Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-03-09

messed and, before daylight, Odnlel
was on his way to the railway station.
He had; not been in the village since
the night when the words, Not q drop
more, Daniel were uttered. He was
missed from his customary haunts; but
it was supposed. he had gone on spree,
so nothing was thought of his absence.
No inquiries 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
pasture for the coming season.
Il have one l will let you have free,
if you will put up the fences on the
place. said HOskins.
Where is it?' asked the Quaker.
'It's on the Akil's farm was the re-
ply.
III thee will let it at that rate, thee
must have let it get out of repair
1t is, indeed. l can not 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 it than rent it,
what will thee take for it?' inqui-
red the Quaker.
1t 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 | felt
that | was running a great risk in let
ting him have the goods, so 1 charged
accordingly; just as any body else
nn6ar tho nirnn m
stances
But thee has not told me what thee
will take for the place. l will give
thee eight hundred dollars for tiff that
is any object to thee
Hoskins thought long enough over
the matter to conclude that the inter-
est of eight hundred dollars was far
better to MIN than a farm for the
use of which he realized scarcely any
thing, and at last said, You can have
it,
Very well, Hoskins; thee can make
out the deeds tomorrow, and thee
shall bave 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, j
have not seen him.
We may here tell the reader some
thing that Hoskins did not know. The
Quaker had that day received letter
from Daniel Akin, saying that he was
at the mines hard at work and sticking
to his motto, Not drop more, Dan
iel;' that he had laid up few hun
dred dollars, and desired him to in
quire what the place he once owned
could be bought for.
Mr.. Edgerton had taken the meth
cd above mentioned to find out the
views of Hoskins respecting the place;
so confident was he that Daniel Akin
would come home sober man, with
money in his pocket, that he had ven.
tured 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 after he received letter from
him stating that he had sent by eX-
press five hundred dollars in gold to a
banker in New York, with orders to
sell it and remit the proceeds to him, TO
go toward the money for the farm.
!; Gold at that time commanded a high
premium, and the $500 became $500 be-
fore it reached the hands of friend Ed
gerton. Akin requested him to draw
up deed giving the whole proper ty
to his wife Mary, to have it duly re-
corded and left with the register OF
deeds.
In his letter he said: III pcrchance,
| should ever break my resolution, /
shall have secured home for my wife
and children. prefer, however, that
they should not know anything OF this
for the present. If / live to come
home. l 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 l still stick to my
motto, Net a Crop more, Daniel
Another year passed away. By this
time friend Edgerton stocked the farm
with young cattle and sheep, the fen
ces were put in repair, and everything
but the house wore tidy appearance.
for all the stock and left an overplus
with which TO repair the house. Car
penters were busy, and villagers who
happened to pass that way found that
extensive repairs were going on; still
no one presumed to question the Qua
ker with respest to his plans. These
repairs cOinpleteu, luI Hiluio iouuu ltS
way into tie house. A yoke of oxen
were seen on the farm. The villagers
were astonished TO see the Quaker dri-
wing an elegant horse and riding in a
new buggy. He received this short
note one day:
} 81 have arrived all safe and sound. Please
! go and get Mary and the children"
| Friend Edgerton rode over to the
next town and called on Mary's father,
and invited her and the children TO go
home with him and make visit. The
invitation was excepted and they re-
turned with the Qnaker to his house.
On the afternoon of the next day, he
said:
Mary, 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 con-
veyed some provisions, and where he
was to pass the night, 1t was dark
when friend Edgerton reached his
home.
Next morning friend Edgerton said
to Mary: