wrote to Catharine Good stating her intentions, and at the same time solicited her assistance in inviting the company. Catharine wrote back that not only would she assist it} that way, but that she would come up to our place and help prepare the supper if my wife would allow her. She had made that offer because she knew we had not kept a hired girl since the time we were so overwhelmed with ditficulties. My wife>did not accept her offer. The day was set for the party, and preparations were made for a large company, as the twins were well liked and it was expected many would be there. t>j*ia*..' t::i —86— The party had been kept close as it wai being made, and only those who were invited came. After I had closed the store for the night, I went into the dancing-room to see how they were getting along and to know how I would feel, myself.in such a place after having been away from one like it so long. I felt the same as I had years before, and so when one of the neighbors girls said : " Come, Mr. Lamb, get a partner and fill up this sett." I 'offered my arm without hesitation to a young woman near by and completed the sett. The musician called the changes as is customary in the country and I danced through that cottilion as easily, and with as much pleasure as I ever had before. We had a round dance. I danced that and thought at the time I was setting a pattern, that it was likely some of them would imitate. My wife had bragged on my waltzing, so when one was called I took Catharine Good for a partner and joined the others as they marched around the room before the music began. As the music struck up I took hold of Catharine and swung off as we used to do in old times. We had only made about three turns, however, before a hitch occurred ; she wanted to reverse, and so did I for that matter, but for my life I could not do it. Reversing had only become general since 1 had given up danc- ing, and although I had practised it occasionally in my dancing days I had never fully mastered it, so after a few attempts I asked Catharine to excuse me. " Nonsence," she said, " you ought to be able to reverse and I couldn't possibly think of excusing you till I know for sure you can not." She was'a big girl and took hold of me as though she intended to make me waltz or know the reason why, and through that it was only about a moment longer till I could have reversed three ways had it been required. Some new dances were danced, but I did not try them as I thought it would hardly be worth while to l«arn them at my age. Some of the girls asked to know what was danced in our time, I named over some, and as I did so they asked to be shown how to dance one of them. They picked on the eight- hand-reel and requested me to form them on for it. -Walking to the fiddler I asked him if he could play the "White cockade." He thought he could, but he couldn't. He then asked me to whistle it. I tried to whistle it, but couldn't. " Hum it then," he said, and I bummed it till he caught the air and played it. —87- We took partners and formed on the same as is done for a cotillion. " Mr. Lamb," you will have to call for us, said Eugenia, who was dancing with me, " for none of us know how to go." ( I consented, and as the music began, I called, " Forward on the head." They understood it to be half promanade, and began to half promanade. I stopped the violin and explained how to " Forward," and how to cross over, and then, we made another start and danced it correctly, both head and side. •• Four ladies cross hands " I next called, and they did that correctly too, but when I called " Four gents the same," they clasped hands and swung in the centre the same as is done in a cotillion. Again I stopped the music and explained what was meant, after which we made another start and danced that change. •' Four ladies circle in the centre," I called out as the other change finished and the four ladies circled in the centre, I then laid, " Four gents ihe same." That call, they understood to mean the same as forming the " Basket " and proceeded to forma basket, but I stopped them before they had it completed, and again explained what they should do, ^and once more, we danced another change. " Eight hands round," I called, and they joined hands and circled to the left. Then 1 called "Grand right and left," which they also did, but when I called ** All the way around " there was both collision and commotion. Again I stopped the fiddler and made another explanation, after which the music started, and I believe they would have been swinging yet, had I not stopped them by calling out, " Forward on the side. Larm, the foreman of the mill, had come in as we were dancing the old eight and knowing how to dance it, had instructed the lower set while I was at the upper. ; ; i It was danced through twice by us before we took our seats. Then, it was danced through twice by those who were looking on. Larm, of course, dancing head of the first sett. ;: It was midnight and preparations were being made for refreshments. My wife wanted to set tables, but Catharine said it was quite as well to pass plates. So plates were passed and refreshments served in that way. After supper we again took up dancing, and strange as it may seem the eight-hand-reel was the first we danced. We danced m^ny old fashioned dances that night, but there was one in ■'I if' ,^M —88— 'particular, which T remembered from t\\e variety ofn s it had. I called it " Pea Straw," as my father h id before me. Eugenia said it was the " Viiginia Reel," and Ed. Good called it "Sir Roger De Coverly," all were rijiht ; it was the same dance, but was called by different names in different |)l.nces. Having become a sort of master of ceremonies by mutual consent, and thinking it about time to " Break up " I formed the company on for what had always been our last dance in the olden days. That was, " Old Dan Tucker," imd is formed by couples standing side by side the whole way around the room. One has no partner, but dances alone in the centte and is called " Dan Tucker." I did not dance as I intended to call, and the one who calls should never dance. Larm was Dan Tucker, and has he took his place in the centre of the circle he spoke as follows : " Ladies and gentle- men, I promise you great fUn at this, I have danced it before and know what it is. I might say, and I will, that it was dancing Dan Tucker I first squeezed Mrs. Larm." As the speech finished the music began and I called out with the time: " All h^ds round, old Dan Tucker." They joined hands and swung to the left till I called again, *' Balance in the center, old Dan Tucker." At that call Larm began to dance in an old fashiont d way till I called again, " Swing in the circle, old Dan Tucker," then Larm swung one of the girls in the circle till T called once more," Grand right andleft, old Dan Tucker," and then they all did grand right and left, but the one who had been dnncing with the girl Larm had swung. He evidently thought I had made a mistake, and was about to speak when I I called again, "All promenade, old Dan 1 ucker," then he discovered it was all right and he walked into the circle and became old Dan Tucker. Ihey enjoyed themselves; it was new to them; they laughed and screamed with delight as one after another had to be Dan Tucker. They danced it till they were completely tired out. There were no more dances that night and our guests soon left us, all but the twinfe and the Goods ; they remained till morning. We had a delightful time and my wife was more than satisfied. She thought she would give a party every now and then and see if she couldn't get the same enthusiasm into the young people of the present time as there had been in our day. She -89— said more but I don't know what it was, for I was sleeping when she said it. We were up in the morning early, we had to be, as that was the day the twins were going to leave us and we had to be about so as to give them plenty of time to pack up their trunk. They left us after dinner amidst tears, my wife and Eugenia both wept. I didn't, but it was only an escape that I didn't for I felt about the same as I would had it been one of my own that was going. ' ;i / They did not get away from Mr. Good's that afternoon as they had expected, for Mrs. Good would not let them go, saying it was only one day more and she knew if P^ugene wired his parents, they would be willing for them to remain over Sunday. Eugene wired ; answer was satisfactory and they stayed over Sunday. On Monday they left, for sure, after a visit of nearly six weeks, part of the time they had been away from us, but it was only to the clergyman's, no where else. It was up and down the road from here to there and from there to here till I felt sorry for the parson's horse, but he showed no signs of sorrow, he was fat and lazy. 1-*; *,.-!.:. J.' There was no hurry, he was never hurried. ' ^ k "i i :• . e-ii' ^iyu'"U'' 'h\A\t'^ :«n;s ii' :'b''''d'' J ■3«:>! JVi^« 4 lii^r ^, ><^v^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 1.25 b2|28 12.5 ■tt Uii 12.2 1.4 1.6 V y i\ 4V \\ %' } k «. CHAPTER XX, COMMERCIAL REPORTS. WE were lonesome after the twins left and had it not been business was good, it is possible our loneliness would have reached grief. The times were good, we did a large business and through that our spirits kept up. ' We sent out our July statement as on the previous year, and, although the harvest had been abundant, many failed to respond to the notices we sent them. We did not, however, feel the neglcet th<»t they gave to the notices that year so much as we had on the one previous, as we pold many goods and were thereby enabled to meet our obligatiuns as fast as they matured. Many commercial men called to sell us goods, but we did not buy as ravenously as we had when we were younger at the business and some of them seemed to be offended through it. We had le^rned through the lesson of experience what would sell and what would not in a country store, and con- fining ourselves to what we had learned, we bought accord- ingly, hoping to avoid another predicament similar to the one we had passed through the year before Late in the summer one called we were not expecting, as he represented the firm that had refused to send the boots and thoes we had ordered, because we owed them $65. The same firm that was so determined to know how we stood financially, and who, aft< r a severe tussle with us failed to discover. We were pleased to see him ; forgot the past for the time being and made him welcome. We liked the man and for that re.isitn we made him comfortable; we had no intention of giving him an order under any circumstances. If possible we would avoid mentioning last year's occurence, we thought, and s'uck to our resolution closely by talking only in a general way of subjects foreign to merchandise. He was not nearly as talkative as he had been on former occasions when he called. He stammered occasionally and seemed slightly absent minded, and in various other ways hc was different from what he was when he called before. 91- He was uneasy ; it was uneasiness that Ha was suffering under by having his mind filled too full with thoughts unspoken, which were struggling fi)r fretdom. , It became contagious, we caught it, and it was a relit f to all when he said : " The house didn't send the goods you ordered last fall, did they ? " ' •• No," we replied, they did not and were going to inquire why, when he interrupted us by saying : " It was a damned shame, and I told them so as soon as I heard what they had done." '' Why did they not send them after you had spoken about it?" my wife inquired. " Well, well, you see it was sometime afterwards before I knew a word about it " said the traveller, "and the matter had been settled then by correspondence," and smiling, he added " I read it." "How was it anyway?" my wife asked. She had more inquisitiveness in her system than I had, and wanted to know r.U about the matter while there was a possibility of hearing it. '* Well, well " said the traveller evasively, " it was a slight misunderstanding." " Yes, I know that," but how was it they didn't send the goods, what little we owed them out of the amount our business had been, wouldn't have ruined them had they never got it." My wife was searching for something; she generally found what she hunted for, and I was positive as I leaned back against the goods, she would know just exactly why those boots and shoes were not shipped before she gave up the search, or that traveller would give up the ghost. '* Well, well," said the traveller, still evasively " They got their information, concerning, concerning you, from the Mec- chantile Agencies." " Merchantile Agencies ! " exclaimed my wife, " what are they?" " Well, well, they have agents throughout the country, who inquire into a persons financial circumstances ; that is, how much he is worth and then," he stopped and thought, but my wife was after him and interrupted his thoughts when time enough had elapsed for him to answer, by asking : " What do the agents do with their financial circumstances, when they find them ? " " Oh, oh, they send them to the Head Office." •' And then what ? " —92— " Oh, oh, they are given to subscribers," With a sigh. " Who are the subscribers ?" My wife was hunting. " Most everybody in business all over the country." *' Most everybody in business all over the country," repeated my wife, "it must take a good deal of writing to keep them all informed. Do they write to everybody ? " " No, no, no," said the traveler " Well, how in the world then can almost every business man throughout the country be benefited by being a sub- scriber ? " My wife stopped and looked at the traveller earnestly, then she asked : " Subscribers for what, a book ? " " A book," the traveller answered. " A book that has the names of all men in business in it ?" " Yes." Does the book say how much each person is worth whose name appears on its pages." ♦• Yes." " Who are the publishers' agents throughout the country, merchants ?" " No, I think not." The traveller was getting cornered. " Whom then ? " inquired the crowder. " Well, well, they say, but of course I don't know whether its true or not. They say their agents throughout the country are respectable solicitors." " Respectable solicitors ! Respectable solicitors throughout the country," then turning to me she asked, "It can't be possible, can it ? " I didn't know, but I thought not, although I had been sur- prised a few times during the previous eighteen months at what respectable solicitors would do for a dollar, but yet I could not think of one that knew us who would say we couldn't and wouldn't pay our debts even if he knew it to be so. I did not answer my wife's question till the traveller began again by saying : " They inquired about you at the agency and got an unfavor- able report, then they inquired from Scotch, Welsh & Co., who put a climax on ihe whole thing by saying that they had refused to send you goods as you were on the verge of bankruptcy and couldn't possibly last a month longer. " Scotch, Welsh & Co.," I was surprised. That was the house Holes represented. Then speaking to the traveller, I said : —93— *• Why, that's the house Holes represented. He should have known I was all right, and if he thought not he should have inquired for himself and learned the real facts, which, had he done, he would have found they were quite different from what they were supposed to be at that time. I hardly think Holes did it, as he professed too much friendship at the time we met the travellers by appointment to have allowed himself to circu- late Such a report about one of his friends. " Holes, the devil, don't take on so much about him, he'd do anything that any other man would, and think a consider- able more than some would, and it's possible he made the report up to display his ability as a deep thinker and foreseer." It was possible such might be the case. My wife had obtained a great amount of information from that traveller. She had discovered how it was we had been so vigorously pressed the year before. We thought more of that man than we ever had for the infor- mation he had given us, although he had not given it voluntarily. It had been squeezed out of him by a woman. A woman is a success at squeezing a man. We had been " reported to the trade." We had heard that particular thing once before in a letter we had received from a collecting agency, and not knowing what it meant had remitted the amount asked for by return mail. We knew what it was in reality, because we had been getting the benefit of it when the bailiff came with the four summonses. We talked furiously, fluently, and emphatically about com- mercial reports, in which the traveller joined. It was useless, however, we could only talk, they had destroyed our credit, and thought that we were out of money, and a man in Canada is of no importance and has very tew rights which the law respects when that is gone. The traveller being a man of business went to that part of the room where the boots and shoes were kept, as soon as we had exhausted our vocabulary of words suitable for expressing our opinion of commercial agencies. I started to follow him, but my wife nudged me to remain, and turning towards her as I stopped ; she leaned forward and whispered : " He ain't to blame, if he wants us to buy from him, do it, and we will get all the time we want to pay in for- ever more." , That woman, she was a calculator. I never would have thought of that, and really it's doubtful if I would have even —94— listened to a proposal from him towards business, not because I blamed the man, for I did not, but I was English. After I had received instructions from my wife, I followed him to where the boots and shoes were, and after a few minutes talk I consented to allow him to " fill up our sizes." It is supposed that eloquence and muscle are not usually found together in the same person. While a man may be powerful mentally, or powerful physically,it's rare both are found possessed in the extreme by one person. That may be so, but the way that traveller handled his tongue in persuading us to give him an order, and the way he handled his hands while unloading his trunks, convinces me he whs powerful both ways. He unloaded four trunks instead of one and did it alone. We told him that he was foolish to unload all his trunks, as we would only order a few lines ; that if he brougf)t in the one containing those lines it would be enough. He paid no atten- tion to our remarks, whatever, but said to me : "Take h. Id," which I did till I helped him in with four trunks. He "open^ d out " and bctore dinner was called he had •' sized " us up for a good round sum. After dmner he closed his trunks, and I helped load them on his wagon, after which we brought out the team and hitched it on. Then bidding us farewell, he climbed to his seat, s lying he would have the house send my wife a pair of