The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1884-11-13

| he is; an, p'r'aps you'd better talk to
Julanya little, Women have to ave these
And the Squire ,essayed to move on.
But Preston did not move, and replied:
81 s'pose if Sam gets his pension, 'Sper'ence
will be paying up his mortgage"
"Wa'al, I dom know" said Sprague,
with weH-managed surprise. ",Sper'ence
am Julany have been powerful good to
Sam, an if the interest draws hard on 'em,
very likely he might help a little.
'Twouldn't be no more'n his boards kel
wuth.o
"And before he gets it, continued the
| doctor, "there's a los of work to be done
| You must have the certificate of a physi-
clan, and that's got to be strong enough to
hold water. Then there's the affidavits of
his mourning disease in the service"
"If I managed the case" interrupted
Sprague, 81 should count on you to do that
work. You know the boys"
he added, laughing, 'f'm putting in just as
many visits as my patients will stand to
take care of that note of yours. meant to
be ready for it when snow flies. but if I go
into this thing, I hall have to neglect my
work, and let the note go till the pension
comes"
81 do know and the Squire whistled
rehectively. 81 guess you'd better look
Sam over, anyway. If the chances are
pritty good, wen go on with r., it; 1T Th fno,l
anyway, likely"
The Squire kept away from the Canarys
for a fortnight, when he was called to a
council about ways and means and pros
poets. He found that his suggestion had
sprung into a purpose that fourished like a
bay-tree.
The only opposition came from Juliana,
and was impalpable, manifested chiefly by
silence, and difficult to cope with on that
account. At last she spoke: "Well, if it's
| Srhf far Cor 10 hauoo nanGinn Wnnt
him to have it, of course. 1 don't see my
self why it amt just as right for us as for
the Gaylords, am Pm willin' to leave the
whole thing just as it stands to the Gov
ought to know. AM if it amt right, I
don't want nothin' more to do with it. I
don't want folks sayin' the Cans 8 was
snoopin' around after money TWAIN right
fully theirn.'
'fhat's jest it, ~Julany,D put in the
Township don't know that you an 'Sper'.
ence never wanted nothin' that want
rightfully yourn, am nobody would lay it
to you. If Guv'ment was in Clark Town
ship, you would "a had the pension years
ago. But it amt. Guv'ment don't know
nothin' about We, except what's in your
papers," 5
'sThat,s it; the papers tell the story"
broke in Sam, who had a lurking suspicion
that if his pensionrwere to be voted upon
| LII LIE NOoAo 10 way
small.
can, that,o added the Squire, sis why
you need to lave the papers look right.
Ye mustn't put in o you an 'Sper'ence,
am the Gay1ords, or Guvment would think
ye tryin' to create sympathy, an was
frauds. The papers must be short an
sharp an business-like, an it takes jedg-
ment to make 'em. Judgments what We
want in a pension case"
The Squirrels "jedgment" carried the day,
l--1 IL -t-l &A4-
presented as clear a case of q constitution
broken by malaria and incipient consump-
ton as the most critical pension lawyer
could require. The soldiers were collected
in hes quire's sitting room to talk over
Sans three years. service and its Incl
dental hardships. They recalled their
glories and sufferings. through the mists of
fifteen years. None of g Lied, of course;
but what with the doctors skill in refresh
ing their memories as to the physical effects
of their privations, and the Squire's "jedg-
ment" in selecting portions suitable for the
afidavits, the case made up was q strongly
eff one. AS the months rolled into a
year favorable reports began to reach Clark
SAINTS needs Of a pension became more ap-
parent He was won't to celebrate the
favorable bulletins with DR.. Preston and
other boon companions for weeks after the
news came.
Bad whisky and exposure made more
rapid inroads uEon his strength han the
ague. had ever d me, and it became clear
that if the pension reached him it must
come quickly. Then the word came that
the payment would probably be made in
"I'm fearful" said Experience, shaking
his head slowly, "that Sam won't last so
long. It's too bad, consid'rin' the time am
money we've put into it, sayin' nothin' o.
hayin' counted on the money, an got our
plans made up accordin.' That's the hardest
part ont"
81 s'pose," commented Juliana, "that il
his wife had only lived, she could LAY had
the money, anyway. 1t would "a done her
some good, poor creatur'F"
The Squire, who had brought the news
from Washington, rose soon after this
speech, accompanied to the wagon, OF
course, by Experience. Outside he said,
decisively: 'sSam ought to git married."
"Land sakes, Squirrel He's jest a-goin'
in consumption, an he want never nc
great ketch, Sam wa'n't.o
sThet's jest the trouble, don't We see
S'posin' he goes fore the pension comes,
then where be Ee?"
While this view was taking Judgment in
Experiences mind, the Squire united his
horse and climbed into the buggy. He leaned
his argument: "Of course it amt right fol
him to go off without pervidin' no way fo1
you, after all you've done for. him. An
I've spent considerable money on the case
should like to get out. You speak to San
bout it, and I'll look up a woman for him
seein' as he can't get out much I guess
know the right one. Ephraim Gates wild
!. der wouldn't mind gittin' eight dollars &
month to help her along. She's a smar
business woman, Seraph is; an sh'
wouldn't be none afraid to talk pack to folk
if they said the marriage didn't look well
: She's got a tongue of her own" As thu
| Squire drove off he added: 81 wouldn't say
nothin' bout it to Julany till ye git it al
settled with Sam, am let him tell her. Sh'
might think we was kind o. forth-puttin
, bout it. Women is GURUS bout sech things
an it don't do no hurt to manage 'em a lit
, tie now an Them
The Squire's diplomacy was severed,
3 tried in his interview with Mrs. Gates. Sh
was an open-faced, brisk woman, pleasan
4 to look upon or to speak with, having
strong Yankee s~hrewdness which enable,
her to s..keep even" with the world. LET
. five years before with her boy to care TO
and her husbands funeral expenses to pay
L she had done these things, and had acquire
7 a small bank account, as well as a reputa
. tion among her neighbors for being ga trifi
near" in her dealings. The Squire revolve
many times the terms in which he shout
t introduce the subject he had in hand, an
d he finally decided to take his wife with hin
: in order to throw a candid, straightforward
air over the interview, Mrs. Sprague bein
C a pillar of good works in the church, who's
passive Endorsement of a transaction woul
o do much to restrain any suspicion of il
: honesty.
o The interview was a long one, and th
v Squire's arguments were many, but the re
suit was that Mrs. Gates agreed to appea
at the Canary homestead in two weeks, an
to marry Sam; and there was an unde
standing that when she received her per
sion she was to retain only the future qual
terly payments, all of the two thousan
dollars of back pay going to Experience
70 except a couple of hundred to the Squir
Before the two weeks passed, however, 81
was summoned in haste one night to Sam
bedside.
Sprague met her at the outer doc
"Come right up, Seraph; you're jest
time. Pm watchin' tonight; 'Sper'ene
20 am Julapy IS all tired put. Come up still
% an we'll have the job right over"
1t At daybreak Sam Canary waa dead, an
n Seraph held Squire Sprague's certifcat
IS that she was his lawful widow.