The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-12-31
SHIFTING.
BY HARRIET f. 8. CREssY.

BY HARRIET f. 8. CREsSY.
Unjust have my pay right OIL, so
or thereu be fuss!" said the naughty
Mr.. Starback to poor man who owed
him small sum of money.
Well" replied the humble fellow,
whom we will call Jack Styles, 7 will
pay you next week without fail. Peter
Fanley is owing me enough to pay it,
and he is coming over to Butcher John
sons next Tuesday with beef critter,
and ne will then pay me, and I will
hand it over to you"
Mind you do, or you'll be sent up
FOR a month or two!~ was the reply.
This threat seemed hard and uncalled
for, as Jack always paid his debts when
= ever he could; but he had been very
unfortunate all through the hard, long
winter, and now needed little time to
pay the debts that had accumulated.
He had been very i'll with rheumatism
for month or two; beside, his wife
and two children had been sick with
fevers, and his doctors bill had amount
ed to more than he had earned; for
when he could work his help had been
needed at home, and work had been
scarce, and it was with difficulty he had
found anything to do when he was able
to do it. Old Starbuck knew all this;
and knew also that Jack was an honest
fellow; but he always was very hard
with the poor and unfortunate.
Jack took the cruel threat very much
to heart, and fretted himself nearly into
a fever for two or three days. What if
Fanley should disappoint him, after all?
1t hardly seemed possible he would,
for the butcher had the promise of the
COW for the following Tuesday; but
Fanley lived some eight miles away,
and something might happen that he
would not come with her. Oh, he
hoped there would not; for he had q
great horror of a jail, and had never
been threatened like that before.
Thank God, men are not now i'm
prisoned for debt in the State where
Jack then lived; but such was the law
at that time; and many poor man,
though honest, was thrust into prison,
and his family left in want, for the
reason that he could not pay his debts.
What possible good such law could do
we have never been able to see, as it
only filed up the jails, made expense
for the State, and deprived the family
of the help they needed, beside placing
the culprit in condition to earn moth
ing to relieve himself of the debt for
which he was imprisoned. Perhaps it
prevented some from running into debt
as much as they otherwise would; in
this respect it might have done some
good.
Well, Tuesday came and Jack kept a
good lookout for Fanley and his COW,
who, in going'to the butchers, would
have to pass his house. About II
o'clock Of that forenoon boy came
running to his house to inform him
that both man and COW were on the way
thither, but the latter had fallen into
the snow, and he was little afraid she
was dead. Jack sprung and ran with
all his might to the place where the COW
was lying, which was half mile from
his house; and there, to his utter de-
spair, the creature was sprawled on the
snow, stone dead.
What could have been the matter
with herr" asked Jack, greatly excited.
Don't know, I'm sure, less tits she's
worrit to death tramping in the snow"
Jack looked at the bloated animal
and surmised that something more than
fatigue had caused the dissolution. But
sled and yoke of oxen were procured
and the CARCASS drawn to Butcher John
son, who, after making post-mortem
examination, found that the deceased
came to her death from dropsy, undue
fatigue from tramping in the snow has
tening the event. OF course he could
not purchase the carcass Of diseased
animal, so it was turned over to the
scavepgers of the field.
Fanley was grieved at the loss, for he
was poor man, and Jack, who was told
by Fanley that he could not pay him at
present, was frantic.
ITO jail, then, I must co." he tear
fully exclaimed. sThere is no use in
trying to put off old Starbuck any
longer. I would not dare face him with
the old promise in my mouth; no, to
jail must CO."
IhatafternOOn he went to see Starbuck,
who said TO him, as soon as he saw him,
you've come, then, to pay me the
money!"
Jack hung his head and meekly re-
Piled, "No, Mr.. Starbuck, the COW died."
"None of your stories; if you have
not got the money you will have home
over there little while" he said, point
ing to the jail.
il II could not get it." ...s. .. .-sr =.