shoes that would suit her without a doubt, and that they would b sent " prepaid and free." Commercial reports was the only subjf*ct on my mind for the rest of that afternoon. I thought of what Mr. Good had said the night I was cross-questioning him about some one talking about me, and how I would likely find it out and also who it was that was doing it later on^ and sure enough I had found it out ; but what of it ? If it was true that the reports were furnished by respectable solicitors throughout the country, it was likely those respectable solicitors would stand by their clients, which, if they did, it would be about the same as fight- ing the law society. I couldn't take proceeding at law, for it was almost certain I would lose, through the assistance the agencies would get from the respectable solicitors throughout the country. It would be like " prosecuting the devil with the court held in the place where he lives." I didn't care about a suit of that kind. CHAPTER XXI. THREE CANADIAN NEWSPAPERS. THERE was no hanging on to the cheese that year. The com- pany hod dismissed their English salesman, and had got a Canadian in his place, whose ancestors had come from the north ot Ireland. That man believed the time to sell was when there were buyers, and confining himself to that rule he sold when there was a demand for cheese and generally sold right. Christmas came and passed ; trade was good ; quite as good as it had been the first year. New Year's was also lovely. Through early Janu try we looked for snow, but none came. Mr. Hale came over again, to see alter his mill interests. The mill was needing some repairs and some slight alterations. With him had come a Mr. Wilcox, who. he said, wished to see what kind of a counti) Canada was. They remained over two Sunda)s, and went to church twice on each. Such action on the pirt of Mr. Hale somewhat astonished us, as he had only gone to church a few times in all the time he had been with us before. Not only did they go to church, but they dined with Mr. Good, and spent the remainder of the day at his home. January was about out before snow came, but when at last it did come, it came to stay, and lasted all through Ftbiuary. The mill got in a large stock, but not so much as Mr. Hale would have liked, by considerable. husint ss continued good ; we were in fine spirits and thought we wtre making money, and had about made up our minds to sell the farm and conlinue in merchandise for the rest of our da>s. Just as we were in the midst of our enthusiasm we began to hear rumors of what was bt^ing done in parliament concerning the Jesuit Estates. Ever) night some one would deliver him- self of a copter or two, - concerning the Jesuits, which he obtained from ihe columns of the Widow, and excitement ran high. We felt its effects on our business at once, for we lost again the sime trade we had lost through the Book o( Martyrs, —96— By the Hido7i', I mean one of Canada's leading news- papers. We had names for two more of them ; one we called the Tailor^ the other the Cloum. Those names were given them by an old chap who once ran a local newspaper, but who had given it up for a government office, and had become a man «>f leisure through his govern- ment appointment. He talked freely ; he had no fears ; he didn't care who he offended ; he spoke plainly and truthfully on all subjects he commented on, after he became a civil servant. He had no subscribers to offend, and at times when in the right condition he looked at things from the people's standpoint, and told those who were with him what he saw. Meeting the old gentleman while in town with one of my neighbors, he expressed his opinion ot the leading newspapers in Canada to us while we were with him. " When I take up the , " he said, " and read one of its political articles, I am reminded of an old friend, who atone time made my clothing. He always made a fit, or perhaps it would be I>etter to say he would never acknowledge a misfit. When I would remonstrate with him and say : ' The coat is too tight, Mack, it pinches across the shoulders,' he would invariable slap me on the l)ack and exclaim : ' Gude fut, she'll strutch.' Again, when I complained that the pants were too long he would say : ' Ah, man, he'll shrunk, gude fut, gude fut, be thankful, man,that you are so well futted and do not be complain- ing so much — moreover.' When I pick up the he continued, *' and read its articles, I am reminded of a woman who has become widowed, and I might say by divorce, for really che comparison in the case is strong. She, as you know, having been at one time the helpmate of the greatest statesman the world has ever known, and might from that fact be considered his spouse— politically— during that time; But, owing to a detire on her part to wear the trousers and run the house in a manner to which he was no^ prepared to submit, he kicked. She then became indignant and left his bed and hoard at once — so to speak- -and sought for an independent livelihood as a governess elsewhere, or perhaps another husband, leaving the old man with his family to look after alone in the world. The old man was a man of great resources, ard while he could not give up his first wife and give his heart to another, he could not very well get along at hous* keeping without a cook, so while the lady was hunting for a situation or a husband, —97- he emplo)ed another cook. A man cook, and an Irishman I should judge from the number of Irish stews he dishes up. That cook, the old man will probably always have, as one of the kind was never known to give up a job till he had to by death. *' Well," continued the printer, "the proud ladydia not meei with the success she had anticipated, but for all of that, she would not humble herself to her husband, but instead, she donned the sombre garments of Commercial Union, she grieved, she pouted, she screamed, but to no avail, as no one was ready to take Commercial Union at that time, for better or for worse. Then, taking up the schools for Ontario, she hum- med and she drummed on those that the French had, away down East in Ontario's other end, and in that too she met with disappointment, for the French schools were good ones after all. But the French schools were taken up before the separation, that is, if I remember rightly, yes, she took them up before she left her old home, and in fact, it was the very thing that smothered all the love which had previously existed in that happy household. " She continued the clatter about the French schools during the whole time she wore the weeds, but without success. " The English are not afraid ot the French, and they knew that she would receive no bodily harm, although she might suffer some financially. There was no danger, that was certain, and as she wept, mourned and prophesied what would happen Canada, should nothing be done to put down the French. The English said nothing, but just stood back and listened. It was the wailing of a disappointed woman, nothing more. They gave her what sympathy they had to spare, but otherwise they left her alone in her grief. " At last she became reconciled, and the sky brightened, all were thankful, as peace and quietness reigned once more in Ontario." ** It was only for a few months, however," again continued the printer, "for no sooner had the Jesuits' Estates Bill of Quebec been allowed by the Dominion parliament than her silly tongue broke loose again, and we hear it now as we never heard it before." Then he stopped, his voice had become hoarse, and he looked grief-stricken. Thinking to revive him, I called in Rory. After we had revived our spirits with what Rory brought, I asked him, "What about the other paper, what is it like?" —98— "Well, well, I hnrdly know," he snid ns he put his tumbler d )wn, " Unless it would b ■ a Clown — Country Clown Fair." "By hedges, is that so?" sitid ths farmer. " How do you make that out ?** " Oh, well never mind," said the printer, " let it go, perhaps I am wrong, but I thought p ssibly the editor might be a country boy from the mount of worn-out slang he uses, and the funny way in which he uses it. I may be wrong, I ma) be wroni?." " Rory, Rory," c jlled the farmer. Rory came, we ordered again we drank again ; the farmer thought, he was deep in thoug' t for many minutes; i:t last he woke up, spoke up, and said : •• By heavens " I believe it's so. The Widow continued to howl; she had championed the Protestant cause, and woman-like gave her whole soul to her religion. Fame and fortune seemed nenr at hand, and the prospects of getting another husband were also good. Hundreds who preach the Christian religion in the interests of Protestants at once came to her assistance. The one on the eminence who writes D.D. after his name came, and so did tiie rest, all the way down to the local, who has nothing to add to his name, and little to add to his purse. They came, they wrote ; they wrote much truth, and wrote it in different ways The Widow published it all, and was particular in every instance to add the letters to the names of the writers, which denoted the height of the eminence they stood on. So much was there published ''n that paper that was written by preachers, that for months it looked like one continued report of a conference without any lay members, or a session of the presbytery without any elders. f I CHAPTER XXII. THE JESUIT ESTATES. THE excitement over the Jesuit Estates was intense. Meet- ings were held in different parts of the Dominion. In every meeting a resolution would be passed condemning the action of Parliament in not disallowmg the Jesuit Estates' Act. One of those who voted fur disallowence would generally be at those meetings and would point out to heart-broken Protestants the great danger they were in through the encroachment the Catholic Church was making upon their rights. Thty would also refer to the trial it was to them to break from party lines and vote as their conscience dictated. We had a meeting, and although we had not one of the noble gang to speak to us, we had the same speech they made, wherever they spoke. It had been committed to memory by our school teacher, who kindly recited it for us at our meet- ing. A farmer was also good enough to make a speech on political matters. It aiffcred from the gt- neral run of political speeches considerai>ly, and we decided to have it reported at length, and sent with our report of the meeting to the citizens' committee. The speech and the meeting were reportt d and the reports forwarded to the committee. We waited anxiously for the next issue of the Widow a<> we were |)Ositive our rep«>rt would create quite a sensation with the reat as i; was writt n, all but what the farmt r s.iid. What the farmer said had been omitted ; th.re was no room for that, although she h.id bt-en able to find space for what was written by thirty-seven eminent dames. When that paper was received which contained so many communications from so many learned men, and nothing from the farmer, it caused consternation amongst agriculturists who called at the store that night for news. It tickled me, and I hoped the snub would close their mouths forevermore on . political religion, and it would have done so had it not been —100— for one Charley Gaul, who had been about the world a bit, and who was also a great reader, besides a most unmerciful bigot. While away he had done detective work amongst the other things he had done, and had become well acquainted with hum inity at large, but moreso was he with those of the Catholic persuasion. That of course was in his own mind. Being English he never knew when to let go, and so he hung on after the others had quit. He kept the matter up at every opportunity weeks after it should have been dead and buried. We argued with him, but he was too much for us, as he knew more history relative to the Protestant and the papist than we ever supposed existed. Besides he was an excellent talker, and he downed us with ease whenever we attacked him. It had become tiresome, and not only that, it was costly as well, for that Continuous talk about the Estates Act kept the trade away from us. I won't say that he knew of the harm he was doing to our business, for I don't believe he did. While walking through town one day with my head down, thinking about that ver) man and his bigotry, I was accosted by a voice which said : '• Why, Sylvester, what in the world is the matter ? " " Matter enough," I answered. " Anything serious ? " " Yes, very serious. We have lost a lot of our customers through the continual talk that is being kept up over those devilish Jesuit Estates, and I can't stop it to save my life.'* It was Mr. Good who had accosted me, and speaking on the matter he said : "• Yes, it's no doubt very annoying, but be sure and not lose your temper over it, as you will gain nothing by that, and might possibly lose much. Should an opportunity occur I will drive up to your place, and will join you in an argument against Charley, and possibly, between both of us, we may be able to convince him the Jesuit Fathers are not really the bad men he thinks them." " Do," I said, as I left him. Early the following week the parson came, bringing his wife with him as usual. It was late in the afternoon when they arrived, and I did not get a chance to post him a little, as I should like to have done. It being summer time, and Charley being an industrious man, it was late in the evening before he came down that night. As he came ii^ he was met by the parson, with whom he —101— was acquainted, and together, after a few moments talk, thej walked down the ••oom to where the rest of us were. They talked much, and about almost everything else there was to talk about but the subject upon which I wanted them to. I was beginning to feel weary, and feared that they would not get to talking about the matter at all, when the farmer asked the preacher what he thought about the vote on the Jesuit Estates Act. " I think it was very wise legislation," answered Mr. Good. " What ! " said Charley, " do you think it was wise legisla- tion to give away all our rights as Protestants to the Catholics ?'' " Yes," calmly replied the clergyman, " I think it was, indeed, wise legislation, and I fail to discern wherein they gave way anything that was ours, when they allowed the Jesuit Estates Act." *' Not ours ! well, whose was it then ? It was not tb'ii j, for they ceased to exist as a society in the year 1800, when i. •; last Jesuit died and — " " Went to the devil ? " finished the parson. " No, not there perhaps, but there is no doubt but what a good many are there, if we are to believe what we read," said the farmer in finishing his remarks. " What do we read ? " asked the parson. " What don't we read ? What don't we read ? " answered the farmer. " Have they not been expelled from almost every country in Europe ? " " For what were they expelled from almost every country in Europe ? " the parson further inquired. " For everything, for their devilishness, and for everything else that could be thought of that was mean, the same as they have been doing in Canada for a good many ytars." " Was that all, and was it really for the same as they have been doing in Canada for the past few years ? If so, it was wrong to expel them," the clergyman said. " They have no right here anyway," said the farmer. " Oh, yes, they have," said the clergyman, " and as I think about them I know they have as much right in Canada, if not more than many who are now here, and besides, is it not better to have an owner for the Estates and have the matter settled once and for all, and so be done with it, than it was to have a continual wrangle over something that nc^KKly could own ? " x> Til —102- X I V " It's not settled, and can't be, because there has been no society since the, the, the — " Last Jesuit died," assisted the cler[;yman. " No," said the farmer, and then he said : " Well, yes, there hain't been any society since 1800." " Oh, yes, there has been, and is now," corrected the clergy- man, " the society being allowed to re-establish itself by the Pope a number of years ago." The farmer was full of what he had read in the Widow, and it was what the Widow had prepared for its readers that he used in argument against the parson, but the Widow had not prepared the other side of the question for her readers, as she would have done had she been the honorable woman she endeavored to make Canadians think she was. The Widow made a great mistake in not telling the truth on both sides of the question, and Charley felt the cffrcts of that mistake when he conversed with the parson on the subje* t. He could only go so far and no further; the Widow had only gone so far and no further. •^ " Well, Charley," said the parson, when he became satisfied ' the farmer had exhausted his resources, '• I have read some- thing about the Jesuits that I think has escaped yuurreiding, and if you have no objection I will tell >ou some uf it that I remember quite well." " Of course, you know thit it was in the beginning ol the seventeenth century when the French first 1 mded in Canida. With them came the Jesuit F ithc rs.who at once bvgan le irning ■. the tongue of the aboriginies, th it they ight l)e at)le to tiach them the religion of the true God. Ch triey. that w s i.taily three hundred years ago : think of th time, and tl ink wf.e e our ancestors w-re at that time. What were iliey doinj< ? '■> Clod 'opping in Old Englmd lik* ly, while those ^ f John l.arin, ' here, were log trotting in Old Ireland, and knew 1 o'hiw^ whatever about Ca- ada ani the human beings who lived there in a wild state, and had heard nothing whatever of our HUssed Saviour. The Jesuit Fathers knew about those pooi souls, atd were with them teaching them the story of that Blesstd S iviour. For that very reason, if for no other, they should be allowed all the claims they can substantiate so well as thc-y did the one concerning the estates, which have just been given back to 4) them. Don't you think so ? " ** Oh, what you say may be true enough, but I want equal ;en no ;, there clergy- by the Widow, ers that oiv had ders, as nan she e tvuth ffiCtS ot subje< t. 'ow had satisfied d some- reiding, t that I ol the Canida. e irning ) tiach t.tatly w'e e doinjj ? n l.nrin, I o'hiwji d there Hkssed uls, and Saviour, wed all the one back to {) nt equal —1 OS- rights md the ptivilege of worshipping God iftr the dictates of my "wn cons ience," was the farmer's reply. •' V »u have that •O'V, h ive you not ? 