Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-12-11


lands wool packed away in IL long before
the summer was over. When winter set IN,
he had added 10 II the "clips" OF less fortu-
nate neighbors, who could not wait for high
er prices, until he had nearly two thousand
pounds stored away. He gloated over his
treasure, constantly figuring upon it-how
much Il had cost, what he might hope to get
for it-until even Mary Ann grew tired Of the
word wool"
Land, father" she would say, "Tm sick
and tired Of that everlastin' wool. We shall
all turn to sheep next"
1--WE should be more vallyble then than
we're likely TO be any other way" Steven
would rejoin.
He invested Ia sheep quite heavily during
the winter; and when spring opened, and he
found wool had already risen beyond the
price he had intended to sell at, his avarice
grew, and scared Alps upon Alps beyond bis
original expectations.
The store house WAS enlarged, and his clip
Of that year also stored away. He now and
then bought small quantities from his neigh
bors but not often for speculating in wool
was becoming an important branch OF trade,
and men secured the country, securing what
there was TO be- found in every town. As his
store-house filled, II became famous among
the wool-deAers. Hardly q man Of them but
had made some effort 10 buy il. When the
demand for wool was so great, II was mad
dening to the brokers to see a man with thOus-
ands Of pounds packed away, ''holdin' on"
for q higher price.
"HanR II said one, after an unusually
exasperating interview with Steven, "a mans
no right to be such hog. Government
ought to seize that wool, and declare 1t con-
traband Of war"
did ye have pretty tough time with the
old cuss p asked sympathizng listener.
inf lor / tal red
| talked, and we went TO the store-hou and
looked at the WOOL and then we sot down in
| the house and talked some more. Finally,
l offered him more than I've ever gin yet, but
that didn't satisfy him. Then 1 asked him
to name his price, tell me what he'd take for
the lot straight through. SO, after some
beatin' about the bush, be gave me his fig
! ures."
"What we're they Huntress ?" some one
asked.
Huntress colored and looked sheepish. Il
| dunno as I'm obliged to tell," he answered.
"Fact is, don't want you fellows 10 know
| what fool was. They was high and'no
| mistake but my blood was up, and was
bound to get that wool. l said I'd take it,
| Well, we talked q spell longer, aud settled
about payments and how twas to be deliver
ed aud thought I'd got it, sure. But, fn-
ally, be got up, and said he guessed hed 90 and
|
| came back, grinning and showing all them
| ysller teeth. and said Mary Ann thought he'd
better not sell just yet, and be guessed bed
hold on q spell longer"
whats he thinking about 2" asked some
one, when the laughter caused by Huntress's
story had subsidized.
1.-THE Lord knows" said Huntress. II
| hope bis wool will choke him some day"
Huntress's experience was that Of ell the
IL .a1
almost concluded and, 1T the last, Ste
ven would find some prsteXt for "holdin
on" A continual struggle was going on in
| his mind bctween avarIoe and reason. He
knew he ought to be satisfied with the profit
he would make by selling at once but, sore.
ly tempted as he was by the certainty Of
present gain, the thought would arise that by
waiting little longer he could make little
more, and he could not bring himself to let
his boarded wool go. So time went on, the
stock of wool constantly accumulating, until
at the time OF Lincolns second election he
had nearly ten thousand pounds packed away,
waiting for higher price.
IF you take my advice, Neighbor Hi
land, said Squire Flanders, his nearest neigh
Dor, you'll sell that wool now, while you
can. The war is bound to be over in the
spring, and wool will be one OF the first
things TO come down. l heard you WAS Of
/
pound for the lot the other day. You'll new
er get so good an offer again"
I'm goin' to hold on till get three dol.
lars pound B" said Steven, showing his teeth
Man alive, you're crazy!" returned the
squire. do you expect to get thirty thous-
and dollars for that wool 2"
'We shall see," was Stevens reply and
/. Squire Flanders drove of, grumbling at what
he called ''the mans pig. headedness."
We all remember the events Of the spring
of 'G5-hoW before We could believe that
peace was at hand the South had surrendered
and the war was over. While the nation re-.
joiced, one man felt no pleasure. Steven
Hiland bitterly regretted that he had held
on" to his wool so long.
"Wall, father" said Mary Ann, sit can't
be helped now. You did it for the best
and you must sell right OF, as quick as you
can. You'd oughter get good price now, il
you're spry about It.
Yes said Steven hunsbly, "Tll do the
best can"
Throughout the long summer that follow
ep, the woOl.buyers were bargaining for that
wool. One day, Steven would be almost
ready 10 sell the next, he would hear Of
, some one who had paid little more for wool
than he had been offered, and, after period
of indecision, he would conclude ito hold
on q spell longer" So the winter set in,
, | and the wool was not sold.
|, This was repeated year after year. The
price OF wool steadily declined He knew
perfectly well that he ought to sell his stock
for what he could get, but he could not bring
; himself TO part with it for less than he had
once been offered.
He grew moody and sullen. II was dan.
gerous to allude to his WOOL He would an
swer angrily, with q wOl6sh snarl, showing
= his teeth and looking, As one man said, 'fol
|, all the world ss il he would bite" Ever
: Mary Ann dared not mention ii to him, anC
: she and her mother felt that they had faller
on evil times. His hired men found iheii
1 lives less pleasant than ever.
"But land they can leave, and can't,
said Mrs. Hiland, after an unusually trying
day. MARY Ann, do believe your father
going crazy"
There we're others who thought SO. He
behaved very strangely at times. He woulC
= sit for hours on beam high up in the store
! house, looking down at the wool, mutterinl
= TO himself. Mrs. Hiland and Mary Ann wer,
full of apprehension, suffering as women dC
when trouble is impending which they arr
= poWerless to avert, and understand bu
vaguely.
Four years had passed since the fall o
Richmond, and another spring was opening
Steven HilAnd sat one sunny day on his ia
a vorite beam in the store-house, broodinl
.gloomily over his misfortunes. As he turned
4 TO leave the house he made a misstep. Hi
/ foot slipped. He failed to catch the cross
piece by which he usually swung himsel
a down, and fell upon the wool below. 1t wa
\ not bad fall but he had wrenched himsel
in some way as he fell, and was unable Il
rise. His calls for help we're unheard ant
' he lay for hours upon his bed OF wool, unit
\ at last the day was ended, aud Mrs. Hilan'
sent the hired men TO call him to supper.
Carefully, they lifted him and carried
h him into his house and laid him on hi
n bed, from which he never rose. SOM
obscure internal injury which baftied the doc
n tors, combined with his nervous depression
4 and his morbid mental state, resulted in h
death befOr the summer was over.
Ia Like q flock of evil birds OF prey, tn
= children returned to the old homestead, ant
, began wrangling over what was left. Tn
"a married daughters were continually on tn
watch. The son returned from the West
Ia Each clamOred loudly for his or her share
"A Each WAS jealous and suspicious of the 9th
er. Mrs. Hiland was anxious about he
M thirds, and tho married daughters quarrelle
/ over feather beds and silver spoons. In tn
Ia midst OF all the contention, Mary Ann fade
= neaeefullV aWaV No One hut her father hA