Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-06-17
COUNTY DIALOGUES no. 2.
INrERLoouroRs.


John Beeswax, Merchant. Georg.
Capias, Lawyer. Squire Gruffn
County Magistrate.
Seene.-Capias' Office on Strawberry
Alley.
Capias.-Now Mr.. Grufin if you
will state your case, | am ready to con-
slider it.
Beeswax.-Yes, tell it out Brother
Grufin, Mr.. Capias is sharp lawyer
though he is so fond OF the bondhold-
ers.
Grufin.-Well you must remember
that the last year of the war, Joe Hav-
ersack confound him married my niece
Lucy, (I told her she was a fool to
think of him) and he got with her
about 200 acres of land joining mine
with a pretty fair log house on it; and
very good land it was, only my land lay
between it and the Dover road, and
unless he crossed my farm, he couldn' t
get into town without going three or
four miles round and then had to make
a new road all across his land: So
what does I do. I says to him, SIS 1,
Joe Ell sell you strip of land off the
north side of my home lot, and as you
are short of hands I'll put my negroes
on to make the road and you shall
pay me for both at once, and he and |,
aftera heap of time trading, agreed that
he should pay $500 for the land and
$3.50 for making the road and as he
hadn't the money on hand / took his
note for the $3.50 and he gave me lien
on his 200 acres to secure it.
Beeswax.-And a very good trade
you made of it, brother Gruffn, that
land couldn't have been any use for
anything else and after all you had as
much use of the road as he.
Grufin.-It was dog cheap brother
Beeswax; and, worse than that, have
been after Joe one way or other off and
on ever since for the money, and some
times he draws a poor face and swears
he hasn't got cent of money, and
sometimes he laughs in my face and
says I am bloated capitalist and /
don't know what other names he calls
me, but. one wayo or another can new
er get settlement out of him.
Capias.--But. knowing you as we'll
as I know you, Mr.. Grufin, am sur
prised you have never sued him, you
say that you took mortgage or lien or
something on the land he got with his
wife.
Grufin.-Yes, but that's where the
trouble comes in; You see, when he
married Lucy, I had't much faith in
him for he was terrible scape grace,
so / took care that her land should be
settled on her, and had it tied up as
tight as parchment could make it.
Capias.-Yes, / remember, / drew
up the deed for you myself l begin
to understand the gist of your case,
but go on.
5Grufin.-Well. one time I got real
mad with him, and up and says to
him, SIS I, Joe Haversack, l amt 60
ing to stand this no more, you've got to
settle up that note of yours or it will
be the worse for you; and Joe he sort
o'laughed and he said, SIS he, Uncle
Gruff keep cool-that's what he calls
me, and if there's anything that does
rile me up it iszsfor a man to laugh
when I'm mad and tell me to keep
cool. And 1 said, SIS I, I'll close that
mortage on you. and Ill sell up your
farm and you shant have cent to
bless yourself with.
Capias.-I'm afraid you talked lit
tie too fast that time, Squire, but what
did he say?
G.-Well he stood there with that
laugh on his face, q can't stand that
laugh when I mean business) and he
said SIS he, what farm, uncle Gruff2 2
han't got no farm. Then said, SIS
I, hain't you got all the land you had
with Lucy? Then he said, SIS he,
land he bust right out lafin) you are
talkin' about my wife S farm, that's an
other thing; then I said, SIS l, for |
was real mad then, you young scoun-
1rel didn't you give me mortgage
upon it when 1 sold you the road ?
And he said, SIS he, looking right in
nocent. Why Lor' Uncle Gruf, did
[ give you mortgage on that ?
Why that. wasn't mine, how stu
pid I was, that was Lucy's, I had no
power to give any mortage on that.
Then was real down in the mouth,
for If that mortgage isn't good /
haven't any law on him and he is such
an unprincipled scoundrel-
C.-Stop, Stop Squire, I think Joe
s an honorable young fellow and if
,ou talk to him right he will do right;
n law, I confess, you have very poor
,ase..
Cob, Capias, you make it worse
han ever, that's exactly what l did.
You see, when l began to think it
,ver, 1 began to think Joe had the in
;ide track on me and | thought I'd
ak clever to him, and I went next
morning and I found him settin' on
he fence between his lot and mine, an
said, SIS /, look here Joe, SIS I, you're
. clever fellow Joe, and that note has
been running long time and for two
,r three years, you haven't been pay
ng interest on it-and | haven't been
hard on you-come now, pay me up
,he interest, and when you sell your
,obacco crop pay me half of the prin-
,ipal and then give your joint note,
yours and Lucy's, mean for the other
lalf on twelve months.
C.-Well that seems a fair PROPOSE
ton what did he say to it?
G.-Worse than ever, there he sat
,milin' and smilin' on the fence, and
FOR long time he didn't say nothin',
and I got to feel mighty bad, but |
waited and waited, and at last he said,