'asked the parson. "I knuw I have jn^t n »vv, hut how Um^ would I have it if the Jesuits g »t pos-ession ol Ontario the same as the) h ive of Qu be." '• VVhil have w to d > with Qui lee?" " Nothing in parti u ar, only I don't likf ih^ th< tights of the Jesuits getti g p') s. ssion ot ever>thii>^ ih le, when there are so many go-rl Protestants living there They might act like thi-y have in Europe should thy g^^t power in Quebec, the s me as they ont e had in Europe." '* I asked you before," said the parson after Charley had finished his remarks, " what the Jesuit did in Europe that caused his expulsion from almost every countty on that conti- nent. You did not answer the question ; can you answer it ? " '' Well, I can't think of any particular thing just at present," replied the farmer, " but I knew they were expelled from every country in Europe." '* Every country in Europe," repeated the clergyman slowly, " well, it is true or nt arly so, but Charley, you don't know why, do you ? " No answer from the farmer. " Well, Charley, since you cannot answer, I may as well tell you a story I read in a book, a long time ago, concerning a Jesuit Father. He ravished the woman whose confessor he was, and afterwards she became a mother. The child grew to maturity, and figured in the story as the villian, and one, too, of the darkest dye. Oh, how I loathed that young man, and hated the Jesuits as I read the story. I thought then as you think now, that they were the most devilish of all human beings upon the face of this earth. "Since then I have read another book," continued the parson, **and although it had not a Jesuit priest for one of its characters, it had what is quite the same thing, and that was a priest of the Established church. The principle character in that book was a baronet, who had married a most beautiful #oman but had been sadly disappointed in her because she failed to bear him children, as she should have done. It caused him much uneasiness, as the estate upon which he lived would go to his cousin should he die without issue. He was not on friendly terms with his cousin and the thoughts of hay- ing him for a successor almost drove him to distraction, and as a last resort he decided to put his wife away by divorce and \ —104— marry another woman, hoping in that way to find relief. The rector of the parish was a young man and had been conspicuous at Cambridge, when he was educated as an athlete. Not only was he well versed inr theology, but he was also well versed in other studies and the wife knowing this, at once went to him and unburdened herself of her sorrow, as she might have done to a Jesuit Father, had she been a Roman Catholic instead of the English Catholic, which she was. " She made her confession in a summer-house which stood in the garden, so the book said, and also it said that the time was late in the evening. The result of that confession, as stated in the book, was that God sent the baronet an heir nine months afterwards. " I was deeply aflFected by what I read," continued the parson, ** and thought much concerning the efficacy of prayer, and how good it was on the part of the rector to make a special effort for that poor sorrowing woman. "Since I read those stories, Charley, I have grown older, and besides, I have married and have become a father myself, and feel quite positive, as I think the matter over now, that there is more'about nature than the first author knew, and I am sure there is more about theology than was known to the other, who, by the way, was a sceptic and a bachelor." As the parson ceased speaking I expected to hear Charley doubt him, or dispute him entirely, but in that I was mistaken. Not a muscle moved, nor had one during the time the parson was speaking, if I except those which are used when tobacco is being chewed, otherwise his face was as motionless as a stump. I^rm said nothing either, but I feared he would when the parson was referring to what was being done in the summer- house, for he puffed faster at the pipe he was smoking during that time, and twitched considerably on his chair, but his mouth never opened. " It is through such stories," once more spoke the parson, but it was with a different opinion of himself than he had previously had, for he had made no impression whatever on his listeneri, " as I have related to you that the Jesuit Fatheis have (he bad reputation they have, such as are purely imagination without any foundation whatever, or sense either for that matter, and not because of any action of theirs that was bad." " Well, I want equal rights, that's all I want, and I am going to have them too, if I can get them," said the farmer, and then I made preparations tQ close the store. -105— Equal rights ! Hang the equal rights, I thought, as I put out the lights, I would like some of them, too, if they were to be liad,but I want mine different from the way Charley wants his. I was in hopes something would turn up so that my side of the question of equal rights might be commented upon. Something did turn up ; the farmer had on a new pair of shoes which he had put forward where they could be seen dur- ing the evening. The parson had noticed them, and as I was putting out the lights he asked the farmer how much I charged for that kind of shoe. •* I did not get them here. I got them in town," the farmer answered. *' Not here ! How is that, doesn't Sylvester keep them ? " " Yes, he keeps them, but he can't sell them for the same price I got these for." " How is that, and how cheaply did you get them ? " *' I don't know exactly how cheap I got them, as I bought a lot of other things at the same time and the storekeeper throwed off a lot 'cause I paid cash." " Cash, and could you not have obtained the same discount here for cash as you did there ? " " Yes. maybe I could, but I was m town and thinking it a bargain, I took it." •' Oh, Charley ! Oh, Charley, that's not equal rights, that's not equal rights. The man who has the goods at your do ^rs lu the one for you to patronize when you are seeking rash docu- ments, and not be sneaking off to town hunting for a few cents in the shape of a bargain, leaving your neighbor to dispose of his jioods on credit t() those who may never pay, and who, even whfn they do pay, take a year ti» do it in ; that's not equal rights, that's not equal rights. Oh, Charley ! Oh, Charley. Good-night." *• Good-night," said the farmer, and then he walked out of the door. I followed him out and closed the door after me. Speaking as he was moving homeward, he said : " I thought that Irish girl wou'd be the ruination of Davey Good when he married her, and I guess it will come out about as I expected, for there don't seem to be much difference between him and a papist, and there is no telling what it will be in the end. I hope though, he won't never get so far gone as to go and join the Catholics." Bidding him good-night, I re-entered the store, which I locked and then proceeded into the room where the women —106— were. What right, I asked as soon as I had seated myself, have people from England, or those from English parents, to be meddling themselves in this French -Irish row over the Jesuit Estates. " None whatever," replied the clergyman, " for, as you say, it's only a French-Irtsh rov^r. An Irishman, naturally, having the idea that there was nothing on the face of t!iis earth that he woi'ld relish more as a delicacy than a Frenchman, with the possible exception of an Italian or a Chinaman, saw an opportunity in the Estates Bill to more than satisfy his appetite on Frenchmen, and it was for that reason he made the attack. It was not he cared about the Catholic church, for he admits that he does not when speaking on the matter ; it was simply his desire to devour a Frenchman. Had it been the Irish element of the church who were supporting the bill, it is quite probable the Colonel and his nephew would have been at some Irish home waiting to help their brother Irishman of the Roman persuasion make merry over the settle- ment of so troublesome a matter as the Jesuit Estates. The French being French Catholics instead of Irish, was the great cause of the trouble, and an Englishman would show his English much better by remaining neutral, leaving the combatants to fight out the battle between themst Ives." Then, turning to his wife, he said : " Don't you think so, Honorah ?" " I do," the woman said. Other remarks were made by the clergyman relative to the Jesuits, but nothing that was different from what might have been found in any Canadian pape;r at the time except the WiJaiVy and It would be folly to repeat them here. When at last we were in our bedroom I related to my wife what Mr. Good said to Charley, but she did not relish it as I supposed she would, after knowing what we had suffered through the agitation, and I^discovered I hud made a mistake in telling her, when she said : " I don't think Charley was far astray, and if Mr. Good thinks so much of the Jesuits, why does he not join the Catholics and be a Jesuit Father himself, instead of the Protestant he pretends to be ? " Mrs. Lamb was a strong Protestant. The following morning nothing was said about the Jesuits, and nothing of importance, if I except what we heard about the delightful time Ed. and Catharine had while visiting the Hales at their home in the city of , N. Y. *\ X ■107— They had gone over at Christmas as they had promised to do, and had a mos* enjoyable time ; they liked the Americans better as a lot than any others they had ever met before. Ed. had about made up his mind to go there and " read " law instead of *' studying " it here. I wondered at that and questioned Mr. Good concerning it. He said in answer to my inquiries that they did not require the classical education there they did here before being admitted to practice, also that Ed. did not take kindly to reading in the dead languages, and that he was feariul of being plucked when he went up for his examination before the I^w Society for a deficiency in that alone. " You know," he continued, " they put more importance on the knowledge one has of Latin and Greek in this country, when he makes application for admittance into •one of the professions, than to natural ability tending that way. I have no doubt but that Edward would succeed at the bar, for he iias an almost endless tongue ; he will argue that black is white, and you would think him in earnest as you heard him at it. That you know is of great importance to a legal practitioner, and would help Ed. quite as much towards gaining the suits he would be intrusted with, as would the Latin and the Greek which the Law Socitty demands." I acknowledged he was right, and at the same time was grieved to hear that a Good should have to change his alle- giance in order that he might enter the profession he wished to without destroying his mind and his eyesight reading fictitious works that were written in the dead languages. CHAPTER XXIII. ONTARIO BUREAU OF STATISTICS. MR GOOD'S visit onre more brought us good results. Not at once though, for we were nesting the anniversary of the Hjttle of the Boyne, and the Orangemen we'C going to have a walk in our market town on that day, but directly that event had p.issed we lieard no more about the Jesuits. That celebration was ihi- grandest affair of the kind ever known in our part of Canada. Although they were unable to procure one of the noble lot to speak to them on that day ft they had other speakers who were ministers of the gospel, and who were as well able to arouse all the bigotry possessed by the Prt)testants as one of the noble gang could have done. They spoke of the manner in which Protestant subjects of a Pro- testant Queen were being deprived of their rights as Protes- tants, and what they would, or would not, do at some time in the future should the prestnt state of affairs continue to exist. I did not go to the walk, as I had been having an overdose of Protestantism the past few months, and it was beginning to have a bad effect upon my religion, and I did not wish to have that tampered with. I heard reports of the speeches that had been made, however, and as I thought them over I wondered if the eleventh commandment had not been omitted for other pur- poses than that of trade, and if others were not availing them- selves of that omission besides merchants If they were not, some of the speakers would do some tall squirming in another place at some time in the future, to pay for some of the squirm- ing they had done while speaking to those poor men who were celebrating in Canada that Irish event of two hundred years ago. The early summer had been wet and cold that year, and the prospects of good crops were not favorable, but later on the sky had cleared off, and warm dry weather followed, which made vegetation spring up with a rapidity rarely known before. The Ontario Government had established a bureau of indus- tries at its Head Office for the purpose of keeping the people informed as to what they had on hand, and sometimes it was good enough to inform us what we might expect at a later date so that we might be in readiness to receive it when it came. —109^ X For our benefit it made a cartful rxamination of the frauds which from time to time arc pt;rpetrated on farmers, and published a hulletin containing them, which was sent to magis- trates and the local press throughout the country, and which was again published by the local press for the benefit of its subscribers. The Bureau also made inquiries as to the prospects of crops ; the results of which they also published in a bulletin and sent to the public in the same manner they had the " Frauds on Farmers." We read the crop reports in our paper, and so when purchas- ing goods tor the tail trade we bought accordingly. We bought largely and of good qualities that we ."^ight be in the right shape when the fall trade began. Threshing time came, and threshing commenced. As one after another, who had threshed, called we inquired how grain was turning out, and from all we received the same answer.. '' No grain. Didn't fill. Lots of straw though." The Ontario Bureau of Statistics had made a mistake in its crop reports, that was a certainty, and as we thought of the goods we had bought it made us feel blue. xs\i The bulletin was a fraud on merchants. The fiumers, too, had bought heavily ; heavily upon expecta- tion, and had not been particular about making their dates of payment, as the crop report had led them to believe they would have more grain than they could handle that year. After they had threshed they lamented of their action, and blamed the cause for it on what they had read in their papers concerning crop prospects which had been sent out by the Ontario Bureau of Statistics. The bulletin was likewise a fraud on farmers. . ' My wife and I talked the matter over between ourselves and decided we had better give up store-keeping. " You don't seem to improve one bit," she said, " and, although I believe there is money in merchandise, I am positive we will never be able to find it, so let us give it up." She was right, and I said in conclusion, " Well, then, let us throw up the sponge and give up the business." We had curtailed our credit business the latter part of the first year, but during the flush times it had grown again to larger proportions than we had expected till we looked it over after we had decided to give up business. Then we found it was large enough to satisfy the most fastidious. , -no- There was one iftiportant thing connected with store-keeping that we had somewhat neglected, and that was advertising. True, we had done some of it at the beginning, but afterwards we had neglected it entirely. After wc decided to give up business, of course it would be necessary to advertise again, so I got some tea paper and began to write one. I wiote, and wrote, and wrote till I finished one. I took it in for my wife to read and pass an opinion upon. " It don't read right," she said, after she had read it, " try another." I tried another, and another, and another, but still they did not read right. All the headings suitable for one who was giving up business were in use. Someone or another was either " Retiring from busines," " Closing up business " or •' Giving up business," and I did not like the thoughts of having a hand bill with a heading like the one next to it. I asked my wife to try her hand at it, but she wouldn't. " You can do it yourself if you only persevere." she said, '* for every letter you wrote me when you were in the States was an advertisement, or at least we used to think so after they had been read, and now, while I think of it, I may as well inform you that that was the very reason ma held out when I told her I thought I would take you, and said the goods I wanted had been entirely too much puffed up. Go and try once more ! " I tried once more, and more than once more, but without the desired results. Returning to my wife I told her I would have to throw up the sponge, as I was unable to find a suitable heading. " Throw up the sponge ! Why not use that. Nothing could be more expressive of the exact state of affairs than that very phrase," my wife said. Throw up the sponge. He threw up the sponge. Throwing up the sponge. By gosh, I have it, I said to myself. I am giving up the battle, I am throwing up the sponge. Once more I got the tea paper and in five minutes time I had returned to my wife with an advertis' ment she pronounced satisfactory. It is on next page. —Ill— y. -'■'"■:: THROWING UP THE SPONGE — AT — HIGHBORO. Owing to the Bulletin concerning crop reports which was issued by the ONTARIO BUREAU OF INDUSTRIES, I was induced to make large purchases in order that my CUSTOMERS AND THE PUBLIC GENERALLY Might not be in want of something to spend thtir money for after harvest. The Bulletin was mistaken in its calculations and might now be considered A FRAUD ON FARMERS, ■\ And should be added to the other frauds discovered from — 320 — Regular correspondents eiirlier in the year. It was also a Fraud on Merchants, and both farmer and* merchant will have to look sharp or they will find themselves in holes before spring. LET US ASSIST EACH OTHER. I will make a beginning tending towards that end by offering all the GOODS of that stock I bought on expectation for just exactly what they cost with the exception of sugar and 'iobaccg. MARKS WILL BE CHANGED and you will be able to get A dollar's V^70KTH FOR SEVENTY-FIVE CENTS. Think of this when you desire to purchase, and call in an see me. Eggs taken at their face value. Sylvester Lamb. Highboro, Sept ist, 1889. -.. i u CHAPTER XXIV. «flt ^ -^ifJaKiW'MJl*- SICK IN BED. r^U ^»1 -initA) WE posted our bills in all conspicuous places ; we also kept a squib amongst the local notes in our local paper. Business increased some, but not so much as we had - expected. Some amusing incidents resulted from our bill. One in particular was when a young man who did not understand the meaning of our heading, c.illed and inquired when we would throw up the sponge. We did not answer him, as we did not know whether he meant vomiting it up, or throwing it up as an actor might. The bill was not intended to be funny, so we explained its meaning to the young man, after which he was satisfied and left without purchasing anything, although he was much in need of many things. He supplied his wants the next day in town, we afterward learned