Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1870-09-14
From Hearth and Home-1
JethrO TROOPS Night Thoughts.
By JOHN THOMAS.

Father nearly crazy, eh! Sheriff fore
closed on the land he bought for the
payment now due-land sold to highest
bidder, and. times being close, it didn't
bring enough by $3.50 to pay the debt
and costs-all of which balance is a
lien upon the old homestead. Mother
heart broken-frst, because OF father g
distress, and, second, because she hasn't
heard from me for a month. "Do, for
Gods sake, Jethro, write your loving
mother, if only line" "Fath-
err, who had set his heart on having the
land for which be failed TO pay, might
have made up the money had you that's
mel sent the $3.50 you begged of me"
"Your father, who has al.
ways been foolishiy nervous bout en-.
numbering the homestead, is nearly era
zy at the blow. which has not only
swept away all that he has made for three
years. but has left load of Indebtedness
on him. under which be staggers.
Jethro takes long steady pull at the
bottle. ...-
Pleasant reading that. My mother
who never bad a thought in which l
was not uppermost; my father, who,
stern and close as be is, was willing to
risk the sheriff TO help me up in the world
both in sore agony and distress on my
account. / swindled them out of the
money which would have enabled them
to weather the storm, and made their
old age com Portable, 1 wheedled out Of
my mother by means of lie, or rather
a brood of lies. | squandered it on the
worst passions humanity has 10 contend
with, and then lied, and re lied and lied
again, to account for it. Money which
my father made guiding the plough
through the rocks on his farm; money
which my poor old mother made in the
dairy, in the kitchen, and some Of which
she traded her eyesight for, sewing by a
miserable light after all others in the
house were sleeping; money painfully
gathered, penny by penny, by the hard
est of labor, and saved for n purpose
they bad hal for years-this money /
lied foF. and when my fingers bad closed
On it, wasted it among harlots, thieves,
and gamblers.
Drinks again--a very long draught.
And the possession of that money
opened new ways to ruin myself, all of
which tried. The spending of it fas-
tened upon me habits to CRAFTY which |
became first the victim of thieves, and
then thief myself. Excellent. youth
Dutiful SON!
TAnother and a longer pull.
What sly old dog Solomons isl
When took him the last three pieces Of
goods, and told him that would posi-
lively steal no more for him. he laughed
as he handed me my pittance.
"Ma tear poy, you mustn't pring me
more goots, for oof you toni shoost
makes troubles NIT you."
"But two other fellows know of it,
and the little you give me l am COM
PEELED to squander on them to keep
their mouths shut.
"Who ish dem poys--Armspy and
Mason, eh e.
"1 es."
~ fought ash much. Dere ish goots
on my shelves from bote oof 'em, ma
poy; shoost dell 'em vat say SO. Dey
shan't schwindle you, l will stand Ply
you. Here dree tollars more for dish
lot. ! will shtand Ply you.'.
He stand by me! The old villain
wants all that / steal-steal is the word
-ho wants to have me get just enough
so that will continue to steal, and he
wants no others TO share plumber with.
Mason and Armsby came at me for their
share last night, when l told them what
Solomons directed me. They were not
particularly chagrined at being made to
know that they too were thieves.
"The old screw ought to have let us
had Jethro a month at least" said Arms
by.
81 don't know about that" replied
Mason. HE took you out of my grip
Inside of a week. !"
From which gather that both Arms.
by and Mason passed through my ex-
perience; that Solomons is simply buy
er of stolen goods of young meu who
have large tastes and small salaries, and
that once in his hands. one 80 remains
It'll death does us part" Well, so be
it: ! have my little race to run, and l
suppose / must run il.
Another potstion.
Mother ought never to have written
me thatfetter. What does she bother
me with her affairs for? Haven't
enough trouble of my own TO look after .
She begs me to maks an effort to help
them out of their sore distress. Help
them outl That's good. Help them
out! In debt everywhere that / could
get credit; liz the hands of receiver of
stolen goods. who compels me to steal,
and takes all7ths proceeds himself, with
certainty of being thrown out of sit
uation at the first breath of suspicion !;
and this secret in the keeping of two
reckless scoundrels. who every night get
as drunk as -as-I do, and who may
let it out and kill me any moment It's
true, have the same hold on them. but
prudence and whisky nsver got within