Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1883-08-18
SHIFTING.

Il must have my pay right off, SO
you may as well stir round and get
it, or there'll be fuss?" said the
naughty Mr.. Starbuck to poor man
who owed him small sum of money,
"Well," replied the humble fellow,
whom we will call Jack Styles, Il
will pay you next week without fail.
Peter Fanley is owing me enough to
pay it, and he is coming over to
Butcher Johpson's next Tuesday with
a beef critter, and he will then pay
me, and I will hand it over to you"
"Mind you do, or you'll be sent up
for a month or twoP was the answer.
This threat seemed hard and. un-
called for as Jacks always paid his
debts whenever he could; but he had
been very unfortunate al through b
the hard, long Winter, and now need
ed little time to pay off the debts
that had been accumulated. lie had
been very i'll with rheumatism for &
month or two; then his wife and
two children had been sick with
fevers, and his doctors bill had
amounted to more than he had earn
ed; for when he could work, his help
had been needed at home; beside
work had been scarce, and it was with
difficulty he found anything to do
when he was able to do it. Old Star
buck knew all this, and knew also,
that Jack was an honest fellow; but
he was always very hard with the
moor and unfOrtnnata
Jack took the cruel threat very
much to heart, and fretted himself
nearly into a fever for two or three
days. What if Fanley should disap-
point him, after all? 1t hardly SEEM
ed possible he would, for the butcher
had the promise of the cow for the
following Tuesday; but Finley lived
some eight miles away, and something
might happen that he could not come
with her. Oh, he hoped there would
not! for he had great fear of the Jail,
and had never been threatened like
that before. 1@
Thank God, men are not now i'm
prisoned for debt in the State where
Jack then lived; but such was the
law at that time, and many poor
man, though honest, was thrust into
prison, and his family left in want,
for the reason that he could not pay
his debts. What possible good such
a law could dc we have never been
able to see, as it only filled up the
iails, made expense for the State, and
deprived the families of the help they
needed, beside placing the culprit in
a condition to earn nothing to relieve
himself Of the debt for which he was
imprisoned. Perhaps it prevented
some from running into debt as much
as they otherwise would in this re-
spect it might have done some good.
Well, Tuesday came, and Jack
kept a good look out for Finley and
his cow, who, in going to the butch
er's, would have to pass his house.
About eleven o'clock OF that forenoon
boy came running to his house
to inform him that both man and COW
we're on the way thither, but the latter
had become exhausted and fallen
into the snow, and he was a little
afraid she was dead. Jack sprang
and ran with all his might to the
place where the COW was lying, which
was about half mile from his house
and there to his utter despair, the
creature was sprawled on the snow
stone dead.
"What could have been the matter
with her?" asked Jack, greatly ex-
cited. -.
"Donr know, I'm sure, less tbs
she's worrit to death tramping in the
snow," Fanley replied.
Jack looked at the bloated creature