from the stage driver. Times were tightening ;. our creditors were crowding ; we were crowding too, but were not meeting with the same results those found who crowded us. The farmer had a payment to make on the buggy he purchased when the sun shone so brightly earlier in the yeir, that he must pay, as the carriage maker was not his neighbor and could sue if he didn't get his pay when due. After that was paid there was noth- ing left to pay for his living. The merchant, his neighbor, waited. September had reached us ; notes were maturing, and ■ we were not in a position to retire them as fast as we would like. to have done. The wholesaler did not, however, press as he had the first year; he did not sue. He sent in his bill, and waited for a few weeks thi n, i^ he did not get his pay. he would send another, and so on, but he never sent the bailiflF as he had the first year. U hile the times were flush we had written some sharp letters in reply to notices we had received informing us that paper was past due, containing in substance. "Can't y^^u draw " Many were acting upon that suggestion and were drawing till it hurt, for we were determined, it po-^sible, to accept — lis— and pay all drafts^ after swaggering as we had when we wrote those words, and it hurt us to do it. From the siege I had passed through when the times were bad, I thought that I would be ever after able to endure any amount of dunning, but I found, when it came, that I couldn't any more than I could ihe first year. The pressure continued ; it worried me ; my head ached, my back ached, and I had pains between my shoulders. My wife gave me pills. After I had taken them I would feel better till their effect had worn off, then I would have a repetition of the same pains till I took more pills. At last the pills ceased to take effect, then she gave me salts, which she said were cooling, and would produce the same results pills did. I took salts, and salts, and salts, till at last they, too, failed to give relief. I was also troubled with a brassy taste in my mouth, which I attributed to tea drinking. I stopped drinking tea, but still the brassy taste remained. One of my teeth ulcered, I had it pulled, but still th e brassy taste remained. I kept up and attended to my business. I should not have done so ; I should have been in bed, as I learned one morning when my wife called me to breakfast and I was unable to rise. " Well, husband, " she said, '* I shall wait no longer, but will despatch a messenger for the doctor at once.for there is a wrong somewhere that I am unable to reach, although I have given you everything I can think of." I was not afraid of the doctor. He had been to our place six times before, and I was quite well acquainted with him, although he had not been called professionally since the last one of the six, which was some years before. I had, however, met him since, but it was generally at a political meeting. The doctor was a politician as well as a physician, and had contested our :onstituency for parliamentery honors. He had not received the honors of being elected, which, perhaps, was better for him, as it made him the defeated candidate, which position, I believe, from what I know, is quite as profitable, if not quite as honorable, as a seat in Parliament itself. I was not afraid of the doctor ; I had a vote ; I was safe in the doctor's hands. There was a time when the matter of paying the doctor would have troubled me, but it didn't then, for our doctor was never known to crowd one of his patients for his bill. He always waited till the patient could pay him conveniently. In like manner he would never pay a bill of bis own as long as he — lU- could conveniently avoid it. I was not afraid of the doctor's bill. I was not the least bit sad ; in fact, I was almost gbd when my wife came in after breakfast with the intelligence that she had despatche'd Jack Larm for the doctor. 1 was most deathly sick, and felt at times as thoui^h it would I '6 a relief could I turn mystlf inside out. At times I dozed, and when I would waken would try to gi t up, but could not through the weight my head was. We looked for the doctor, but he did not come. -^ We were impatient : he had not had ime enough, ''■>y When the proper time arrived, the doctor also arrived. He ' did not stand on ceremonies, but marched right into the room, and up to the bed where I was. '* Why, why, w^hy, Mr. Lamb, I am astonished to find you in such a position," the doctor said, and then taking my hand in his he l^elt my pulse. He had me put out my tongue, whi oh he carefully examined, and then seating himself he asked : •' How long since you were tiiken down ? " " I have not had to keep my bed till this morning," I replied, '* but I have b|een feeling miserable for about six weeks." '^■'** Ye?,*' said the doctor, " you tried to keep up ? " »"on "Yes." n'xiw "Yes, yes, oh, yes. Have you been much worried ? •' -''jV/ '' ^'^•Considerable." ihimeiih '^*' Yes, yes, about your business ? " f^'-J *"e ^ ^B«i s^tifh-^mo^ "Yes." ' ' v nox " Yes, oh, yes, oh, yes ; it's troublesome, it's troublesome— very," "iald the doctor, with much emphasis upon the word very. ' *• Oh, well" he continued, " I am glad to find you as you are, for you are not so sick as you might be, and as I thought you were by what Jack said." ,*• Jack is excitable sometimes," I remarked. !' *■'* Oh, no ; dh, no ; not so excitable as you might think," and the doctor drew his face into a shape that was frightful to look at. Leaving his chai.- he went towards a table, saying as he walked : " I'll mix you some powders that will afford you relief in a very short time.'* '" * >'- ^-'^f^ * • : '.' k.'ii uw As he was mixing the powders 'ifi'e asked tt\f Opinion' on What affect the Jesuit Estate Act would have on the next election, and how it was being received in our neighborhood ? I told hirn I thought it would have no effect whatever, as only a few bigots said anything about it anymore, and that I thought it —116— ■umv, (0071 ni'^uon: i lot impossible for it to create another excitement like the one we had passed through. It was not the answer the doctor wanted, for there was a large Catholic vote in the riding which had previously gone against him, and to which we had always attributed our defeat, so, instead of delivering himself of,a short political speech, be merely remarked : , -r' ' j ;,-! •' Ah ! oh I ha ! Perhaps it's better in that way." Asking me then what we thought about Commercial Union, I was able to give him an answer that suited him, when I referred to the Yankees on Yankee Street, and said they were a damned sight better off than any farmers in the United States were, who only had the same amount of land they had. •• That's 30 ! That's so ! That's so," said the doctor rapidly, " they are much better off, much better off. I know many of them and can substantiate what you say." ,j f, . ^^ , At this point my wife entered and inquired of the doctor in what condition he had found me *' Sick, very sick, but not dangerous ; over-exertion of the mind, too much worry, too much worry," he said in answer to my wife's question. *' Not dangerojis then, doctor ? " !-i " Oh, no ! Oh, no, not a bit dangerous. He will be apt to be up after dinner, and possibly before, but," lowering his voice, " don't let him have too much food should he desire it." " Well, doctor, how would it do lor you to remain for dinner and set him an example as to the quantity of food he should take, yourself," my wife asked. h ««.■». i... C^ ^«.f.„p-, " Set an example ! Ha, ha, ha, ha," laughed the doctor, arid then holding up his hand in caution, he continued : "for good- ness sake, don't let him follow my example, if the dint.er be anything like the others were that I have eaten here, ha, ha, ha. How are the little pets ? Well, I hope ? " *• Oh, yes, quite well, thanks," replied my wife, for the doctor was referring to our children. " Will you stay for dinner?" 9-^ " I will remain for dinner," replied the doctor, with a heavy bow. The doctor was a large man and had an excellent appetite, which generally accompanied him as well as his medicine case when he visited a patient. His trousers were large, and there was an abundance of cloth in the seat, and also in the seat were patches which indicated that the doctor had a good helpmate. I don't know whether it was the medicine, or the politics —lie- that he gave me that made me feel better, but I felt much better and made an attempt to rise, which I succeeded in doing. I had heard before that the doctor often mixed his medicine with politics, but I never supposed the same result could be produced as had been in my case. I dressed myself and walked into the room where the doctor and my wife were, just in time to see Mr. Good and his wife drive up in their cart. They forgot their good breeding, neither assisted the other ; he helped himself out, she helped herself out, and together they walked into the house and into the sick room. " Sylvester," said the parson with surprise, " are you up ? Why I thought by what Jack said you were near unto death's door, and I hastened as quickly as possible in case you might need me. What ails you ? " " Oh, how are you, doctor ?" he said, turning as the doctor answered his question. He had not noticed the latter in his hurry. " Oh, quite well, thank you," said the doctor. " How are you yourself ? " " Better than I was when I came in," answered the parson, " for I thought from what we heard that he was in a dai.gerous condition, but really, is not Sylvester sick ? " ** Oh yes, oh yes, he is sick," spoke the doctor, '* but I am in hopes the powders I have given him, and his own good judg- ment, will enable him to escape serious results. Oh, it's only an attack of biliousness, caused by over exertion, which will leave him in a very few days, if he continues to take the powders regular, and minds himself." Mrs. Good had taken in the situation at a glance, as she came into the room, through the experience she had as the wife of a clergymen for so many years, aad after having greeted the doctor had gone off with my wife to the other room, and after- wards had followed her into the kitchen. ''* 'T'- '^^>r* The parson being somev/hat interested in politics, he and the doctor were soon talking about the leading political questions of the day, and kept at it till my wife called them to dinner. I at once made an attempt to rise and lead the way, but not being as strong as I thought I was, was compelled to take my seat again. " Don't go, don't go," said the doctor, coaxingly " we'll manage well enough without you, don't go, sit down," with that they left me and went to the dining-room. They remained away a long time, and I expected I was the —117— It subiect of their conversation. I was right in my surmises, for directly they returned the doctor asked : " How would you hke to sell out your business here, Mr. Lamb?" '* Very well, I replied, *• if I could get anywhere near cost for my goods." " Yes, yes," said the doctor, " it would be better for you to give up store-keeping. I think I know of a person who will buy you out and continue the business here, that is, if he has not found a stock of goods elsewhere. He has been looking for one some time, and it's possible he may have found one, but in case he has not, I will mention you to him." " How much will he pay on the dollar ? " I asked. jj^, ,n ** Oh, oh, I can't say as to that, you will have to make your own bargains, and it's possible," continued the doctor with a smile, "you will find him close at bargaining, for he is a countryman of mine — a Scotchman." / ,:f, .ffd " A countryman of yours ? " asked Mrs. Good m surprise. " You speak the Gaelic, do you not ? " " I do," replied the doctor, ** as well as men, a few." j " Does the person of whom you spoke speak it ? " >rf v:Jfc -, " Oh, oh, well, no," the doctor drawled, rm; >• ..;> Tli^>n .;ij " Is he then a countryman of yours ? " " Oh well, not exactly," said the doctor. " Ah, but we con- sider them the same in this country." ] jt Jri 1 " There is a difference between a Celt and a Saxon, you know, and I suppose you are a Celt ? " said Mrs. Good. " No, no, we were Normans." • " Normans ?" w^<^ :: .-It.-ji r., .f -jv.- i :" . ■/ ; , t ■ tt "Yes, Normans." .,,>,>'■*;,.; '.. "" »;;i.'a-! ^it •■' wny ;.o.ii-?-. "Normans?" n--.-], ,..• 'v.: ,, \,'i ... .• \\ "Yes." - ^ ^ ■ ,".11. u: -f'.'^w "Pirates?" , -tr^ . ■,.. ,; :,; " Oh, oh, oh well, yes, I suppose so," said the doctor, " if you go back far enough. Oh Mrs. Good, oh Mrs. Good." The woman acted as thou^^h she contemplated giving the doctor a Celtic air or two, but she didn't ; she only said : " I was mistaken." " Yes, yes, oh, yes, good-bye Mrs. Good, good-bye Mr. Good, good-bye Mrs. Lamb, good-bye Sylvester, good-bye all, good- bye everybody." ?/ «>{ ti The doctor left us then, and directly afterwards the parson left ;u^- w **^^ -^^tj- 'lt<3l var tilM. ir ..<;; CHAPTER XXV. y{ £ .iiti^^ -^ift^' THE SCOTCHMAN. BEFORE the parson and his wife left us she ir;ade a diagnosis of my complaint, and gave advice as to what I should eat, and not eat, how I should act, and not act, what I should do, and not do, all of which I listened to attentively, for I had great faith in Mrs. Good's knowledge of diseases and her man- ner of treating them, I took no more of the doctor's powders, but confined myself to Mrs Good's instructions as* closely as I could with regard to my diet, and thought sometimes I would die at it. It was the right prescription, and in a very few days I was out and attend- ing to my business as though nothing had happened. I did not worry about the business, for I had come to the conclusion that was useless and nothing was to be gained through it. It may not have been so much to the conclusion I had arrived at that made me cease worrying over the businr^ss, as it was to the fact that business was better than it had been before I was taken sick. Then, besides we were making some collections, and that may have had a tendency towards making my mind easy. The week passed we were in when I had my sick spell, and we were well along into another, when a stranger cair d and asked our cUrk for the " proprietor." He was not very tall, nor yet very stout ; he w;is medium, had his whiskers parted in the middle of his chin and com! ed hack a little. I went to him when I had been told wh( m he wanted to see, and acknowledged mystlf the proprietor He handed me a letter,which I found, after readmg it. was fn m the doctor, and introduced the*man who had brought it, as the Scotchman. .ow; i ii*Tck ? It's not so large as it was, because we have been reducing it since we decided to sell out," I asktd him. We looked the stock over ; meanwhile he inquired as to the probable amount of business that could be done. I told him our business was probably about $8,000 per annum, but that, I thought, could be doubled by one who understood and was adapted to the business, as I had heard that at one time a $20,000 business had been done. ni«< Twenty thousand dollars. So much as that ! " he exclaimed in surprise, and I did not wonder at it, for no one had been in since he came in and my clerk had gone outside to split wood. *» " What success do you meet with in coullecting ? " he then inquired. I answered him, that I had not met with very good success, but that I supposed it was more through my own fault than otherwise, as I rarely crowded my customers, and that they took advantage of my leniency. ** " Are they wall auf hereabouts ? " he inquired, and lying a little I told him they were. Just then a team drove up, and a man and a woman came in to trade. I waited on them,but before they had finished trading, another team drove up. I rattled on the window, our clerk came in and waited on those. A moment later a woman came in with a basket of eggs and some butter, and then in a few minutes more a boy came in with a bag of chestnuts. There hadnt't been a rush like that before in a long time, and it couldn't have come in a better time. I had sent Girty, who had been in the store with us, for her mother ; she came at once, and then all of us were at work as tight as we could —120— jump while the Scotchman looked on in amazement. Noticing the Scotchman's forlorn condition, I introduced him to some of our customers, with whom he conversed while the rest of us traded. The rush continued till noon, but my wife having dodged in and out of her kitchen, had managed to keep her dinner cook- ing during the time she was with us in the store, and so when noon came she had the dmner ready. I asked the Scotchman to dinner of course, and of course he accepted, and so, when the customers had got down to a few I nodded to him, and we took oui* way to the dining-room. Oh, how I wished for some pea meal, that my wife might have been able to make him a loose luxury for dinner, as I led the way into the dining-room. ' " ^'" ''""'•*' While we were at dinner I told him all I could conveniently concerning the place, and what I had done since I had it. At the same time I kept him well informed as to what might be done if somebody else had it. Business contmued brisk during the afternoon, and I did not get time to talk much more with the Scotchman, so we did not close a bargain that day, but, as he was leaving, he said he would come out again. He did not come again till after the bar^in had been closed. While in town one day I met him, when atter a lot of dicker- ing we made a bargain for 70 cents on the dollar. It w as not as much as I had hoped to get, but then, there would be a month longer for us to remain, and I trusted we would be able to reduce the stock to such dimensions that the discount would not be large when we had to allow it. So I accepted his offer and the bargain was completed. When I told my wife what I had done she seemed pleased, but I feared it was more for my sake than her own, because she had never acknowledged to me that she had had enough of store- keeping. We talked the matter over in the store, in the even- ing. Some expressed regrets as they heard the news, but none came from me, my feelings were those of joy, and I do not remember the night when my tongue was as nimble as it was that night. When our customers lelt, I got some lea paper, as I had another advertisement to write. I wrote it, and had it corrected and addressed to the printer before I knew what I was at, I had something to say, and said it with tRe pen as I would have done -121— with my mouth without embellishing it with words that nobody could understand. ' ' V : THE LAST OF ME ■,'. AS A — 'j-'jci-i: -j.',^ MERCHANT. -, , I have found a customer for my stock of .,jr ji^, .t, GENERAL MERCHANDISE it h;^rf_ .f>-..^:>'f;q ll?