The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1881-12-22

! t00emOSbs 1 OlO mo- OOye U0000D0
Uncle Daniel gave me one"
| "Mercyl-y0u don't mean IT." az
claimed John, when he he'd emptied the
Stocking, and found more money than
be bod begun TO think Of. why
Just . hundred dollars, John"
That was one Of the blessed mo
ments, one Of the hours TO b ~
membered-a bright memory for Ill
the time to come.
That winter John went into the for.
est and cut wood. But he Wa not
content to put all his best trees into
firewood. His needs had sharpened
his intellect, and his eyes were open.
He was determined that NO chance
should escape him.
One day ct the village he sav Q pa
card posted up In . store, setting forth
that . certain contractor wanted .
quantity Of Oak ties. G., the heavy
timbers on which the rails Of . rail.
road are laid. The dimensions and
quality were given, with directions
where to apply for further informa-
ton. John bethought him that he
had, in his hillside forest, several
hundred large oak trees-just the
things for furnishing these ties. He
saw the man and made Q contract
and on that day. before returning to
his home. he had engaged i've stout
men to work for him through the win
ter.
But the best was to cOme-that u.
the part that most warmed his heart.
When he got home, and had told his
wife what he had done, she straight.
way insisted upon boarding those men.
At first John would not listen, but
Mary said:
II will get my sister Julia 70 come
and help me-she wants to spend the
winter here-and / can easily make
up the beds. Oh! think what It will
save"
And they sat down that evening and
reckoned It up; and resolved, when
they had finished, that not . word Of
the work should be spoken outside.
Even Uncle Daniel should be kept In
ignorance.
That was Thursday. On the follow.
ing Monday morning John and his
crew, with three yOkes Of oxen, went
into the forest four miles away from
home. They had q good camp there,
and stove, where they could eat their
dinner in comfort and cook when they
pleased. The gang was o good one,
and taking the cue from their en-
ployer the hired men were industri-
Gus, decorOus and happy. And the
ok oaks cut up to far better advantage
than John had expected. The wealth
er was favorable; the shedding good
and the depot where the ties were to
be delivered was ten miles distant.
They worked i'm the camps or In the
woods just one hundred days.
During the first week Of April John
met his contractor, and settled with
him. receiving his check for two thou |
sand four hundred and fifty dollars. |
He had bought two yoke Of oxen, but
these were cash on hand, and worth
One-third more on this sixth day Of |
April than they had been when he /
bought. And then he and Mary sat |
down to reckon up the other expenses.
John could show q hundred dollars
IOr keeping of teams In the woods,
md
But what was the use? After every
thing was taken out, they |
would have full fifteen hundred dol
ars left. OF course the old oaks were
zone, but what q blessed return!
But there was another thing that
inferred into the sum of the cause of
lis gratitude. When he came to settle
With his contractor he learned from
lin that early In September last past,
dr. Jonas HapgoOd had made q prop.
sition to him for furnishing five thou
and ties, and he said he expected to
axe them from property which would
hortly come into his possession, and
{ the value of which he was sure the
hen present owner was not aware.
However, II can all be told in Q few
lords more. Before striking into the
pring's work on the farm, John went
own to Portland and bought up the
ote and mortgage On his farm, and
1T five hundred dollars in the bank.
'ncle Daniel was at first unwilling to
elieve. But he remembered the
rand old oaks; and remembered Of
aving heard old Peter talk Of setting
p n camp out i'm those woods for
taking barrel slaves: but he never
Id it. He never had the spur to the
fort--so he never made il.
But John had the spur. Aye-and
e had the spirit-the willard the
luck! And he had his reward. He
It i'm his quiet hOme-a home Of his
VIA home redeemed-with his wife
nj child i'm happiness-sat there In.
only farmer in the
'wn whose personal check would be
Dnored at sight in the city bank -
:. y Ledger.