The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-02-02
A QUEER BARGAIN.

A QUEER BARGAIN.
Well, you see, said Cousin Sally
Baker, when the railroad people first
came along here with their queer
machines a-layin' out the new track,
| we were all nightly exercised about
| it. Some took one view and some
another. Some was pleased, and said
t'would open up market to US and
increase the vally O. land; whilst
others allowed that the farms would
be ruined, and the wheat fields set
atire, the cattle run over and killed,
| and the noise itself be an abidin'
noosance.
l tell you some of em' was real mad,
but the maddest of the hull lot was
ondeniably Betsev Ann Simcoe.
She was single, unmarried woman
about 40 or more, and lived on poor
little place of her own, just above the
Cross-K4ys tavern.
Twas only two or three acres of
gravelly land, with two-room frame
house on it. Folks said she had a
leetle money hid away somewhere, for
she was powerful sharp at making
bargains, and held tight grip on all
she got hold of; but, all the same, she
made great talk about poverty, as
an excuse for not giving more to the
missionary society and for repairs to
the Westinghouse.
Still she seemed to get along's we'll
as anybody with her garden, and her
COW, and her poultry, and the little
gal she'd 'prenticed from the city's
poor-house to help do chores.
She wasn't a bad-tempered woman
in gen'ral, but l tell you she was
mighty riled up the day the rail-
road folks come to her house and told
her they were surveyin' the track and
that it would hev to run straight
through her house.
She rared up then and lowed the
property was hers, and nobody had
right to so much us set a foot on it
without her consent. They were civil
enough, and explained, and said they
was willing to pay double the vally o
the hull property for tue privilege of
running the road through.
She wouldn't hear it, but out O.
sheer contraryness refused every offer,
though everybody could see that her
mouth watered at the very mention of
the money.
She said shed never give up her
home, and if they run their injine
through the house 'twould be over her
mangled body. And she wound up
by threatening if they didn't quit in a
short time, she'd have them arrested
for trespass on her premises.
Well, the next day she went down
to Hobbs Holler to see her cousin,
Lucindy Parks. and talk over the rail-
road business. Lucindy and the rest
tried to convince her that she'd get the
best o the bargain by letting the rail-
road company have the land; but she
lowed she'd not be turned out o doors
to 'commodate passel o sassy men
folks that cared for nothing but their
own good. She stayed two days at
Lucindy's, and then went back to her
own house at Cross-Keys. Least ways,
she went to where she'd left her house
standing, but when she came in sight
of it, twas gone, and nothin' Of it
left but lot O. wood and ashes.
Then there was row! Betsey Ann
accused the railroad folks of burning
her house, and threatened to perse-
cute 'em by the law. They lowed they
could prove by the neighbors that it
had been done accidentally by a passel
o tramps who camped on the place the
night she was away, and made fire
in the woodshed to roast some of her
chickens for supper. When the chips
and wood caught and set fire to the
house, they got skeered and made
short tracks out o Cross-Keys. Betsey
Ann was convinced the railroad folks
knew more about these tramps than
they chose to let on. But she didn't
say much-only dropped little hint
that she'd be even with them bimeby.
They offered to, build her another
house if she'd give up the land. She
said she'd consider of it and let 'em
know. Purity soon they come to an
agreement, by which, besides paying
well for the land. they was to build
her a .twO-story, four-room frame
house, and likewise allow her to travel
free on the road for the rest of her life
whenever she wanted to, with a female
companion along.
At first they objected to the COM
panion; but when she explained that.
she was lone woman and couldn't
think of exposing herself to the at
tentions of strange men by travelling
unprotected, they laughed and agreed
to put in that condition along with
the rest, which was done, and the
papers made out and signed and
sealed according to law. You see,
they'd hearn the neighbors laffing at
the idea of Miss Simc0e ever travelin'
! on the railroads.&c. had skeercely
| been further from home than Hobbs
Hollar or Bowling Green meetin'-
house in all her life and was most
! afeard to trust herself out o sight of her
own house.
Well. the company kept their word,
and run up a two-story, four-room
frame house for Betsey Anu-seech as
| it was She declared twas nothing
better than shanty, that wouldn't
keep out the Summers heat nor Win
ter's cold, and was liable to be blown
away by the first high wind that came
along. The company said they hadn't
stipulated for the exact way the house
was to be built. and they'd done the
best they could afford to do, and she
ought to be satisfied. She shut up
then, but sot her jaw in way she had
of her own when she'd made up her
mind to something she didn't choose to
talk about just yet.
At last the road was finished. and
one day everybody turned out to see
the injine for the fust time, come
tearin' and screechin' up to Cross
Keys. Betsey Ann Simcoe, she looked
on, with kind O smile of triumph,
for all the worlds if the hull concern
belonged to her. Every time the train