-}V Ijnd — AND ff^ HAVE SOLD OUT TO HIM. ■A'U--* *_ »- Three weeks, however, will elapse before I give him posses- sion, and in that time I will make it interesting for all those who want goods, if they will call on me to get them. Full lines of everything that could in any way tend towards increasing the happiness of a household still remains, and can be had for about any price a customer would dare to offer. Three weeks more and this opportunity, which is golden, will pass beyond your reach. THREE WEEKS MORE, I CLOSE MY DOOR. Three weeks more, another will have the place, and I will bid farewell to merchandise forever. Make the most of this, you who are looking for bargains, as a similar chance may not occur in a lifetime. No premium on eggs. , ,. SYLVESTER LAMB. ilighboro, Oct. 6th, 1889. *;);../,:>■»;':»■;.. •'.■■»?. ,:--::U" •< U'-'v-fy'iM- '-j.; ,, lc■•:^.;^> )-'■ •• -.-.^^ :7 '.%■>;•■ v.f:,>» :-jVT ■V f^f -' 'UjiV-H^^; ■«*, A / ^ "-.,' ' . - , ,, . ■ .. . , ": •, ,. .■-.?•■.., 4:'-' ■ ' ;, CHAPTER XXVI. RETURNING TO THE FARM. .. ; ONCE more we sent the copy for the hand bill to the printer, and again he returned it to us in the space of a day, made up in an attractive advertisement. We posted our bills, and business began to boom in a sur- prising manner. I had often heard and read much about the results of advertising, but had never had it manifested in so plain a manner as it was after our last bill had been posted. During the year of which lam writing, more was paid for eggs at the stores around about us and in town than they were worth in the city of New York. So anxious were the merchants to get them, they literally gave away their profits. I could not do that as I was selling at cost, hence the object ot mentioning that I would allow no premium on eggs. People came from every way, and although they did not all buy, it was gratifying to know that we had called them to us with printers' ink. As I saw what could be done through using the printing press I saw also wherein I had made a mistake what time I was a merchant. I had not used the printer as much as I should have done, and had suffered through it. Should I ever be engaged in merchandise again, I would make it a point to keep the printer busy if I could. Our stock was lowering rapidly, and so was the time to the first of November, and we would have considerable stock left on that day, if we didn't get up something that would be excit- ing. We therefore decided to sell on the last day, the 31st day of October, for any price we could get, without taking the matter of cost into consideration at all. We advertised again to that effect, in the local press. The last day came, and with it the people, including the Scotchman. Sales were large ; they fully met our expectation, and as we closed the door at night we were satisfied the discount would not ruin us. The first of November was bright and clear. As we rose in the morning my wife thought the day was a good omen for the Scotchman. We gave him the keys as soon as he made his appearance, •123- and he at once began tidying up, preparatory to stock-taking. We began at the stock directly breakfast was over. At the same time we did business, keeping a memorandum of what we sold on a slip of paper. The Scotchman being so close at making a bargain, we expected he would be equally so when stock was taken. In that we were again mistaken, for he took the cost mark and confined himself to it, as he weighed or measured whatever it was he was handling. He made no complaints ; he asked for nc gitts ; he dealt honorable and fairly. It took but a few days to do the work, and when it was done we found that our advertis- ing had reduced the stock to $700. I recommended him to the wholesalers, who had furnished me. I recommended them to him. All sent travellers, but all didn't sell, because he bought differently from what we had. He had not the same idea of a commercial traveller we had. He disputed the price of their goods, and told them he could do better. We had never done that, as we had not thought of it when the travellers were so good to us, and later, after being " reported, " we were glad to buy from anybody who was willing to sell. When the stock had been transferred and matters settled, he requested us to attend to the business for a few days, while he took a run to the cities and saw what could be done there in the way of purchasing goods. We kept the store as he had requested, but it was only for two days. He returned in that time and when he came he brought his wife with him. She made an examination of the house and saw what would be required in the way of furniture, then they left us for another day. Upon their return they informed us they would be ready to take possession at any time it suited us. . Our tenant having left the farm on the first day of the month, there was nothing to do but get a team and move. We at once got a team and moved. As I walked about the place and looked for the familiar faces, I met there three years before, it made me feel sad when I did not see them. They were nowhere to be U und ; they were away ; they had been sold ; I wanted them back, but where should I go to find them ? I did not know, and did not seek ; it would have been foolishness, for they were only cattle. -iu- ' As soon as the house was settled, and we had begun to feel ourselves at home, I put my books in shape. They had been neglected while we were selling out, and I dfd not know how I stood " financially." I did not owe much to the wholesale men, as they had pressed me so closely ; they got whatever was coming to them whenever it was due. When the books were finally posted, I found, if I succeeded in collecting three-fourths of what was due, we would be in a position somewhat better than when we began. There was no doubt but that we would collect three-fourths, and possibly seven-eights, of what was coming to us, and there- fore we thought we had not done so badly. We did not press payments after accounts had been rendered, as we knew they would not be paid, for there was nothing to pay them with, owing to the failure of the crops. After snow would come, however, and logs began to move, we would get our pay, we knew, for I still represented Mr. Hale in money matters, and we would wait till the snow came. V' Of course we got some money, but not much, on the accounts sent out. We were not so particular about getting the money from those who were able to pay, but took their notes on interest for a year. That we did because we had the greater part of the money the Scotchman had given us, and had no immediate use for it. In fact we lent some of that, thinking it would be better drawing interest till such times as we would need it to pay off the mortgage on the farm. * ' ' • For some of our accounts we took cattle, but not many, as we did not wish to be kept at home taking care of them when we wanted to go visiting. We had a lot of visiting promised. We had not done any while we were in business, and my wife thought ft would take us about all the winter to do if That was the great reason why we did not want much stock. The Goods had set a time for us to visit them, but it did not come till along in January. The Scotchman did a good business at the beginning. He could say the most pleasing things, in the most pleasing way, of any man who had ever had that store. •?.-f. :. <>i:jsV«^ I .'•>,;# I. tu f/--* :^:'^ ;. .. u- :a^-':i 'M-'i ■ -I ' CHAPTER XXVII. A VISIT TO MR. GOOD. CHRISTMAS came and passed with the usual amount of tea meetings, Xmas trees, and special services, which occur at that season of the year. They continued till New Year's. After New Year's we were in constant expectation of snow, but none came. We waited, but yet it did not come. We wanted it, both for the benefit of the mill and for ourselves. We had our promised visits to make, and we wished snow to make them on, as it's more pleasant travelling on runners in the country than on wheels. January was about out and still the ground was bart. We could wait no longer, so we decided to take the phaeton and begin our visiting at once. Upon that decision my wife penned a note to Mrs. Good, setting a time when we would visit them. The phaeton, I may here remark, was a carriage we had bought while the twins were with us. It was large enough to hold our whole family, and could be easily handled by one horse. We dressed ourselves with care the day we had set for the visit, made an early start and reached the parson's home about an hour before dinner. The time having been so long since I had been there before, I feared I might not know the place, but I knew it, there had been no change, or if there had I failed to notice it. We were expected ; they were on the lookout, so when we turned off the road towards the gate a whole family came out of the house to welcome us. Billy ran to the gate and opened it ; the others came leisurely along till they met the carriage at the alighting stand. It was the same old welcome ; many hands were extended to assist and to greet us ; the same old welcome which makes you fee! at home, and which can only be given where pure friendship exists. My wife and daughters went into the house with Mrs. Good and her daughters. The clergyman and his boy, accompanied by me and my boy, took the horse to the stable and put him away, after which we too went to the house and into the sitting-room. It was the same old room, the same, old chairs, -12G- the same old table, the same old carpet, the same old things the wife had brought with her from home when she began house-keeping for the clergyman. Nothing new in that room, Mrs, Good was fully my wife's equal as a house-keeper, and could fully equal her in preparing food. It was at her table I had hurt myself a few times by giving away to my appetite, which would be excited by the savors arising from the different dishes being prepared in her kitchen. Since I hnd been a merchant I had learned something through coming in contact with so many different people, and it was probable I would know better than to let my appetite run away with my sense, and hurt myself through it again as I had when I farmed. There was no probability about it, for no sooner did I catch the fumes that came from the kitchen than a feeling of hunger took possess.on of me that seemed insatiable. The result of that feeling was that I ate so much for my dinner I had to be served with hot drops afterwards. After dinner the parson and I took our pipes and went out- side for a smoke. We walked, talked and smoked for perhaps an hour, then we got our coats and went up the street, where we met acquaintances with whom we passed the afternoon. At tea I was as anxious for the good things as I had been at dinner, but did not again give away to my appetite. After tea the parson invited me to accompany him to his library and spend the evening there, as he said he had some- thing of importance which he wished to communicate to me, and that he would like to have me alone while he did it. Turning to his wife, he told her she might tell mine what it was if she had time, after she had finished telling her own important matters. He then left the room ; went into the hall and ascended the stairs. I followed him upstairs, and up-stairs, till we reached his study. As we were ascending the last flight something took possession of my feelings which caused me to start up and sing : " Nearer my God to Thee, nearer to Thee, E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me ; '' Still all my song shall be. Nearer my God to Thee, nearer my God to Thee, ■? . " ■ " Nearer to Thee. " ' The parson joined in as I began to sing, and continued till we finished the verse, then he said : "Sylvester, those very words have been sung time, time and again by me, while ascending those very steps, and as I did so, —127— till I felt in reality that I was, indeed, nearer God. Sit down now, " he commanded, "and let us begin on the mattet I brought you here to talk about." It must not be inferred that the parson's house was a three- storey building because we had ascended two flights of stairs, for it was not. The second flight also led to the garret as well as to the room he used for a library. It had been made off" in the garret to make room below for his farfiily as it grew to maturity. I looked the place over, but there was not .much to see. There was another chair, a home-made table, a home- made book case with an old-fashioned window sash hung to it to keep the dust out, and at the same time to give it the respectable appearance of having a glass front. Some publica- tions were also to be seen scattered about on the table and piled up in the corners. There was one window, which, the parson said, afforded sufficient light when the day was bright. When I had finished making observations he said : "Sylvester, you will know that I have something which I consider very important that I wish you to know, or I never would have brought you to this den, will you not ? " " Yes," I replied, " you must have, but should it not be as important in my estimation as you think it, do not grieve, for I assure you I shall be well repaid for coming here in discovering this place, the existence of which I never suspected." We looked at each other and looked at the room, then he gave me a slight historical sketch of the place, after which he said : *' Sylvester, the last time I saw you I told you we intended visiting Mr. Hale at his home during exhibition week. Well, we visited him that week and the one following, and such a delightful time as we had ; no person could wish for a pleasanter one. They are well to do in this world, having many conveni- ences and luxuries that were new to me, although we had much things that were convenient about my father's house, and many that were considered luxurious in those days. " The rector was one of my first callers, and he gave me much attention, although he was an old man. We walked through many parts of the city, and he explained to me the object of the different institutions we visited. He invited me to either conduct services or preach in his church, whichever I chose to do, in the morning and in the evening. I chose to conduct services in the morning and preach in the evening. " Mr. Wilcox, whom you remember was here with Mr. Hale, was one of the church-wardens, and through him I became —128— acquainted with many of the church members before Sunday came. I ought to have felt at hoi le and comfortable by Sun- day, but I did not. However, Mr. Hale and I started for church as soon as church-time came around. We entered by the front door, and were met by Mr. Wilcox, who conducted me to the rector's vestry, and remained there with me till the rector himself arrived. " The rector and I were about the same height, and it was fortunate we were, or there might have been another of those amusing incidents we read of, about a too long or too short surplice. We were probably in the vestry five minutes before the organ pealed forth the voluntary. I arose to my feet, and oh, Sylvester, I feared I would have to take my seat again, but I did not. I have never forgotten the vow I took when I was ordained a priest, and although I felt faint-hearted, I walked through the door, which was held open by the rector, and up to the reading-desk, where I was to begin the services. I con- tinued to feel fiiint-hcaited, as I was preparing to commence, but it was only for a moment. In that moment I had cast my eye over the congregation, and in doing so had caught the eye of Honorah. I knew there was help there by the expression it gave. I knew, also, that the expression would turn to one of contempt should I falter. She had never had occasion to look contemptuously on any act of mine, and it would have made a cur of me had I given her one, at such a critical time as that was ; so I hesitated no longer, but began my reading at once. I read well, you know, Sylvester ; in fact, I pride myselt on my reading ; but at that time I seemed to outdo even my ownself, as I passed from one part of the service to another. At no time did my feelings trouble me, after I once was started till I closed, with the possible exception of praying for the President of the United States, instead of the Queen of Great Britam and Ireland. The rector preached an eloquent sermon, tor he was, indeed, a most eloquent man. He spoke, I should say, about twenty-five minutes, and it's rare one hears so much in so short a time. His language in the pulpit was, if anything, more terse than that which he used in conversation. " The music was something grand. *' When the congregation was dismissed, and we were making our way out, I thought again of Honorah. Casting my eye over the people, I found her bowing to those she knew, and , those to whom she was being introduced. It was then I wished my salary had been larger, and that she had better t.' —129- wearing apparel, but there was nothing on her part that would lead me to supppse she was sharing my thoughts. Neither was there on the part of those to whom she bowed, that caused me to think they noticed there had been a scarcity of funds with us. 'Well, Sylvester," he continued, "we always go prepared when we go, and so it was on this occasion. I had expected to be called on to preach, and had prepared a sermon for the occason, not that I am unable at any time to think as fast as I can write, with the aid of parenthetical sentences such as are used here, but I did not like to impose that kind of language upon the people I e.xpected would listen to me there. I was right in making preparations beforehand, for a more intelligent congregation never listened to a preacher. " Evening came, and with it the open doors ot the church, through which Mr. Hale and I passed once more into the main body of the building. The rector had not arrived, so I seated myself in Mr. Hale's pew and waited till such times as he would come. He was always on time, said Mr. HaU, and I felt confident, although I was not comfortable as time passed to within about five minutes of the time for the service to begin, and he had not come. He came, though, at last ; he came on time, too, but only just on time, and could easily be called the nick of time. *' He was in his surplice in an instant, The organ pealed forth the voluntary once more, and he walked up to the read- ing desk, and dropped to his knees. He read rapidly, spoke clearly and distinctly, and it was but a short time till the service finished. " We conversed as the anthem was being sung, till it was time for me to ascend to the pulpit. As I walked past the com- munion table and up into the pulpit, while the anthem was being finished, I could have sung those words we sung to-night coming to this room. I do not speak fast, you know, Sylvester, nor did I try to then ; but I must have, as the time was so short. I hardly thought I was half through when I had finished." Lowering his voice here to a whisper, he continued, '* Sylvester, I never spoke as I did then ; I never was able to leave my writing before. I did it then ; I did it many times, and not once did I have to return to it for assistance. Thoughts came to my lips as they had never done before, and I could have spoken much longer than I did, and would have been listened to attentively the whole time. What was it, Sylvester, that —ISO- enabled me at that time to do more than I have been able to do at another ? I do not wish to be superstitious in this modern day, but what was it, Sylvester, what was it ? What is Theosophy ? " ', . ., r . . , ,. I didn't know, and did not answer. Then, continuing again, he said : " Well, we remained as I told you over two Sundays. I preached again in that church in the morning, and in another in the evening. Both times the buildings were crowded, and oh, Sylvester ! what a time we had. I was sure then I would never forget it, and now I am more than sure, for I received this letter a few days ago." " ' "i T • -V .. '.:' He handed me the letter, which I read, the substance of which was that St. Albans church of , N. Y., had accepted the resignation of its rector, and offered the position to Rev. David Good, with a salary of $2,500 a year. The writer hoped Mr. Good would accept, and it was signed Amasa Wilcox " Whew ! " I exclaimed, " T^oentyfive hundred dollars a year and a house ! That's something worth having, when compared to the $500 or so you get here." " Yes, it is an enormous sum, there is no mistake about it, and I have about made up "ny mind to accept it, through the arguments advanced by Honorah, although it will be like a living death when I leave those with whom I have spent so many happy days, forever." " I would have the pay, if I could get it. You have your family to look after as well as another man who has one," I said, as I thought of his family, which was growing up. . < , -i " My family ; ^h, that's the trouble ! I ought not to be married, nor had any person who promised to devote his life to church. HE was not married ; we ought not to be, and it is one of the great mist?' es attached to the Protestant clergy that we are. We have our families .'