Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-06-08

private, but here he looked at Northup
-"they will be satisfactory to all con-
cerned.''
so you haven't closed yet. Now,
Young, take my advice, and don't close.
LII give you more than Northup will give
you"
"Too late, Mr.. Sharp, the Walnut Belt
Is mine, and I've given it to Mr. Nor
thup, said Mehitabie, Whereat there
was a laugh, Mr.. Sharp's laughter being
the loudest.
"That's good joke. I wish it was
yours, Miss Young [ know I'd find you
easy to deal with-easier than your
father
"But what she says is true, Sharp.
The land was given to her when she was
baby, by my father
"Oh, nonsense That be darned -
said Sharp, contemptuously.
| I'll stand by my fathers promise. "
And cut yourself out of thousands
Ii you do you're a fool, Dan"
+" Ii you imply that he will lose an
lota by dealing with me, you
George Northup checked himself in
time. He got up and removed his chair
from the table.
&C It amt my loss," said Sharp, coolly,
as he finished drinking his coffee. 81
know the people I do business with are
ready to give five dollars, and maybe
ten, more than you will give. In short,
them's my instructions, and to prove it,
here's their letter to me-"
He held out letter to Dan, who
turned aside, saying quietly, 'sYour
word is sufficient, Tom"
Well, then, I may as well go. Good
evening, everybody" and the next mo-
ment he was gone. The rest looked at
each other. Then young Northup said,
very deliberately: "Mr. Young, my
offer holds good for one week. If in q
weeks time you can obtain larger sum
than L will pay you for walnut timber,
well. L am now prepared to pay you
800 per acres-$50, 900 down; the re-
mainder in one year. Good evening""
When the little group in Dan Young's
cabin recovered from their surprise
they heard the echo of George Northup's
horses hoofs on the road.
"That does beat everything" said
Dan. His wife turned to Mehitable,
saying, sharply, "Where did you see
tnaG young man DefOref
81 met him on the road about a week
ago."
Him." said her mother. "That was
how you were caught in the rain"
"Let her alone, mother" said Dan
Young. You and I were caught out in
the rain, and jolly good time we had
of it."
"Daniel! will you never have sense. "
81 hope I'll never be such fool as to
forget the jolly times I've had"
"To think of that Walnut Belt, p" said
the wife.
"Don't let us think any more about
it, said Dan. "I'm a fool for luck, I
suppose. What's that? IF there isn't
rain! Who'd thought of rain tonight %
He flung open the door and looked out.
Such sight as the looked on they
never witnessed before. The sky was
lurid. Sheet-ightning famed across
the entire heavens. Three immense
clouds hung over The valley. They
were inky black, threatening, porten-
tous.
"Mr. Northup is sure to get caught
in that" said Dan Young. cts at
least three miles to the head of the road,
and if he don't know the tricks of the
creek, he is sure to have trouble"
Mrs. Young and Mehitable also ex-
pressed concern for Mr. Northup. No
body said word about Mr.. Sharp. Per-
haps they forgot him. Just then deaf
ening roar, as though the earth was rent
asunder, and q binding fash of light
ming caused the group to recoil Dan
Young closed the door, and the group
looked out through the windows as one
OF the awf1lest storms ever witnessed in
the valley gathered force and volume
and ragged for one hour. The Lafts and
sheets of lightning were something aw-
full to witness. The roll of thunder was
continuous. From the moment the
binding bolt startled the group in the
cabin until the clouds parted and rolled
away, the heavens were illuminated with
sheet-ightning and shafts of fame that
threatened to open the earth.
Away beyond the hills that lifted their
purple crowns that morning to the east
of Dan Young's farm, the lovely valley
suddenly contracted, forming narrow
defle extending a quarter Of mile, a
cleft between betting cliffs; then sud-
denly widening, affording space fora mill
site, cluster of cabins and cottages.
Finally nature completed her caprice by
drawing the beetling cliffs together again,
as though she contemplated making a
bottle Of the defle, and had forgotten to
apply the cork. There was legend to
the effect that this defile, in the early
history of the country, was the scene OF
an awful calamity. The valley above, it
was said, had poured down its waters in
a fierce stream; it's fields had been clean
| ly swept of fresh CLEANED harvests; the
forests had contributed their mass OF un-
dergrowth and dead timber, and the
fences had crumbled away Like the firing
es on dolls dress in a blaze, leaving
the valley above desolate waste. Then
the timber, rails, hay-ricks and shocks
Of grain were piled up in one confused
mass, corking up the defle. The water
seethed and boiled, spread out and
drowned all living in the defile like rats.
1T was in this defile that Mr. Northup,
of Boston, had concluded to build Rocky