The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-10-04

TO arrange his business, which consisted
in the collection of several little sums
of money owing 10 him. but she had
written from fhippsbnrg. telling him
where to 20 for directions how TO find
her; and one day. about week after
the family had taken possession of the
shanty on the mountain s.dc he came,
having walked ont from the landing.
Mrs. Parsons cried little when En-
sign kissed Yer and called her moth
err" Il reminded her so forcibly of The
separation which hi- coming presaged
that She could not help it. But she
welcomed him warmly and made him
feel that she loved him already for Jen-
MES sake.
From John Parsons he received a
hani-shake which. hardened as his own
hands We're by work in the shop, came
near causing Ensign TO finch. The
man whose daughter he had married
felt very warm friendship for him in
deed.
In comparing Ensign with Annelscy.
rs he had naturally done ut times.
when he expected both would become
his sons-in-law, he had somehow come
to regard him rs kind of hero. con-
tending against odds. as he felt that all
men VINO labored were forced TO do
and that in choosing jennie for wife
he had allied himself with those who.
although giving no outward sign. were
yet half unconsciously revolving in their
minds some plan by which to remove
the wrongs beneath which they suffered
and writhcd
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in posse sion and with it all confidence
in himself
Without much knowledge Of books.
inclined by nature to think lightly of
his own abilities, and having failed to
successfully defend what he knew to be
his natural rights 10 the wealth which
he hal himself created. he now felt that
he had no right to offer advice upon
needed reforms in society or the laws.
But Ensign was young. he possessed
cool courage and spirit that would
not allow him to remain supinely inact-
i've beneath great and continued
wrongs. Besides this, he had fair
education, and, so the girls said. had
once or twice talked to his fellow-work-
ingmen in public upon questions affect
| anu tHSl -IaI-
ually grown up in the mind of John
Parsons Il feeling that Ensign was TO hc
instrumental in some way. perhaps as a
leader, in righting the wrongs Of the
people.
So long as Lucy had been engaged to
marry Mr.. Annel,ey these feelings had
been suppressed. oyerlaid as it were by
a fear that in encouraging them he was
choosing between his daughters, who
were equally dear to him. but he had
not been able to prevent Il feeling that
Annelsev, being in sympathy with the
cause of the Losses which he had sui.
fcred, was In some way partially re-
spon>ible for them. as he certainly was
a representative OF the class who were
the gamers by those losses. and bs the
losses Of the thousand and millions Of
other men and women who are doomed
p;ttance of enough food and clothing
and hopes of better times. TO induce then
10 continue the work OF creating wealth
for others.
The moment. however. he learned
that Lucy had dismissed Mr.. Ann elses,
the thoughts which had before been
but dumb. kind of feeling. kept under
by a knowledge OF the relation which
the young man was likely To lear t.
the family, began to take shape, ant
once or twice in talking with JENNIE oil
the life which she and her husband
would lead in Chicago. he had eyeh pu,
these thoughts into words, and now he
welcomed the young man not alone as
a son-in-law, but us one who might
some day help to right existing wrong,
and make the people free.
Ensign remained with the family
nearly week, and every day endeared
himself more and more to Lis wife's
parents. 1t was in order that they
might become better acquainted witt
him, and thus not feel that Trey wer.
giving their daughter to one 50 nearly 4
stranger. that he remained During his
stay he helped all he could to put the
place in better shape. and as the rains
did not fall during the entire week. the
two men We're enabled to do mncl
towards making things look more
cheerful.
A shed for the horses was built out o.
lumber bought for that purpose by tn,
former owner, but never erected. Tn,
broken places in the fence were re
paired; the grape vines staked and tiet
up, and portions of the over-abundan
growth OF fruit trees cnt away.
1t was really wonderful the chang,
which these little improvements mad,
in the looks of the place. But then the,
had the sun. and the sun with yer,
little assistance in the way of setting
leaning fences and gates upright will
in a few days, make great change il
any picture first seen when wet ant
sodden by long continued rains.
As the two men worked they talked
talked of the wrongs of the farmer
and the laboring and business men q
the cities; of the causes of so many loss
es and SO much poverty and suffering
and of the possible or impossible RENE
dies.
There ought to be law to prevent
corporations from ownin' land the,
don't need, an can't make no use on
'cept to make them that does want t.
use it pay for the privilege said Mr.
Parsons, as they were at work repair
ing the fence. NO man can't be real
ally free unless he has home OF hi
own, and here Cover mcnt has gone an
give half the State to corporations, an
how is the next gineration to git homes
I'd like to know.
An other corporations are washin
down the mountains an film up th,
valleys: splin' the finest lands chokin
up the river. an destroyin' the home
of honest folks jest as eff gold was 0
more value than bread. I've tried hare
to get somethin' ahead ag.n old agt
come creepin' on to Us, and to Civ.
the youngsters start when they lef
us. as Jennie is dom now, and here
, what it all amounts to; bit of lane
not much better than wild on the sid
of a mountain. The land God made
, an all the improvements that is on to j
/ never cost thousand dollars whel
they was new, and that amt as mucl
as my wife had when married her; S,
we've got nothin' at all to show Ter
lifetime of hard work an savin'
, so fur as we're concerned. lnothe
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