.o look after, and are as anxious to do it well as are other moo who have them. " Speaking of my family, I think by the present outlook some of them will soon be settled in that very city, and even now, Ed. is there reading law with an attorney. I did not relish the idi-a of his going at all, but he declared before he would spend hi,; time translating Latin and Greek trash into English he would learn a trade. Poor Ed., the classical writing in the deid languages has no interest in them for him, and when I asktd hitt! why it was*" so, he answered my question by saying -131- he could read better, more useful, and more interesting writings in English from any book he might pick up, even if it happened to be an almanac. His argument was the truth ; there was nothing more for me to say, so I gave my consent, and he be- gan his reading the first of this month." '■ What about the other members of your family you expect will soon be there?" I asked, thinking to hear something about Catharine. " I had reference to Margaret's husband," he replied, " who is a machinist. He has invented a machine, or an improve- ment to one, and is expecting to go there and take charge of a shop that will make a speciality of his invention. I can't tell you what it is, but from what I hear it will be very useful. Some ot our friends there are interesting themselves in it, and will form a company to manufacture it. Ed. says there is a fortune in it." " Well, David," I said, " how is it so many young men go from here to the States ? We have about the same laws, the same cFimate, and much better land. Why do they go ? " " Why do they go ? " he repeated. " That is the question I have been thinking about for the past three months, and al- though I have not yet fully decided, I believe I have learned the real cause as nearly as anyone whose opinion I have thus far heard. What I saw and heard while in the city led me to arrive at the conclusion I have. ' " " Why, Sylvester, the American is no more like a Canadian than a master is like his servant. In fact, that is the real difference there is between them. The one owns it all and the other owns nothing ; one directs, the other obeys. "The Englishman is the most important of all the Saxons that come to us from the countries across the ocean. You have noticed that ; and have you ever thought why it is so ? No ! Well, it is easily explained in this way : The Saxon, when he invaded England, drove the Celt out of the country entirely, or assimilated with him and made him an Englishman. There are only Englishmen in England. •' In Scotland it is different. The Highlander is there ; the Lowlander is there ; the Celt and the Saxon, and both claim the country as his own. In Ireland, there is the Protestant, and also there is the Papist — the ' far up ' and the ' far down,' and, to use an expression of Honorah's mother, the * Bloody far down ' is there, too. " •' ,' "' *• In both countries the Saxon has the wealth ; the Celt the —132— glory. Both wanL what he has not, and likely never will have, for they are entirely different in all their actions. The result of that mixture of races is, that in those countries there is a perpetual warfare, either religiously or otherwise, and England invariably has to settle matters for them. " You can see how it is now that an Englishman is so con- fident of himself ; he has no fears of anyone thinking himself better than he is ; he owns his country, and everything there is in it. There are no usurpers in England. England belongs to Englishmen, and to them alone. " It is just the same with the American. There is no better place for him in this world than his own country. There is no person who has a better right there than he has. The immi- grant has to be naturalized before he becomes a citizen. After he becomes a citizen he becomes part owner of the United States, and through that he forgets the country he came from, and is more American than the Americans themselves. Every man, native born, is eligible to sit on the throne of the United States. That means that every man is a prince by birth. The highest places in the Army and Navy are just the places for him. The highest positions in their churches, and in their schools ; the highest positions in great enterprises, such as rail- roading and the like, are all open to American citizens. Sylvester, there are no positions there too good for an American. " In Canada it is different. Canada is a British possession. Canadians do not own the country they live in. It belongs to Great Britain. We have thought nothing serious of this in the past, have we ? No ! The fact is, it was the very thing we boasted of many, many times. Well, Sylvester, look at it now, in the light I am looking at it in, and see how it appears when looked at in that light. .< " No Canadian can be Governor-General of Canada. A Canadian officer has never been in command of the Canadian Militia. It's rare a Canadian reaches the highest position in the church The professors of our universities and colleges are generally from distant lands. The highest positions in our great enterprises are filled by foreigneis. In fact, there is no position in Canada that a Canadian is fitted to fill, or, at least, that appears to be the prevailing idea. Canada belongs to Great Btitain, and the British have possession of the country. ,,; " I would now call your attention to life tenure of office. Think of an Englishman being sheriff of a county for thirty —133- years, when, perhaps, three hundred Canadians in the same county are quite as able to fill the position as the Englishman is, and could easily defeat him for the place were it elective. Office for life may have been a wise idea fifty years ago, when the country was new, but now it's different, and should be abolished, for the very«reason that it creates an aristocracy in what has been said to be a country more democratic than a denocracy. '' The man who said that was a foreigner and an office- holder, else he would not have said it. " You will have noticed, Sylvester, that it is the Canadian who leaves Canada, and not the Saxon who has come to us to better his fortune. Those who come have generally been in the lower walks of life ; they have been at service ;''they have seen the difference there is between domestic service and public service in the country they came from, and as a natural con- sequence will accept any position of the higher order that is offered to them here. / In office once, they cannot be removed ; they are independent, they are aristocrats, they are the aristo- cracy of Canada to-day. " That, I believe, is the great reason why Canadians, who were born in the same atmosphere their cousins were, leave Canada. They dislike this aristocracy of servants, which the law of the land continues for the benefit of those who come here from the country that Canada belongs to. The Canadian leaves his home to make room for the British ; he goes to the States, and in a few years we hear of him interested in an en- terprise for somebody else, or filling a position there the same as is filled here by an aristocrat. Office for life is detrimental to the progress of Canada. *' Higher education is another thing that I would call your attention to, as an important factor in making Canada the sluggard it is. They have it in the States, to be sure, but they use it for a different purpose than it is used for here. I do not remember having seen A. B., A. M. or L. L. D. on any man's business card while I was there, although one or the other of those degrees must have been held by some whose cards I saw, as the number of institutions granting such degrees is something enormous in the United States. Not one of them, however, advertised his degree, and I wondered much at it, but upon inquiry I learned that the Americans still clung to the old ideas of professional life and business life. One is profession, the other business. There a person goes to college and may —134— be graduated in Arts, and may possibly be an honor man, but in no case will he brag about it for business advantages, the same as is done here. He uses his education in connection with his natural abilities, in competition with those who have the ability without the education. Should his natural ability be great enough he will rise, and rise b^ that alone. Should he be deficient in ability suitable to the profession he has chosen, he will remain where his education found him. Should he have expectecl great results through learning alone, by having been brought into the country by foreign parents, he is apt to meet disappointment, and through that sink down, down, dowi^, and become at last a socialist or an anarchist. Anarch- ists, as a general thing, are Learned Foreigners, " Higher education is not bonused in the United States, by law, as it is in Canada," he said, with a sigh, and then con- tinued : ** It is now only a few days since I read in a news- paper about the prominence our college was getting in the columns of English publications, through a degree it conferred on some Englishmen ; and, Sylvester (whispering), I heard the degree was conferred for fifteen pounds sterling^ '" Mr. Good sighed again, as he thought of the money-making business his college had been engaged in. Taking up the conversation once more, he said : •' You can see now what it is not to belong to one's self. Canada belongs to the British, and a Briton will be ever ready to accept whatever may be held out to him in a British colony. He is patient ; he is industrious ; he is easily satisfied ; he is honest, but not honorable — there is a difference in the meaning of the words. Saxons are not honorable, never were, and never will be. It's only in the imagination of writers that such a propensity exists, pure imaginative ; it does not exist ; they did purely " At that point '..e was interrupted by the opening of the door at the foot of the stairs, and a voice which called : -- », " David ! come down, now ; it's well into the night, and it's time we were in bed." •* Yes," answered the parson, and both of us arose and made our way down the stairs. " Well, husband ! " said my wife, as we entered the sitting- room, "I hope you have not been indulging in anything stronger than words up there where you have been." "Oh, no ! " said the clergyman, " I have nothing ot the kind 1 —135- there, but I believe there is some in the pantry, is there not, Honorah ? " . - .^.„ ■: ?^,.,„^^,., i,vv.ry»>^ ■■ "No," said the woman, "it's not in the pantry, it's on the sideboard, and if you will be good enough to sit down I'll mix you a dose that will make you sleep soundly, what time there is left for sleep in this night of our Lord." We seated ourselves at once ; the woman at once proceeded to prepare the dose, which she served to us with poundcake. Mine was a trifle stronger than I liked it, and I winced some as the sup I took went down my throHt. Mr. Good, noticing me said, '* Be brave, Sylvester, it's only of the usual strength, and a hardy chap like you ought to be able to endure what a delicate one like I am can." He out-weighed me by 20 lbs. "It's pretty strong," said my wife, "but I'll drink mine or perish in the attempt." Mrs. Good laughed, and then, together, we finished the opiate. A chapter was read and prayers were said, after which we retired. ...-..-^..■ " Margaret Good has got » baby," my wife said, as she closed the bed-room door. " Boy or girl ?» I asked. --'- "^^ • "^ ^^ " '^'^^ r-t^>' " A dear little girl," was answered. '•* ■■^^'' ' " "''''^■''' She talked, told about Margaret, told about the baby girl, told about Margaret's husband, how gentlemanly he was, although only a mechanic. I heard her, but did not question for particulars ; I had heard coo much from a man. My thoughts were upon what the man had said. .; " Canada belongs to the British," I thought, and how often I had felt proud to know it, and how often I had said when abroad, " I am a Canadian, but my father was an Englishman." I thought nothing of it at the time ; it was customary nt home for the people to tell where their ancestors came from. I thought of the result of perpetual geneaological sketches,— the office-holder,-- and the aristocrat it made for Canadian^. " Do you hear what I say ? " came from my back. " Yes," I answered. "What was it?" ^ , ; .ui'o: " I don't know." ^-.•- . .- ; 1 ....... r -. There was no more That night. " Come ! come I get up, now ; breakfast is being prepared,' and if we are not soon down we will be late for family worship.' I got up, hurried up, and was ready to go down as soon as my wife was, if not a little before. N —136— " Good morning ! " came from all, as we entered the room. 1- "Good morning ! " we answered, seating ourselves. Prayers were said, breakfast called and eaten, after which the parson and I went to the stable to care for our horses. He had always given his personal attention to his horse, although he had boys who were as well able to do it as he was. He liked a horse, he said, and liked to take care of one ; besides, it was healthy to be amongst horses ; that was the reason why he attended to his own horse. He took good care of his horse, but while he did that, he paid no attention whatever to the wood for the house. He bought it ; the boys could split it, or the women could ; he wouldn't, and hadn't for years. As we rubbed our horses, we talked on the same subject we had the night before. He told me what a time his son-in-law had in trying to induce capitalists to take hold of his invention, but without success. The capitalists of Canada much preferred investing their money on mortgages, and could in no way be in- duced to venture in a manufactur|;ig enterprise. *' There is no enterprise in a Canadian. He wants to be secure. He waits for a bonus or exemption from taxation," We kept the subject going the entire forenoon. While at dinner, and as we were moved back from the table fpr a few moments after dinner talk, the parson said : r "Sylvester, who were your mother's people — the Flynns ? " • " Flynn is an Irish name," answered Mrs. Good. " I have known many of them, and decent people they were, both in mind and body. Mrs. Good spoke before I quite understood the meaning of the question. Her answer, though, had been an explana- tion, so as she ceased speaking, I said : " My mother's people were from Ohio, but grandfather said he himself was a ' Corncracker,' whatever that may mean. " I think, though, it's French," I continued, *• for he often lamented the scarcity there was of Bourbons in Canada." " Was your grandfather the captain, a military man, or a sailor ? " the parson asked again. '' I don't know,'' I answered, " perh^s neither, as I have heard my uncle say he was a cooper by trade, and came over Canada in the early thirties to make whiskey barrels at the ' Welchmen's Landing.'" " A cooper," said Mrs, Good ; ** then that is why you took so -easily to coopering yourself?" * '■'* '^'''- ■137— '• Those were great days when every hamlet in Canada had its mill or distillery. Whiskey then was as cheap as milk is now, and just about as harmless, " said Mr. Good ; then turning to my wife, he asked her if her father was not a Dutchman. "Yes, pa was a German, or at least grand-pa was, " my wife said, " But ma was not. Her father was a Presbyterian minis- ter, and was born in Ireland, but his father cam«*from Scotland." My wife's ancestors were from Holland. A smile flitted across Mr. Good's face as my wife traced her maternal ancestors back to Scotland. Then speaking, he said : • " It is wonderful how you two could run your families back to Germany, Great Britain or the United States, but neither of you would claim to be Irish. Yes, Sylvester, it's just as I told you, and I ask for no better proof than what I have heard just now, in answer to the questions I asked. " Canada belongs to the British, and all Canadians acknowl- edge it in their actions ; they know it and feel it in all things. The Canadian has no country, the Irishman has no country, both are owned by the British." We rose from the table, and he and I walked out for our after-dinner smoke. As we were walking about he said : " Sylvester, I wish to ask you a question, as I want your opinion on it, for I know it will be the truth You may preface your answer with an oath ; you do curse, some say, too much, but as yet I have not heard of anyone accusing you of telling too many falsehoods, and 1 know you won't vary from your usual course when you answer my luestions. You and I were boys together. You took one course in life, and made barrels for a time, then you farmed. I took another and preached. At school you would not lie yourself out of a scrape, and received the flogging. At coopering you had to be truthful ; you agreed to make a barrel and you had to do it. As a farmer you were truthful and were successful. As a merchant you still continued truthful, and were almost ruined by it, for I still believe that it was only an escape through the goodness of Providence that released you from merchandise