North Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1867-current, 1870-03-30

d thing was arranged. When they reache
+ the farm, the horse was put in the bar
. and they entered the house. As the
: seated themselves before the fire, tn
. Quaker said to his wife, "Amy, thee ca
} put on another plate. Daniel will sta,
, with US few days, and then he is goin
|, to California .
The Quaker felt confident Daniel woul,
. keep his word this time. At the end of
few days everything was in readiness
The old horse was harnessed, and, befor.
daylight, Daniel Akin was on his way tt
the railway station he had not been il
the village since the night when the worl
"Not drop more, Daniel" were uttered
He was missed from his customary haunts
but it was supposed he had gone on tho
usual "spree," and so nothing wa,
thought of his absence. No inquire,
were made, for all were glad that he was
missing, and cared not for his return.
He had been gone somewhat more than
a year, when the Quaker was in the store
of Hoskins, and wished to hire pastur+
for the coming season. IL have one |
will let you have free, if you will put up
the fences on the place., said Iloskins.
"Where is it?" asked the Quaker.
"It's On the Akin farm was the reply,
"If thee will let it at that rate, thee
must have let it get sadly out of repair"
"It is indeed cannot leaye the store
to look after it. The house is poor, and
the family that lived in it la,t were too
shiftless to bay wood, SO they burnt up all
the fences. In fact, would rather sell
than rent it"
"What will thee take for it?" inquired
the Quaker.
ut cost me sixteen hundred dollars
"Yes, but thee paid in goods, and
charged thine own price for them
"To be sure l did. Akin could not get
trusted anywhere else, and l felt thu.
was running a great risk in letting him
have goods; so I charged accordingly,
just as anybody else would have done un-
der the circumstances"
"But.thee has not told me what thee
will take for the place. 1 will give thee
eight hundred dollars for it, if that is an
odject to thee.'
Hoskins thought long enough over the
matter to conclude that the interest of
eight hundred dollars was far better for
him than farm, for the use of which he
realized scarcely anything, and at last
said, "You can have it,
"Very well, Hoskins, thee can make
out the deeds tomorrow, and thee shall
have thy money. By.the-by, does thee
know what has become Of Daniel Akin p
mo; he has not been in the village
for more than year; at any rate, have
not seen him."
We may here tell the reader something
that Hoskins did not know. The Quaker
had that day received a letter from Dam
iel Akin, stating that he was at the mines,
hard at work, and sticking to his motto,
mot drop more, Daniel - that he bad
laid up few hundred dollars and desired
to inquire what the place he once owned
could be bought for.
Mr.. Edgerton had taken the method
above mentioned to find out the views Of
Hoskins respecting the place; so conf.
dent was he that Daniel Akin would come
home sober man, with money in his
pocket, that he had ventured to purchase
the place, to keep for him till his return.
He wrote to Akin, informing him what
he had done, and about three months af-
ter he received letter from him, stating
that he had sent by express FIVE hundred
dollars in gold to banker in New York,
with orders to sell it, and remit the pro>
ceeds to him to 80 toward the money for
the farm.
Gold commanded high premium, and
FIVE hundred dollars became eight hun
dred before they reached the hands Of
friend Edgerton. Akin requested him to
draw up deed giving the whcle property
to his wife, Mary, and to have it duly re-
corded, and left with the register Of deeds.
In his letter he said: ''If, perchance,
l should ever break my resolution, I will
have secured home for my wife and chill
dren. prefer, however, that they should
not know anything Of this for the present.
If live to come home, l will give the
deeds to Mary with my own hands; If
not, you con do it. Now that the farm is
bought, you had better stock it, for l still
stick to my motto, Not drop more, Dam
iel.'
Another year passed away. By this
time friend Edgerton had stocked the
farm with young cattle and sheep, the
fences were put in repair, and everything
about the house wore tidy appearance.
Another remittance came, which paid for
all the stock, and left an overplus with
which to repair the house. Carpenters
were busy, and villagers who happened to
pass that way found that extensive repairs
were going on; still no one presumed to
question the Quaker with respect to his
plans. These repairs completed, furniture
found its way into the house. A yoke Of
oxen was seen on tho farm. The villagers
were astsnished to see the Quaker driving
an elegant horse, and riding in new
buggy. lie received this note one day:
~ have arrived all safe and sound.
Please 90 and get Mary apd the children"
Friend Edgerton rode over to the next