Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-01-13

nation. John bethought him that he had
in his hillside forest, several hundred
large oak trees-just the thing for furnish
ing these ties. He saw the man and made
a contract and on that day, before re-
turning to his home, he had engaged five
stout men to work for him through the
winter.
But the best was to come-that is; the
part that most warmed his heart. When
he got home and told his wife what he had
done, she straightway insisted upon board
ing those men. AT first John would not
listen; but, said Mary:
II will get my sister Julia to 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 they resolved when
they had finished. that not a word should
be spoken of the matter outside. Even
Uncle Daniel should be kept in ignorance.
That Was Thursday. And the follow
ing Monday morning John and his crew,
with three Jokes of oxen, went into the
forest four miles away from home. They
had good camp there, and stove. where
they could eat their dinner in comfort and
cook when they pleased. The gang was a
good one. and taking the cue from their
employer the hired men were Industrious,
decorous and happy. And the old oaks
cut up to a far better advantage than John
had expected. The weather was favora-
BILE; the Shedding good; and the depot
where the ties were TO be delivered was
ten miles distant They worked in the
woods just one hundred days.
During the first week in April, John met
his contractor, and settled with him, re-
ceiving his check for two thousand four
hundred and fifty dollars. He had agreed
to pay his men a dollar day each, and
board them. There were five hundred dol
lars. He had bought two Jokes of oxen,
but those were cash on hand, and worth
one-third more on the 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
hundred dollars for keeping of the teams
in the wood, and
But what was the use? After every
possible thing was taken out, they would
have full Fifteen hundred dollars left. Of
course the old oaks were gone, but what a
blessed return!
But there was another thing that enter
ed into the sum of the cause of his graft
tude. When he came to settle with his
contractor he learned from him that early
in September last past, Mr.. Jonas Hapgood
had made a proposition to him for furn-
ishing five thousand ties; ana he said that
he expected to take them from piece of
property which would shortly come into
his possession, and of the value of which
the then present owner was not aware.
However, it can all be told in few
words more. Before striking into the
Springs work On his farm, John went
down to Portland and bought up the note
and mortgage on his farm, and left five
hundred dollars in bank. Uncle Daniel
was at first unwilling to believe. But he
remembered the grand old oaks; and re-
membered OF having heard old Peter talk
OF setting up a camp out in those woods
for making barrel slaves; but he never
did it. He never had the spur to the eff
FORT so be never made it.
But John had the spur. Aye-and he
had the spirit, the will, and the pluck
And he had his reward. He sat in his
quiet home, home of his own, home
redeemed, and his wife and child in health
and happiness-sat there independently
only farmer in the town whose personal
check would be honored at sight in the
city bank!-N. Y. Ledger