The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1868-02-22
OTTAWA FREE TRADER: SATURDAY FEBRUARY 90 1858

| 10 pc sure ulu AKIN could not get trusted
any whore else, and felt | was running great
risk in letting him have goods. and I charged
| accordingly, just as sverybo else would undo,
| the circumstances"
| Thee has not told me what thee would take
Tor the place. / will give thee eight hundred
dollars for it, If that is any object to thee
Haskins thought long to conclude that the
interest of eight hundred dollars was far bet.
Ter Tor him than the farm, for the use Of which
he scarcely realized anything, and said, "You
| can have it."
Thee can make out the deed tomorrow. and
thee can have thy money. By the way does
thee know what has become OF Daniel Akin, :"
mo. lie has not been in the village for more
than year. At any rate | have not seen him. y
we may tell the reader what Haskins did not
know. The Quaker had that day received a
letter from Daniel Akin, stating that he was ut
the mines hard at work, and was It ticking To his
motto, " Not drop more, Daniel" and that he
had laid up few hundred dollars and desired
him to inquire what the place he once OWED
could be bought for Mr.. Edgerton had taken
the method above mentioned to find out Hcskin's
views. DO confident was he that Daniel Akin
would come home sober man, with money in
ms POCKET, that he ventured 10 purchase it for
the purpose of keeping it for him.
lie wrote to Akin what he had done, and about
Three months after received letter stating that
oy cypress ne had sent five hundred dollars in
gold to banker in New York with orders to
sell II and remit the proceeds TO him, to go to-
ward the farm Gold commanded large pre-
MUM, and the five huxdred became more than
elsht hundred before it reached friend EdSer-
IONS hands. Akin requested him to draw deed
giving the whole property to his wife Mary and
have II duly recorded and left with the Register
II Deeds
In his letter he said: "If perch.nec I should
ever break my resolution, l shall have secured
home for my wife and children. l prefer, how
ever, that they should know nothing of this at
present. If live TO come home will give Mary
the deed with my own hands, if not YOU can do
It, Now that the farm is bought, you had better
stock 1t, for shall stick to my motto, 'Not an
other drop, Daniel"
Another year passed, BY this time friend Ed.
gerton had stocked the farm with young cattle
and sheep The fences were put in repair, and
everything but the house wore tidy ap-
pearance.
Another remittance came, which paid for all
the stock, and an overplus with which to repair
the house.
Carpenters were busy and the villagers who
happened to pass that way found that extern
sive repairs were going on, still: no,onc pre-
sumed to question the Quaker with respect to
his plans
These repairs all completed, furniture found
its way TO the house. A yoke Of cattle found it.
way to the farm The villagers were astonished
to see the Quaker driving an elegant horse and
riding in new buggy
lie received this short note one day: II
have arrived all safe ard sound Go and get
Mary and the children"
lie rode over to the adjoining townand called
at Mary's fathers, and invited her and the child
ron to 60 home with him and make him and his
"ite a VISIT They accepted the invitation and
he took them home
The next afternoon lie said, MARY, have got
to 60 TO the railroad station; but thee and the
children can stay with Amy He went and got
Daniel Akin, and did not reach home till after
dark. He left Daniel in his own house. nicely
furnished, to which place lie had previously con-
veyed provisions, and left him there To pass the
night. The next morning he said, Mary, /
sapposs thee has heard that have bought thy
old place have got it fitted up, and / want
thee and the children to ride over and see it
after breakfast. I think thee will ike it."
They rode over and were surprised to see the
changes which had taken place They could
scarcely believe their own eyes. They looked
through the lower room first Over the mantle
IL the sitting room was frame and under the
glass IN large letters were these words:
"NoT ANOTHER DROP, DANIEL
Mrs. Akin said: 20, if Daniel could only
have said those words, and stuck TO them, this
beautiful place might have been his"
The Quaker said: Then thee does not know
where Daniel is Z"
NO, have not heard lisp from him for more
than three years"
"Ihee would like to see Linn z"
eyes, indeed"
q" Let us walk up stairs As they went up the
front stairs, Daniel Akin Slipped down the back
ones, and took his stand in the sittin.. room.
When they returned, Mrs Akin noticed a stall
wart man standing in the room with his back to
the hall door, and started back for an instant.
The Quaker said, 1t is a friend. Mary" Upon
this Daniel turned round, and in the man with
heavy beard and mustachc, she did not recognize
her husband.
"Doafyou know me, Nary Have you forgot
en your husband y
We leave the reader to imagine what the meet
ng was. Friend Edgerton said, must 90 and
get Amy. Mary, this house and farm arc thine
Daniel has the papers for thee Thee can stay |
lere as long Us thee lives Thee will live hap
ply now-for Ntta. pointing to the frame over
he fireplace, NOT ANOTHER DROP, DANIEL, is |
lis motto now, and will be during his life
-...r. Marriage Poetry.
" IN nf ,,,o11 ~. &,