Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-08-14
SKRIMP'S INVESTMENTS.

market.
Six hundred an seventy-fve dollars, ;
Simon Skrump replied, at the same time
rubbing his hands together and smiling
contentedly. at was a good price | got
Liza, an lnever see nogs weigh up bet.
ter n they did. They brought at least {
hundred dollars more n | expected they
would. An then | got their money right
off. | struck it just right in selling when
did"
I'm glad you did. Slime
In CO ) we're all glad to do the best we
kim"
Yes O. course. What yer yoin' ter dc
with ther money!
Il hahn t fairly settled in my own min
yit, just what | will do with it. I'm sol
ter haltin atwixt buyin' of that rendered
twenty acres of old Mike Allen, and loan
In it to them Herringtons. | kant well
make up my min as to whether er Their
two uC be ther best
You hain't no use for the timbered
| twenty. Sine, seein' es how you have more
Ian now than is profitable an if you buy
it, you'll jest have that much more to pay
taxes on for nothing"
''Yas, that's So | hain't no partic lar
use fer it, but It's down cheap at five hun
dred, an dunno if it would be er good
speculation ter buy it. But at the same
! time kin lend Their money to Rob Her
rington for ten per cents, an | suppose
that mont be as good er thing es | kin
. do ="
at 'peres to ME, Sine, like 'sif you We
let them Harrington s have enough money,
ready"
They owe me nigh Almost two thous-
and dollars, it IS true but what's the diff
ference s'long es we get the intrust p
But have you got the intrust?'
mo, hahn t never got it in money, but
| get ther notes for it. an It'll only be all
the more when it's paid; and es we don
need it, hedn't it Is we'll be drawing of
more intrust?'
Yes, s'pose it had. But some way |
| feel es if it hahn t best to let that money
out to them spectators. You hain't got
no kin O security, es | kin see, 'ceptin'
that one ov EN- goes security for tother,
and 'spose they wuz ter bust up, then
how d you get yer money from emp"
. Tain t no wise likely es they'll burst
up, long they We got thousands O acres
Of the fine lands in Their country. Other
peoples monty willin ter trust EN- and |
rekon [ needn't be scarf about loaning to
| EN-. Asldes, don t see whit else kin
do with ther money. fer es yer say, Mike s
| twenty is something we don't need, and
| We pondered over the matter several days
an KANT fgger out nothin' else that I'D
be profitable ter invest in. We don t
want any more stock.
'No, we don't want any more stock. ner
land, fer it keeps you O ther boys di g
gin from morning till night to keep mp
with whut we hav. y
| Then whut am [ going ter do with
| ther money if | don't loan it?'
! For moment Mrs. Shrimp was silent
! and she piled her needle with unwoned
rapidlty. A faint flush came 10 her pale,
faded. care-furrowed cheeks. Then with
a timid, half-scared air she came up and
said:
''Sine, mightn't we buy the girls d
pianer? You know the Aliens have one,
an our gals air jist crazy fer one, too.
1t looks like paying out lots of money,
but I've been thinking over it O. late, an
it pears like it nd only be just right
toards EN-. We've got as much as
| Allen or Smith, and can just as we'll afford
pianer fer our girls es they kin fer
| thern.'
Eyes, we could. but jes because Allen
an Smith wants to go an waste money
in foolishness, it don t foler that we have
ter do it.
| A pianer don't do no work, an it don t
draw no interest, an when thing hahn t
no profit, it s clear waste O money ter
{ buy it, an I han't goin' ter throw erway
money in such manner.
THE gals worked hard, Slime, an de-
MED themselves right along, an feel as
if orter do somethin' fer 'em. If course,
if we couldn't eford it, it wouldn't be
right, but we kin eford pianer an never
miss the money
Eyes, I recken we could eford, if we
was so mind, but [ low we won t.
Money comes too hard to be given out fer
sech trash, an fer humerin' thir gals, It's
all bosh. 1t 'ud ies be the spilin ov EN-
for work They doan' have no need Nv
no pianer, an they won't get none. y
Mrs. Shrimp saw that it was useless to
argue with Slime, so she refrained from
saying more, and the next morning
early, he rode over to Bob Harrington s
to loan the money ne received for the
hogs.
Simon Shrimp was well to do and every
year he had reaped rich harvests from his
many broad acres of productive land But
so far as his family was concerned he
might as well have been the poorest man
in the settlement. He never had any
money to spare for the purchase of luxuries,
and even the little that even went fo1
absolute necessaries went so grudgingly as
to make it painful HIS wife felt herself
fortunate if she possessed a print gown
fit to wear In church, and the boys and
girls had long ceased 70 go out in company
for the want of desired apparel. All OF
Skrimp's money went for more land, OF
into the hands of the Herringtons.
Six months passed away since Skri,E 7
sold his fatted hogs. when one day while
he was engaged in re-roo6ng his max
ed old barn, Squire Beeson rode up anc
said:
''Mornin Sine
How re Squire"
Have We heard the news, Sime?"
No; what news?'
"Erbout them Herringtons.
''No, hain't' Sine said, turning sud
denly pale with an unconscious dread
What erbout EN-? ~
oval, it's er bad piece Nv business
femme tell We, an many er homes man I
a-goin ter suffer from it. ~
hen the squire stopped. and squirting
o. -, very deliberately chewed away
OF mis- tobacco, while he left Scrimp agon
ling on the rack of suspense.
What is it man? Simon demanded
Speak out
''Ther long an Their short Nv it is
them Herrington's is busted higher ne
er kite.
Down went Skrimp's hammer but IN hi
excitement he missed the nail and hit hi
thumb squarely, smashing it almost into {;