Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-08-10

an q groun' hog would wear his lcgs en- In
or week . trnvlin' over It. That fellsr'u
scratch out In Lessen o. year and leave III
Ger no KANT sell It fer nothin'."
; "Oh, Idunno bout THAI II do Sem hike -
poorly faro show fer him up thar
ermong them rocks, shsre nun, but thss
thar Yankee won't stArvo ous nigh 90
ouiok's ysu think Them Ysnks kin live
whar er mouse I'D starvc, an make money
right srlong Tor blot"
"Vve hearn tell q tAem Yankees gittin'
erlopg an maxim money on nothiu', but
eoa't bleove half Nv itp 90. Anyhow, IL
that thar Nokcs kin live on that old rock
pile, hos 0ottor git erlong on lessen three
square meals or day"
J Joel Nokcs know about Whist his neigh.
bors thought OF his purchase, but he cared
little for IT. for no wos . man who was gov
cYned altogether by his own ideas, and
what ether people said or thought never
entered into his calculations. He was
arn believer In the efficacy OF hard labor
md hard thinking, and while Colonel
Blakeiey and some OF the other easy going
natives wero in town spending dollars IN
The saloons, or hours on the street corners,
Nokes was in his fields and truck"
patches killing weeds and stirring the cell.
While other men who owned eoSa farms
cassion Of "hard times" and their causes,
and grumbling about high taxes, Nekes was
at homo encouraging his growing crops or
;nsndng his fences.
"Goin' down ter Their rneetih' ter-day,
No,=esp inquired one OF his neighbUs.
no, hain't got time"
cts yer looty, man, ter perfect yer
flights. It's Their jooty wv ever man ter
pertest aSin' payin' w them railroad
bonds"
"What goods It goin' ter do?"
''Good, Why, we kin lot EN- know how
We feel erbout il. an we kin give ZEN ter
un'cIsLaa' that We uon propose Ter I~Y
SOM
"Shol That won't G. no good, es under
stan Their matter, the people voted the
bonds and they've bin sold, an now they
amt nothin' ter DO but ter pay en- didn't
votc 'crn, an hain't got no time tcs fool
crway protestin' agin eD,, so I'll Just go on
with ther crop, an let thcr bonds 60
Ono meeting followed another until sew
'cral had boon held cnd many valuable days
aost 70 tho farmers who quit their crop 10
go and listen 10 the hong harangues Of the
politicians who were ostensibly wor$rin Z
against the railroads and IN behalf Of tho
farmers, but III realty were working for
themselves and preparing the way 10 some
good fat county Offices, Tho result OF IL wars,
when autumn came Nokcs gathered IN
abundant crops from his rocky ficids, whilc
in many instances tho rich bottom lands
made but poor yield, for the weeds had
grown while the n. n were away ana ttle
plows idle.
Nokes not cnly worked ea<1y and lsec. but
ne understood the principles OF economy
mos, thoroughly. In fact he vas -in-y,
and IL wasn't long before nc began - lay -
msucy IN the bank. lie managed 20 get ais
stock through tho winter on loss than half
the FEED that his ncighbors used, and 60,
them through in better order, too. In tho
spring severa Of his neighours were out OF
corh, and Nokes knew it, 50 one day be put
out u sign reading: Corn for Soil" and
cds'cza began 70 como. Nokes was not
q r1sn - suffer any quibblings Of conscience.
so ne charged all he could get, and these
who s.Nns nj from him paid dearly.
N0ic, mad a son, a young man who pos
c-s,sd some 81 the qualities OF his pa,ernal
ancestor. Nokes, junior, was not afraid OF
'IHSr, sni he also knew the value OF time
and money Eut lie had conscience,
something that No5es, senior, had never
felt tho need T. The younger Noke. was
quiet, so6,. MAJ, ami Tithal good locking,
soms p5oplc pronounced him handsome.
Among those YVES Mss Biakelcy, the
Colonel's cldc,; daughter.
Th- fact IN the case IA, young Tokes
and Mss Bakcicy lad failea IN lore, not
withstanding Colonel Blakelcy pridcd him
self on being the heaa Of enc OF the " first
families" whine Nokca was loo.:.d upon
as very common spec mon of humanity.
The Col)ncL how,ycr. vas ignorant OF his
daughters a:tachmc0' unlil some time aft
or no had applied to .,O-cs for a loan OF
thousand dollars
Very glad tow Accommodate ycw.
Colonel, an jest happen tcw hcv that much
money in bank, " and Nokcs really did APP
pear 70 be delighted that he was able 10
render assistance 10 ncighbof in time of
need.
When the business was fixed up and
Eokes had secured mortgage on tho Col