Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-12-28
THE NEW-YEAR'S LOG-ROLLING.

When it became known in Verdant
Valley that Yankee had settled on the
vacant quarter over by the Lagoon, Un-
ele Billy Barker expressed the senti-
ment of the community in his teree dis
claimer that, so far as he was concerned,
he didn't have use for no Yankees.
You put Yankee into any range, and
thar'll be bad blood right away. They
hain't content to leave things be as they
found 'em, but want to cram their free
school, ablishen notions down everybo-
dy's gullet."
During ihee six years that Verdant
Valley had been settled there had hever
been dissenting vote cast at the polls.
1t was the boast of the district that this
constituency was solid for Bigler, and
that this was the banner township Of
California. But now the laurels were
about to be wrested from them. How
ever, there the intruder was, with his
wife and daughter, an6 there he evident
ly intended to stay. A comfortable
house and d substantial barn bore wit
ness to that After all. Yankees are not
so black as they are painted. and this
particular offender had sturdy way of
minding his own business which, with
his uniform affability of greeting. soon
began to tell in his favor, so that, not
withstanding his denunciation, Uncle
billy was the first to visit the stranger
and proffer his good services. For what
ever of prejudice and narrowness might
mark their their minds, the class to
which he belonged had none of those
qualities in their hearts.
Now this diplomatic call of the elder
Barker had two important results. In
the first place, Winthrop (the strangerl
wanted to employ some one to help him
clear away the timber, and bargain
was soon reached, by which the pioneers
son, Jim Barker, a fine stalwart fellow
with bit of schooling and handsome
face-just the stock, withal, by which
the world is replenished-wasen engaged
for this work. Jim was not the least
averse to this arrangement, fOr-well'
he had reasons of his own. The second
result was that Uncle Billy, who had
just enough learning to spell out words,
one letter at time, and who was deSi-
rous of subscribing to paper which
would keep him informed as to the
stirring events then impending, asked
the advice of the newcomer, and was
recommended to take the Tribune. He
read the first three numbers painfully
and conscientiously, but after that Gree
| ley's philippies were lost upon his re-
mote subscriber, who regularly put the
paper, unopened, into the fire, with the
grim remark,
SERVES me right for bein' such durn
fool"
Those who saw the land adjacent to
the Lagoon before civilization had spoil
ed it will remember that it was heavily
wooded. Great oak trees lifted their
brawny arms and sought with hundred
leafy fingers to clutch the delicious, i'm
palpable air. Firs were scattered here
and there in stately pride. The madro-
no, aristocrat of the forest, showed its
saffron bark and its olive leaves. The
undergrowth was thick. The poison
ivy was was gorgeous with fatal beau
ty. The manzanita tossed its ripened
berries to the gregarious quail. There
was no small work ahead in subduing
the forces of nature. The field must be
cleared and ready ror ploughlng by the
rains. Luckily the rains held of. There
were a few inconsequential showers in
November, and then for weeks the heav-
ems were almost skyless, one could see
so far into them.
By Christmas the undergrowth was
cleared away, and about half the trees
felled. Jim, who seemed to have some
plan of his own, suggested that these be
left where they had fallen, to be trimmed
and chopped afterward; so that
as fast as one tree went down, an
other was attacked. But the progress
was slow. Christmas day Jim went
home, and called his father into council
After hearing his report, the old man
replied:
"We got to give him log-rollin'. The
Lord has held the rains off about all
He's goin' to. He hain't gOin' to spoil
the crops for the sake of no Yankee
He's done enough already, and we got tS
do the rest. Well have it on New Years
And, by the way, Jim"-after pause
, "you take care that logs is the only
, things that gifts 'emselves cut up over
I TO the Yankees"