without financial ruination. " I could go to my brother, and probably will, but I want your answer ; I want your opinion. " You know of the offer I have had ; you know what I have been doing here. You suspect I am fond of my parishioners. I am, and believe they reciprocate the feeling. I could probably continue to do good herp for a long tim^, Shall I remain where —138— I am, or shall I accept what I am offered and leave here forever ? " The question took me by surprise. I had not expected to be questioned. Previously I had done the questioning, he the answering. I turned the question over in my mind ; looked at it from different points*; placed it in different positions and looked at it then ; decided at last, and said : ** David, you had better accept the offer. It's true you could continue to do good here for a long time, always, for that matter. You will also do good in the place you go to. Have no fears for us, we will be supplied with another, who, while he may nof fill your place in the hearts of many of us, will do the best he can towards it, and I have no doubts but we will soon learn to like him ; not like we do you, of course, but well enough for every" purpose. You are to continue your good works, do not forget that, and although you will not be administering to the ones you have for so long, you will still be administering to some. You will soon like your new friends ; you will soon know their needs, and will be as anxious to supply them with comfort and advice as you have been to supply us. Besides, you have your family ; you are a married man ; it might be better were it otherwise, but since it's not, it is your duty to look after those God has put in your care. Your children are approaching maturity. You are already a grandfather. Others will lead or be lead to the altar. It would be pleasing to them to have you hand them checks for a thousand or so dollars. It would be pleasing to you to be able to do it, as nothing gives a wife more importance in a household than the fact that she has money. This is a money-making world ; we are a money-making people ; you have as much right to make money as other men, and if you cannot get as much here for what you do as you can else- where, go where you can get more. The servant is worthy of his hire. Go where you can get the most, and do your best to earn it." We were walking while I was speaking. As I ceased we paused, our heads turned, our eyes met, our hands clasped and David spoke. " I thank you, Sylvester, " he said, " I feel better, my mind is settled, and I shall accept the offer." Our steps then turned toward the house. It was getting late in the afternoon ; it was time we were starting for home, so I told my wife, when I saw her, to get herself ^nd children ip re^dines^ for going. ^*. —ISO- Mr. Good and I went for the horse and carriage, but we talked no more on the subject we had talked so much about. It was settled. There was nothing peculiar from either side as we took our departure, nor was there anything that was melancholy. We were serious, that was all. The matter was settled and there was no more about it. On the way home I thought over what I had heard. My wife was thinking, too. The children talked ; talked to us, but were not answered. Then they fell to talking to themselves. The subject still kept in my mind after we reached home. -' I thought about Canada and the greatness in store for Canadians. I thought about the Saxon from abroad, who so willingly takes the greatness of Canada, and the Canadian who allows him to do it. I thought of every and all things I had heard while away, and the more I thought the madder I got, till at last I uttered an oath, and an oath. " Why, husband, husband, husband, what in the world is the matter, you are cursing so ?" called out my wife. r acknowledged it was wrong to curse, and told her why I did it. ' " Come on to bed, " she said, "and let us try and forget in sleep what we have heard since we have been away." I made my kindlings, my way to the bedroom, and to bed, but It was not to sleep, for the same thoughts kept in my mind. I heard the clock strike twelve. I heard it strike one, two, three, four. I heard no more. I was asleep, and dreaming about my country belonging to the British, and what it was to be a Canadian, what it was to be an American, and what it was to be British and own Canada. A know-nothing society would be good for Canadians. f-,-; '■• 1 " H !;-*• v.- -y. ■ ; ■ ' ''-■.':-i--^-'< - "' ■■ ■ ■:\ .: -.',;?:>■■ W> ■ri CHAPTER XXVIII. AFTERWARDS - POLITICAL. if'^/ ■•-■* .i^ir^J'•.f) A year has passed, and in that time I have seen, heard, and learned something. More Canadians have gone to the States. The winter was open ; no boys came to the mill, and through that I was unable to make the collections I had hoped to by being Mr. Hale's agent. Those who worked in the mill were considered good ; they paid their accounts, or, rather, I kept the amount of their accounts out when I paid them. Some who worked in the mill I took more than usual interest in ; they were -boys whose parents had been in the deepest poverty before the mill was built. These boys, however, having found employment that was constant, worked so steadily that it was but a few months before the family occupied a position that was envied by small farmers, they soon owned cattle, hogs, sheep and a horse, besides some farming implements, and were prepaiing to begin farming on their own account as soon as a suitable place could be rented. I had pressed them to take advantage of tl : bargains I offered when selling out, and they had taken them to the amount of something over a hundred dollars. We had had a settlement, and I took their joint note for the amount, payable one year after date. I wanted to help that family get a start in the world. I would hold their note, I thought, till such times as they could pay it easily. I could have escaped these gener- ous thoughts, for I did not have to hold the note ; they paid it before it was due ; they paid it by selling their stock for cash, and moving over to the States. On the first day of April I would need money ; I had none, and felt veiy uneasy. One thing had been forgotten when I settled my business, and took notes from those I considered good instead of the cash, and that was the interest on the mortgage. The year before I had been in business, and was able to take the money out of the business to pay the interest with. There had been no snow, and those from whom I expected to get logs disappointed me. I had loaned the money -141. I got from the Scotchman, and that, too, was gone ; I had no money, and there was only one way in which I could get it : that way was to borrow it. Once more I approached the agent of a bank, and made my business known ; he was thoughtful ; I had closed my account, and was a farmer. The bank did not care to do business with farmers, only in the savings bunk department. Could I get a business man to endorse the note ; if so, he would discount it to the business man's account; if not, I had better go to a broker. I went to a broker. I'll never go again. The sheriff would be preferable in a tight place. ' ' "^ *-'^ I obtained the business man's name, and procured the money •from a chartered bank. A few days after our return from Mr. Good's my wife left home for a visit with her sister, the barrister's wife. Her first letter contained the information that Bobby had passed his examination without an oral, and had received the degree of LL.D. She also wrote that she feared he had injured his mind through study, as he acted a little off at times, and that : " He writes poetry till all hours of the night ; begins again at all hours in the morning, and the noise that comes from his room as he makes it rh)me sounds like 'twin, twin,' 'yum, yum,' not of course using the words for the same expressions we did years ago, when you used to come home from the States, but as the ending of lines that were in rhyme." Her next letter was one of sorrow — the University had been destroyed by fire. She had seen the fire at night, and had seen the ruins the next day. It was the most woebegone letter she had ever written to me. I "had heard of the fire before ; had read of it in the pnpers, but had in no way been sorrowfully affected by the news. In fact, I was deeply affected the other way, when I thought how my brother-in-law had studied him- self almost silly for its highest degree, and how the same degree had been conferred upon three politicians without any work at all. I thought again of Theosophy as I read the news, and wondered if a mighty hand had not been at work when the University burned. In early spring I began to read about farmers' alliances being formed in different parts of the United States. I also began to hear of " Farmers' rights " meetings being held about home. There were held in an adjoinmg county; as a farmer I attended one of them' and was deeply impressed by what I ■^142— heard. The speaker of the evening was indeed a farmer, if one was to judge from his coat, his boots, or his actions ; he spoke slowly and to the point, and used his words for telling us what he knew. He did not gesticulate j he used his hands for the sole purpose of holding something, he did noi even use them to scratch himself with, nor did he keep them in his pocket. His feet he used to stand on ; did not put one of his legs over a chairback in a similar position to that assumed by eminent jurists when they are speaking. He acted like a farmer, he looked like one, but his discourse was upon different subjects to that upon which farmers usually speak. He spoke of the office holder, and the amount of irtonry he received for attending to an office. He explained how officers were appointed, and why. He spoke ot the professional man, and related an instance where a lawyer had charged $io for the conveyancing of a piece of land, the actual work of which had been done by a boy in less than an hour. He read the medical man's " Price List," and when he reached the prices charged for sujgery it was indeed something stupendous. They charged $5 for setting a small bone, and $200 for a large one. He spoke on the school question, and called the present system of Ontario a humbug ; in proof of his assertions he said that while it taught drawing to improve the reasoning powers of a child ; music to improve its vocal powers, and declamation its showing off powers, it paid no attention whatever to that most important thing in a commercial country like Canada, book-keeping. Book-keeping is not taught in the public schools of Ontario, and to learn it one has to attend a commercial college. Those colleges are private institutions, and are profitable, were his closing remarks. Notice was given out that a mass meeting of farmers would be held in a neigh- boring town a week later, before the meeting closed. I attended that mass meeting and found many farmers there. The hall was full ; it was not full of farmers though, I afterwards learned, when the chairman requested those not in sympathy with the movement to withdraw, and about half left. Speeches were then made by those who had remained. Some had one trouble to unload, others had another, and others another, and so on till the end. All were alike at last ; all were aimed at the same mark ; all pointed towards the manu- facturer and the merchant. —143- The president wore a look of disgust as one after another unloaded himself. He became suddenly indisposed; his head was aching ; his back was aching ; he was sick at his stomach he was sick all over, and so was I. Although I had been sickened at that mass meeting of farmers, I learned something from them, and from the man who presides over them. ' When spring opened I put my fences in order nnd made preparations for spring work. Ploughing had been done in the fall by customers who wanted to work out their accounts, and therefore there was nothing for me to do, but start the cultivator as soon as the ground was dry enough. I started it as soon as the ground was in a proper condition, and when it had finished its work I sowed my peas and oats broadcast. As I was preparing my corn ground, writs were issued for a general election in Ontario, nominations to take place 29th May, and polling on 5th June. Our party had an association meeting. The organizer was there, and spoke to us with a North of Ireland accent. He said we could bring out our candidate on the " Equal Rights " plat- form, or on the party's platform, whichever we liked. " What in the world is the party's platform ? " at once came into my head, for really I did not know. I had read our leader's great speech, but had failed to nc '. " wherein he differed from the policy the Government had bcjn pursuing. He spoke of the French schools, and the injury they were doing in Canada. He should have spoken of the public schools, for they are doing a greater injury. He touched lightly on our mining interests. He should have gone heavy on that. He said nothing about the great city in Ontario that has got all the Provincial institu- tions for the last fifteen years. That he should have mentioned in particular. We were unable to find a man at our meeting who would accept the nomination, but a school teacher was found after- wards who would and did. Another meeting of the association was called to ratify the school master's nomination. I attended that meeting also. I had been a school-mate with the school-master at a common school, and was positive of getting more evidence against the present school system, through what he would say. He referred to the school system, and called it a good one. He acknow- ledged, though, that he, himself, had been educated at a common iv:-*^-^jT, — H4— S{ hool, but it was amidst blushes he did so, which led one to believe he sighed for college breeding Afterwards I asked him if he could get the same education now, he had been able to get twenty years ago, at the public schools. He 'hemmed and 'hemmed, as he tried to explain himself, and I thought, as 1 heard him, how easily a school- master could make use of the ommission in the commandments for political purposes. We were certain of victory. We would have the assistance of all the eminent divines who had written so much for the "Widow" during the Jesuit Estates excitement. We had adopted the Protestant policy, and they would certainly lend a helping hand in so glorious a cause. We were positive of winiiiog, and winning easily. On the 29th of May nominations were held, but it was not amidst the same enthusiasm on our part as had been mani- fested at our last association meeting. The eminent divines had drojjped into party lines, and would support the CJovern- ment that had given us the French schools they so much objected to when they wrote for the ' Widow." The wisdom of omitting this eleventh commandment was once more brought to my mind. Preparations for the battle begun ; lines were formed, colors hoisted, and both had Union Jacks; one, however, had a small spot of green in a corner, the other had a broad border of orange ; otherwise the flags were the same. The music was somethmg stirring. One band played "Auld l.ang Syne," "Canada, Fair Canada," with now and then a religious air, such as *' I want to he a lover of the Lord." The other band played " Rule P>rilannia," " Canada, Fair Canada," interspersed occasionly with religious music, similar to ''Croppies lie down." Both bands played "God Save the Queen," to wind up a day of strife. Our man worked ; he was a worker. He talked ; he was a talker. He held meetings everywhere in the riding, was well liked as a speaker, was well liked as a man, and the prospects of his being elected were bright I kept the puplic school question that had originated with the farmers on the go. Some who had always supported the Government would remain at home this election, and would not vote because they were dissatisfied with the school system. I was in great spirits. I felt sure our man, who had practically adopted the Farmers' Policy, would be elected. r: -146— to The sth of June came, the battle began, and lasted till five o'clock, when the poll closed. It was found, when the poll was closed in our division, that FOURTEEN of our supporters had not voted. They had been sent after, but had refused to come, saying, as they did so : '' They wanted ths?r religion out of a pulpit." At midnight we got the returns : our men had lost ; our party had lost I heard that, theii went home, and had another attack of the "grippe." Haying came directly after the election. I made my hay and drew it in. After that came harvest. I reaped ray grain and drew that in. I cut, raked, bound, pitched on and pitched off, fliinking, all the time I was doing it, what a Canadian voter would do to himself for party, Fire ! Fire ! ! Fire ! ! ! was the cry we heard one evening in August just after supper. Running out to see where it was, we found that the mill was on fire. We ran to the fire. The building was enveloped in flames. It was too late to save the mill, but we could save the manufacturer's stock it we exerted ourselves and the water held out. We worked, worked cheer- fully, worked persistently under the direction of the foreman, who remained cool-headed, and handled us as though we had been working in the mill for so much a day. The water held out and the stock was saved. It was late in the night when the fire was under control, It would not be safe to leave it with sparks flying. Who would volunteer to remain the balance of the night? A dozen or m, if needed. So many were not needed, but five or six were, and that many remained. As morning approached we missed the foreman. We enquired where he was, and none knew. W« hunted for him, we found him. We found that son of an Irishman behind a lumber pile weeping over the loss of his employer. We wired Mr. Hale, who at once came over. No blame was attached to anyone ; the fire was purely accidental. The Insurance Company was notified ; the Inspector came ; loss, total ; Mutual Company ; amount, $1,500.00. "Would the mill be rebuilt?" "Certainly," replied Mr. Hale. Rebuilding the mill was begun at once. Seeding time came, we sowed our fall wheat. , | Threshing became general : yield, not considered good. We threshed : crops middling. —146— Fair time came and passed with the usual amount of fairs from Canada's Great Industrial down through the Provincial, Eastern, Western, Northern, Southern, Central and some others with high sounding names, to the County, then down again to the Township fair. :„ We attended the Township fair, but no other. We had no money for fairs. ' :--iy^\ -if;! ,-.,. .. ■ 3:^ >.-.-,_ 'y .-V.'fl. rr? "r"'"! ' ^t'^^ mi: • -ir-!\i.iup-, Oil?; '}.,V :l .1. :';^- ,TI',. f'v ■^i-;>-- > \'!i^ ■ oij.if-';*'- :,•.^ 'L!« 'i. V-'i ' CHAPTER XXIX A DISCOVERY. i>'?