The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-11-22

the Chairman was about to put the ques-
ton, to everybody's surprise, John Nelson
took the floor and talked about five min
utes. And he put in the hard sense, and as
sure as you live he walked them right up,
and finally it was carried his way.
Butt to get back to my story. In June,
every year, things would begin to look
lively about-the Nelson place. There are
two great hundred-year-old elms in front
Of the old house that seem to sink it down
to nothing. A swing would be hung from
a long branch of one elm, and a hammock
would go from the other to a great cherry
tree that stands there, and the Shaker
chairs would come out in the little fenced
in-grass-plot in front Of the house; When
these things appeared everybody knew
that George Nelson-the lawyer-was
coming down from the city with his family
for the summer. George himself used to
drive three miles to Standish town, and
go and come in the cars every day.
"Well, that summer, ten years age, l
was building a shcool-house at the Plume
village, and one August morning l was
driving along by, and John Nelson was
standing by the roadside leaning on a
pair of bars opposite his house, and strok-
ing the ears of a young colt he had in pas
ture there. 1 stopped as usual to speak
with him.
SIT was pleasant, I told him, to see his
folks and his brothers folks out there in
front of the house every night when L
passed on my way home, and to hear them
all singing together. Ihad heard it spoken
of, I said, in a way that was delightful to
hear, because the two families got on so
well together.
"sGeorge don't seem to be a bit stuck-up,'
said 1, IF he does live in the city; he seems
as proud of coming down here to the old
place as if it was a palace =
"Well, John smiled a little in his odd
way. "fYes,' said he, that's so; but he's
getting a little over that. l don't know
but you've heard that he's going to build
here.'
"sNo,' said L: he isn't going to live here
the year round, is hep
him a house just for the summer. / guess
his wife feels that the family has almost
outgrown the old one.'
"'Wel,' said 1, 'that'l be an ornament
here, won't it? No doubt he'll build a
house that'n be a credit to the placer
40 yes" said John; 'it's going to be
quite a house. It'll rather cast my place
in the shade-that is, if 1 can say my
place. when 1 don't W but half of it,
$50 well, said 1, you and 1 that live in
the country are not expected tokeep up the
style of city folks, OF to have such houses
ii drove on, but 1 could nothelp thinking
all day that John had not seemed as cheer
full as usual, and didn't talk quite the way
He usually talked about his brother.
"Generally he praised everything George
did, and told how smart he was, and all
that: and / began to wonder whether John
might possibly feel a little nettled to have
George build a new house side of his, just
for summer use, placing it just where the
contrast would show how much better
George was getting on in the world than
John was.
'But it went out of my mind, and /
thought no more about it.
"Well, a few days passed, n one night,
as l was going by the Nelson house in my
open wagon, with a load of blinds, George
came to the fence and asked me to stop and
come in.
81 hitched my horse and went into the
house, and all of the family were in the
front room-they had just had supper-and
were talking and laughing. George went
to the chimney closet and brought out a
roll of plans and told me he would like to
have me build him a house. 1 was just
getting through with the school-house at
the Corners, and was about ready for
another job, and told him so.
every well,' said he, THAT'S good; now
let's look over the plans.'
aHe spread them open. Now you know
we carpenters in the country dom very
often nave an architects plans to work
from. Every town runs two or three styles
of houses, and a man that wants to build
gives the carpenter his ideas from some
body else's house, and the carpenter
guesses what the man want and draws off
a plan himself.
ssBut George had been to a frst-class
architect in the city, and had him make
what they call elevations of the house
that is, pictures of it as it would look
end. And it was colored the way he was
going to paint the house, and was as pretty
as a picture.
"And then there were plans of both floors
of the L., showing every timber-a regular
skeleton of the house; and then he had six
~ aipht M oraS that cpnoiGaa avan IN fha
quality of glass and the MISUNDERSTANDING,
and the door-knobs, n how many nails to
a board, and the kind of nails and all that.
"'John,' said I, for 1 thought Ihd joke
a little, as usual. Il don't suppose that even
when this house that we're in was built,
they had any better plans than these to go
$50, times lave changed said John, sat
least with city folks; though we farmers
are glad to get a roof over our heads, to
say nothing of architects plans and fancy
.shingling in the gable ends.'
"'Well,' said 1, we shall have to chaff
you off and on, when this house is up; it'll
rather cave yours behind.'
go well,' said he, 'this old house was
good enough for my father, and 1 guess it's
good enough for me. We country folks
don't expect to live in the State House,
$50 Itook the plans with me tolookthem
over; but as l was driving home. Icouldn't
get rid of the impression that John didn't
seem quite as interested as he might nave
been; he generally took so much pride, as
1 said, in anything George was doing.
swell, after supper was cleared away,
and my wife had laid on the red cloth, and
set on the great lamp, l brought out the
plans and unrolled them, and she sat by
me knitting, while l was figuring on them
There were one or two ~new-fanglad ideas
that we don't have in the country, and SC
there were some points that didn't get the
hang of at once.
But it was a real pleasure to me, as q
mechanic, tohave such businesslike papers
to work from, and 1 enjoyed it. Every
once in a while, however, it would come
over me how little interest John Nelson
had seemed to take in the building, and
finally L turned to my wife and said:
"sMother, 1 can't get rid of feeling that
no good is coming of this new house. ]
am a little afraid that it is going to nettle
John Nelson more or less, to have a great.
roomy house like this going up, with all
sorts of conveniences in it, and then tc
lave to live along in his old place, winter
and all, with a better one closed up, right
by. him. .n
she to me; there's a great deal more trou
BILE borrowed than ever comes.'
"'That's true,' said l, 'but ] am afraid il
would take more Christian resignation
than 1 have got, not to feel a little cheap
to have my brothers summer residence
uFo lLIS 10 SOOl > NY ISSuldI dwelling
and right along by it running opposition
1 am afraid it will lead to GOODNESS. Il
don'5 do to presume too far on poor human
nature.'
"Well, to go on with my story. I con
tracted to build and finish the house com
plete, mason and carpenters work, paint
ing and all, for about three thousand dol
lars. Afterwards 1 heard that this was
just about half of what George had saved
up; for he hadn't been in business long
enough to have saved up a fortune. 1t oc
Cured to me that it wasn't very prudent
to put one-half of all you're worth into 6
summer house; but then, on the other
hand, as my wife said, it was to be built
thorough, just like any winter house, with
and brick under-pinning and double floors,
and everything solid; and perhaps George
thought it was a wise thing to have a home
in the country to fall back on, if he should
be sick, or for his family if he died. 1 un.
derstood he had some l~ife-insurance.
$50 the weeks ran along, and I was there
tbrOI1oh q ornoH mart of tho ortrp,a Jolr