American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-02-12
VOL. XXVI.

seated themselves before the fire, the Qua
ker said to his wife:
Amy, thee can put on another plate
Daniel will stay with us a few days, an
then he is going to California
The good Quaker felt confident DAME
would keep his word this time. AT tn
end of few days everything was il
readiness. The old horse was harncsset
and, before daylight, Daniel Akin was Oh
his way to the railway station. He hat
not been in the village since the nig h
when the words, mot a drop more, Dan
iel," were uttered. He was missed fron
his customary haunts, but it was sup
posed he had gone on spree, and Sc
nothing was thought of his absence. M
inquiries were made, for all were glat
that he was missing and cared not for hi.
return.
He had been gone somewhat more thar
a year, when the Quaker was in the store
of Hoskins and wished to hire pasture
for the coming season. al have one
will let you have free, if you will put ur
the fences on the place." said Hoskins.
'''Nhere is it?'' asked the Quaker.
It's on the Atkins farm was the re
If thee would let it at that rate, thee
must have let it get out of repair.''
at IS, indeed. l cannot leave the store
to look after it, The house is poor, and
the family that lived in it last were too
shiftless to buy wood, so they burnt up all
the fences; in fact, l would rather sell i,
than rent it,
What will thee take for it?'' inquired
the Quaker.
1t cost me 81 600"
" 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 that l
was running great risk in letting him
have goods, SO l 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. will give thee
$500 for it, if that is any object to thee:"
Hoskins thought long enough over the
matter to conclude that the interest of
$500 was far better for him than a farm
for the use of which he realized scarcely
anything, and at last said, "You can have
it,"
Every 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?"
No; 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 letter from Daniel
Akin, stating that he was at the mines
hard at work and sticking to his motto,
t. Not drop more, Daniel" that he had
laid up few hundred dollars, and de-
sired him 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 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 aft
er he received letter from him stating
that he had sent by express $500 in gold
to banker in New York, with orders to
go toward the money for the farm.
Gold at that time commanded high
premium, and the $500 became $500 be-
fore they reached the hands of friend Ed
gerton. Akin requested him to draw up
deed giving the whole property to his
wife Mary, to have it duly recorded and
left with the register of deeds.
In his letter he said: If, perchance,
should ever break my resolution, shall
have secured home for my wife and
children. 1 prefer, however, that they
should not know anything of this for the
present. If live to come home, will
give Mary the deeds with my own hands;
if not, you can do it. Now that the farm
is bought, you had better stock it, for I
still stick to my motto: Not a drop
more, Daniel"
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
but the house bore 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 re-
pairs were going on; still no one pre-
sumed to question the Quaker with respect
to his plans. These repairs completed,
furniture found its way into the house
A yoke of oxen were seen on the farm.
Quaker driving an elegant horse and rid
ing in a new buggy. He received this
short note one day:
&c have arrived all safe and sound
Please go and get Mary and the chill
dreE."
Friend Edgerton rode over 10 the next
town and called on Marys father, and in
vited her and the children to go home
with him and make a visit. The invita-
tion was accepted and they returned with
the Quaker to his house. On the after
noon of the next day he said:
Mary, l want to go to the railway
station. Thee and the children can stay
with Amy"
He went down to the station and fetched
Daniel and left him at his own house,
where he had previously conveyed some
provisions, and where he was to pass the
night. 1t was darl, when friend Edgerton
reached his home.
Next morning friend Edgerton said to
Mary: Mary, suppose thee has heard
have bought thy old place? l have got
il fitted up, and the children shall ride
over after breakfast and see it. l think
thee will like it.''
They rode over, and Mary was sur
prised to see the changes which had taken
place. They looked over the lower rooms
first; and over the mantel- piece in the
sitting room was a frame, and under the
glass, in large gold letters, were these
words:
NOT A DROP MORE, DANIEL"
Mary, on reading these words, said,
80, friend Edgerton, if Daniel could
have said these words and stuck to them,
this beautiful place might have still been
his.''
"Then thee don't know where Daniel
is ~ asked the Quaker.
No. have not heard anything of him
for more than three years."
"Thee would like to see him, would
thee mott"
80 yes, indeed / should"
LET us walk up stairs
AS they went up the front stairs Daniel
slipped down the back ones and took his
stand in the front room. When they re-