^^f^ii 1 K'i THE year 1890 was passing away. I had learned much as a merchant, had learned something since. As I plowed, sowed and reaped, I thought over the past and the present. T have gone into trade for the purpose of bettering my con- dition financially ; had intended to do it honorably and through the regular profits of business. I had adopted the Golden Rule as my motto. It would have ruined me had I confined myself to its principles, for people do not trade under that rule to-day. I wondered how it was that people did not trade upon that principle instead of the other, and thought of what Mr. Good had said about giving a customer a cheating, that he would invariably return for another cheating or for satisfaction. It was true. I thought of the farmer who owns the land, the manufac- turer who owns the machinery, and the merchant who carries on the trade of the country. I wondered how it was they were constantly at each others' throats. I asked the farmer how it was ; he blamed the other two. I asked the manufacturer how it was ; he blamed the other two. I asked the merchant how it was ; he, too, blamed the other two. It was indeed strange that the three classes which go to make up the commerce of the country should be at perpetual warfare. What was the cause of it ? I thought of the omitted commandment again, and wondered if it was indeed a Divine omission, as Mr. Good had supposed, or had it been suppressed for a purpose. I thought about that, and the more I thought of it, the more I was convinced we would be better with a commandment against lying, and a severe punishment, provided by law, for those who break it. I thought of the lawyer and his bill of $20 for procuring a loan of $200. Twenty dollars is ten per cent, off two hundred at once. It is also a large fraction of the actual profits on a small farm for a year. I thought of another charge of $40, made tor procuring a loan of $1,000 for another farmer who was better off. m ^ . . — U8— . 1 thought of the doctor and his bill of $40 for eight visits to one of my neighbors. Forty dollars is a greater fraction of the actual results of farming than twenty is. I rode with the doctor. We talked on education, and he told me how he managed to escape the " Bridge for^sses " in Euclid's elements of geometry. I asked him where geometry was used in medi- cine. It was not used in medicine. Was it then used in surgery ? '* Ah, well, ah, no, not exactly," was the doctor's answer.^fii fj^p tai^: '^^^t .'>*/.. -•*{«..»-—[• i ^....1 .. u-'f i.».i»-.i ■ I thought of the preacher, who deals in theology, and who , comments on the article as he makes delivery. I knew what theology was. I had got some of it from home earlier in life. I still had it and would keep it ; it had helped me through many a trying ordeal. ,h -^f, 73^11 to: ^-Lfhiutihu ^ I thought of the Book of Martyrs, and the trouble it had given me. I thought of the Jesuit Estates and the trouble I had been caused through what eminent divines had written on • that matter. The Martyrs were Christians, so were the Jesuit fathers, and so also were the eminent divines who had raised such a clatter through the columns of the Widow. I thought of the past, when my father, a Protestant and an Orangeman, could go with his neighbor, a Papist, to the polling place, and then both would vote for the same man. The sons of those two men don't go together now to vote. On the last election day one voted, the other visited. The other could not vote for the party he had supported so long : that party was interfering with his religion, and he couldn't support it. I thought of the detective, and how he had worked to save the Yankee's property when the mill was burning A better man never lived ; he had practically no faults. Of course, he liked the better of the bargain, and tried to get it, but every Saxon does the same. I thought of the foreman : he was good natured, large hearted, and faithful. He would endure any amount of nonsense between the hours of six o'clock in the erening and seven o'clock in the morning ; he would endure it all night long rather than raise a fuss, but between those hours j in the day-time he worked for Mr. Hale, and Mr. Hale didn't I hire him to play, and therefore playing was prohibited. I thought of those two men, and how they had acted when listen- \ ing to what was being read out of the columns of the l^idow. Either would fight, both had fought, and to judge from their looks as they beard from the eminent divines through the •149— columns of a Canadian newspaper, they were ready to fight again. I thought ot those things often and often, and wondered why they were so. Then I thought of the omitted com- Mjindment again, and wondered whether God had really intended to omit it, as Mr. Good had supposed, or whether it hid been omitted through another cause, and decided to know th 2 truth if it was to be found. Backwards my thoughts flew to Moses. Moses, as is well known, was born on the sly, was hidden by his mother in the bull-rushes, and was afterwards found by the king's daughter, who took him home and adopted him as her own. She gave him an education suitable to the position she took him to, and it's possible, and very probable, he enjoyed the advantage of college training. Of the latter I am quite sure, as he repaid his benefactress for her kindness when he grew to manhood by releasing her father's slaves. He took the slaves he had released across the Red Sea and nto the wilderness, and there he told them they were the chosen people of God. It was in the wilderness God gave the commandments to Moses. Moses says the number was ten. Was it ? God as a general thing is partial to odd numbers. We read of the five wise virgins, the five foolish virgins, the eleven curtains of goats' hair ; He gave us seven days for a week and chose the seventh as His own. Although He used other numbers, seven and eleven seem to have been favorites of His. God is supposed to be poetical, else why do we say some poets are divine. Seven and eleven rhyme, and so, taking one thing with another, is it not reasonable to suppose he gave us eleven commandments ? I thought more about Moses. He isT called the Law-giver. The Law-giver of to-day is a lawyer. Would it then be going too far to suppose that Moses was a lawyer ? I thought not, and decided that Moses was inost certainly a lawyer. After reaching that decision, and knowing how lawyers detain for cost in the present day, I more than suspected that Moses had detained the eleventh commandment for expenses. There was no money in a com- mandment, I knew ; why, then, did he detain it, or was it he who did it ? I couldn't decide, so I got my bible and read : Moses was called into the mountain by God to get the tables of law. When he took his departure to obey God's command, he set no definite time when he would return, not knowing how important the business would be, nor how long it would take —150— to finish it. He put his brother Aaron, the preacher, in charge of the people 'till such times as he would return. It was important business, and consequently Moses was detained on the mountain forty days. The people began to get uneasy when he did not return and thought for sure he had gone for good, and clamored for another God. Like the people do now when they get into trouble over religious matters, they went at once to their preacher, who, as usual was equal to the occasion. He had a theory ; he would make them another god, a golden one, if they gave him enough material. He wouldn't be particular about the gold being in coin, either ; he would take anything there was gold in, their ear-rings, their finger-rings, their breast-pins, or anything else they had. The people at once stripped themselves of their ornaments and brought them to Aaron, the preacher, who without further delay melted them by heat into a liquid and moulded the liquid into the image of a calf, which he called a god. God, from above, saw what Aaron the preacher was doing and was very angry about it, and would have sworn, He was so vexed, had it been possible for a God to swear. God sees everything. He charged the people of Israel with corrupting themselves by making a golden calf, calling it a god, and by bowing them- selves to it and worshipping. Moses, hearing the charge, at once sprung to his feet, and began pleading for the people. He was taken unawares, he had no witnesses, he had no pleadings, he had nothing, he had ^ad no time in which to make preparations to conduct a case in so high a court, and his speech was extemporaneous necessarily. He was a true born lawyer, however, and looked after his clients' interest whenever it was at stake. He spoke slowly and cautiously. He asked God to calm Himself against the people he had brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with great power. He told God the Egpytians would say he had brought his brethren into the wilderness to slay them on the mountain, and consume them on the face of the earth, and reminded God of the promise He had made to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, when he promised to multiply their seed as the stars of heaven, and give them a large territory for an inheritance. God repented of the evil he had thought to do to the child- ren of Israel after He had heard Moses speak, and Moses, when he heard the conclusion which God had arrived at, ■151- picked up the tables with the law on, and began to descend the mountain as quickly as possible. His heart was full ; he was sad, very sad, as he thought what his brethren had done in his absence, but he did not condemn them ; nor would he, he said, till such times as he got the particulars. A great noise was heard as they approached the camp, and Joshua, who was with him, said he thought they were prepiring for war Moses, though, knew better. He had an ear for music, and knew they were singing because there was harmony in the sounds he heard. Moses was right, the people were singing, and not only that, they were dancing as well. As he saw the golden calf and the people dancing around it, he was angry. He was indeed angry. So angry was he, that he dashed the tables with the law on to the ground, and broke them to pieces. That act of Moses in breaking all the law at once is the first authentic record we have of what is known to-day as '' Attor- ney's anger." Moses was mad, and no mistake. He destroyed the calf by burning it in the fire, and grinding it into powder ; he then threw the powder into some water and made the people drink it. But why he did that the book doesn't say. After Moses had destroyed the calt he turned to his brother Aaron, the man of small energy and nimble tongue, and asked for an explanation. Aaron began to whine, and blamed all the trouble on the people. Moses probably believed Aaron, or I should judge he did from what he afterwards did. He called for those who were on the Lord's siciie to come over to him, and the whole tribe of Levi came. He then instructed those who had volunteered to go out and slay every man his brother, every man his neighbor, and every man his companion. They did as they were commanded, and when the job was completed three THOUSAND OF THE SONS OF ISRAEL Were dead. Moses then returned to the mountain for other tables of the law, and the eleventh commandment was omitted through the excitement. I was proud of Moses. He was a true-born lawyer, he fought for his clients' interest, pay or no pay, he practiced the law for the law's :Ae, and not for the amount of money there was in it. Had he been like one of our modern lawyers he would have made that calf with corn, and would have loaned it out on good free-hold property, " at from 5^ to 6 per cent, per annum-no commission." It was not the lawyer who had deprived us of the eleventh commandment, it was the preacher. I thought then of the preai hers. I had known many of them, some who were educated like Mr. Good, and some who were not educated at all, I liked them all : they had been decent men with no better education than I had myself. There was another class of preachers, however, that 1 hadn't met, and had hardly suspected so many of them existed in Canada, till after the Jesuit Estates act had been allowed. Those were the eminent divines. I then thought of the eminent preacher and what it was that made him higher than his brothers who preach the gospel to the class that pays the taxes : the farmer, the manufacturer and the merchant. There are more ways than one for a preacher to reach eminence. He can reach it through his natural ability. If he is a fluent speaker all the churches will want to hire him, and he can command any salary his conscience will allow him to ask. If he is a good actor and can give a good enter- tainment of forty minutes, he can reach the summit on that. He can also get there through the influence of his family, or he can reach it through his learning. In the United States I have heard of one preacher who lied his way to eminence and a fortune of half a million dollars within my rememberance, A man could not do that in Canada — there is not currency enough. I thought of the different ways in which preachers could reach eminence, and decided Aaron must have been an eminent divine, and had reached eminence through his learning. I know there was nothing else that would make a lawyer leave a nation in charge of a preacher but learning, not even if that preacher happened to be a brother. Learning is the only thing on the face of this earth that a lawyer fears, and he fears that till he will do anything it asks him to. What, then, is learning, as it's weighed out to Canadians from Colleges and Universi- ties ? I thought, of course, of education, and went to my dictionary for an educated man's opinion. Education fits and prepares a child for any business or calling in life that will be useful. Education is a good thing. What then is learning — higher education. '«>-< m— .. h. ^■4' —153— w*r' ■k_.t\- Learning was acquiied ideas of any branch of science or literature. Science had been a benefit to mankind, there was no doubt ot that, but what wiis literature ? Literature was an acquaintance with the results of knowl- edge and fancy preserved in writing, but more particularly tliat class of writing distinguished for beauty of style and ex- pression, ViS poetry, essays or history — in distinction from scientific matter, which c.onidixn^ positive ktwivledge, — ^'' belles-letters,^^ What were belles-lettQrs ? It was French, and was the same as Hterature in substance, but at the end of the definition was *' the humanities." What were " the humanities ? " They were philology, or polite literature. What was philology ? Philology was the study of language; the investigation ot the laws of human speech. ^ , There was no more. I had reached the bottom, the one was the other, and all tended towards the same end. I thought then of the learned men I had seen, and where I had seen them. One in particular had done the chairman act at a tea-meeting we had attended. Beirg a lawyer by profes- sion, he could do most anythmg, and my wife remarked, as she saw him perform, h«)w much ht was like a whole circus, being able to represent ring-master, clown and contortionist, without any visible exertion on his p.irt. Like the ring-master, he conducted tlie show ; like the clmvn, he made us laugh, when he gave his recitation ; like the conttjnionist, he twisted when he tried to make his speech. His language though, my wife said, was something superb. I thought of the degree of LL. D., and of the eleven dollars which go for higher education in Canada, and three dollars and sixty cents which go for the other kind. 4 I thought of the lawyer ; we wanted him, but what could he do with learning other than that of the law ? I thought of the doctor ; wanted him, but what could he do with the " belles-letters, in healing the sick and the maimed? 1 thought of the preacher ; we wanted him, too, but what could he do with philology in preparing a christian for death ? A, I thought then of the learned divine, and couldn't decide whether we wanted him or not till after I had thought of what he had done for us. He had deprived us of a most important commandment. f .'■■•'..:■■ ^, ' '■ —154— ' ■ r: He had made lidicule of a great soldier, whose ancestors were English gentlemen. ., He had given to Canada this time-wasting school system she now enjoys, and he was continually cramming it down Canadians throats that the present school system was the best in the world, and was succeeding in making Canadians beWeve it. He had raised Old Harry with the people of Canada through what he wrote concerning the Jesuit Estates, and gave them the THIRD PARTY at the same time. He was good at raising Old Harry, that was certain, but did we want Old Harry raised ? Who was Old Harry, anyway ? I made enquiries and found that he was the devil under another name. I thought more and more about those divines, and decided, at last, that a vigilants' committee to look after learning would be a grand thing for the commercial interests of Canada. How is my successor, the Scotchman, getting along wnth his store ? He has licensed the house for a hotel, and is making money. Is he collecting successfully ? Yes, very ; he duns, and duns and duns, the same as he is dunned himself when he don't pay his debts. How am I collecting my notes and accounts? Poorly. I don't dun, and dun and dun ; it's too tedious, my constitution is not strong enough to stand the strain of perpetual dunning. I cannot do it, and the result is I do not collect my debts. ;;4. "■' Why don't I sue ? I could do that easily enough, but what would be the use ? I might be dead before a debt could be col- lected from a man who hadn't property enough to make him respectably well off. Men that are well off generally pay their debts after more or less time. Was the mill rebuilt ? Yes. '.Vas the insurance paid? Some of it, but not all. Two iruNDRED and EIGHTY-FIVE DOLLARS, balance of premium note, was retained under Ontario Insurance Act, 1887, chapter 161, section 63. How are the Good's liking it in the States ? Very well, if one is to judge from what Honorah writes to Constance. They like the place and the people. St. Alban's church is crowded morning and evening to hear Mr. Good preach. He has cele- brated the marriage rite many, many times ; in fact, he is all the rage for those wi.>hing to sacrifice themselves upon the altar of Hymen, and quite an income is derived from that source, which —155- of course is at once turned over to the wife as is customary for parsers to do. Her house now is furnished as she always wanted it. "Tog young" was thj answer to my wife's inquiry as to the prospects of a final conoummation of her fondest wish— that the Goods and Hales would be more closely united through their children than they otherwise could be. She still believes Ed. and Eugenia will make a match, and that Eugene and Cath- arine will make another. So MAY IT BE. I K -\ •• > A A ". ii' • ■•'■nit ^x- ' Mklf^P»t.^"i?^p^:^^ i* '^y=^^Vi»% .:di^J:^iJm'A- '''^^.^ ? V'''^' .v'i" ■ ^^ V/tfU.