Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-11-23

New Englander of New Englanders. He
could not carry on q Southern vendetta,
but he could walk hand-in-hand with
hatred with an iron grip. To-day he
seemed as bitter toward Foster Emerson
as he had been ten years ago. The one
thing that could have served to ameliorate
his wrath had apparently not yet done so;
that was Emerson's ill-fortune. 1t almost
seemed as if the lawsuit had been decided
unrighteOUsly and so brought a curse
with ~ Poor Emerson had the disputed
woodland and bad luck had seemed to
fly out of it in his face like bird. The
wood was standing ready to be cut, when
it came into his possession; the week az
ter, it had burned to the ground. In ten
years time it had grown again, this winter
he was to have cut it, but the summer be-
fore, it had been burned for the second
time. The EmersOns had dark suspicious,
but they never mentioned them. Indeed
they were not well founded. Hiram Good
ell was not capable of setting fire to his
enemy's wood. He would never think OF
such a thing.
However, the night when the wood had
burned, he and his wife watched the red
glare on the sky, and neither of them was
sorry. His wife spoke with a certain stern
triumph like the PsaLmist, Il cant help
thinkin'," said she, that it's judgment
on him" She and Hiram rather regarded
all EmersOn's misfOrtunes as judgments,
and there had been a great many Of them.
His son whom he had depended upon for
the support of his old age had died, his
wife had been delicate, his stock had gone
nown with the cattlc-evil, his crops had
failed. and his house was heavily mort
gagged. This year the strain to meet the
intcrest-money had been terrible. 1t had
been whispered about town that Emerson
would fail to do it, and lose his place But
it had been done, although nobody knew
with what difficulty. The GOodells had
speculated a great deal as to whether
Emerson would pay it. One day Hiram
came home with the news that he had.
Its So" said he. Il got it from young
Simmons, an his brothers in the band"
He half sighed unconsciously. He had
an underlined feeling that this tisle the
shaft Of the Lord had missed his adver-
sary.
Il spose it must be so them" rejoined
his wife.
She would not have recognized her own
sentiments on the subject had she aeen
them. She was not hard woman, but
like her husband, she had that grim clutch
at Il resentment, that came from her blood.
Then too she was fond of money, and she
dwelt constantly upon their loss. She
liked nice things in her house, and nice
clothes, and she had stinted herself def
antIy ever since the affair of the woodland.
81 could have a new black silk dress every
year, and new parlor carpet, if we hadn't
L. Oh,
was wont to say She expressed her mind
upon the subject quite freely to the Lord
sisters. They had a shreWd way of lead
ing her on, and Mrs. GOOdell for all her
decision, had at times an innocent uncon-
seriousness that she was being led The
Lord sisters, one or the other, or both, ran
over nearly every day, and sat down a few
minutes for little talk.
Thanksgiving morning, some half an
hour after Hiram had gone to church,
Jane Lord came over. She brought u
white bowl. She wanted to borrow little
sugar; she feared they had not enough to
swecten the cranberry sauce.
"rm ashamed to come borrowin' sugar
Thanksgivin' mornin', said she, but we
didn't neither OF us know how to, go to the
store, IN we didn't think of its bein' quite
so near out. "
"You can have it iist as well rs not"
said Mrs. Goodell
After the bowl was filed with sugar,
Jane Lord sat holding it for quite a while.
She had something on her mind that she
wanted to say, and She led up to il deli
catcly.
81 see Mr.. Goodcll goin' to mcetin', - she
remarked after a little
"Yes-hc went, " returned Mrs. GoodcI.
"Wcll, there amt many to go in this
neighborhood, Thanksgiyin' mornin'. You
have to stay at home to get the dinner, an
Rachel and me do. We amt neither Of us
fit to get it alone Then there's the EN-
ersOns-I dunno but Fanny an her father
go"
Il dunno whether they go or not" said
Mrs. Goodell, in a stately and Indifferent
manner. She was on her way to the oven
with Il spoon to basic the turkey
Jane Lord sat holding the bowl of sugar
and pursuing her lips softly. She was sal
low-faced and there was sad droop in her
features. Her voice was unexpectedly
quick and strident
'Speakin' of the Emersons," said she,
81 was down to Mis- Silas Grants the
btltti way bti lNllON Hllt = mis- 1-llltISbil y
cousin, an she was tellin' me how dread
full bad off they was. They've had to rake
an scrape every cent they could lay
their hand on to pay that intcrest-mOney,
to keep roof over their heads, an"
Jane Lord lowered her voice as she leaned
forward COnfidcutiaIly-"Nls Grant said
I don't s'posc she thought twas goin'
any further, but I'm goin' to tell YOU
that-ShC djdltt bIiCrC they had enough to
eat"
Mrs. GoOdell was down on her knees be-
fore the oven, basting the turkey; the saw
DRY odor steamed ont into the room.
well, wouldn't tell it If I was Mis-
Grant" said She her own cousin, an
Silas Grants rich. Why don't she give
'em somethin' to eats"
Folks amt always So fond of givin',"
rejoined Jane Lord with aspcrity An
there amt no use in givin TO some folks
Foster Emerson's bound to lose every
cent, an always was. He amt got no
judgment"
Mrs, Goodell went back to the tablewith
the spoon. She had resumed her indilTer-
ent air
II guess they've got enough to eat" she
remarked; you can't make me believe
they amt"
Mis- Grant says they amt, an what's
more Jane paused a moment, II bnOtD
they diR't" added she, impressively.
Mrs. Goodell stopped and looked at her
Jane continued with a sadly triumphant
air
II was in there myself few days ago,
an l see a few things"
WHAT"
"Oh, kept my eyes open. an l see. 1t
was supper time, an Mis- Emerson. she
wouldn't set about gettin' supper cause
she hadn't nothin' to put on the table, an
she was ashamed, an | wanted to borrow
a spoonful of ginger, an l followed her
into the buttry. She didn't want me to,
she kept sayin' she'd bring out the ginger,
but l was bound l would, an l did. Mis-
Goodell, it's the livin' truth, and there
want enough in that buttry to feed q
baby"
II guess she had some things put away"
mo, she didn't Mr.. Emerson he called
her out a minute, jest before l went home
an jest slipped in there again, and
peeked in two or three jars, an the flour
barrel-thCrc 1CGp't ROtlgin'r'
well, it is awful thinkin' Of anybody
not havin' enough to eat" said Mrs Good
eli
She was frownirg deeply as she went
about her work again. Jane Lord contin-
ued to eXpatiate upon the sad case of the
Emersons.
AN that amt ALL" said she, eyeinC
Mrs Goodeu sharply ''They amt GOT