New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1890-10-15
aFOO u. JIM"

D
nicknamed him at school-and the
spithet chung to him-did, in popular
Judgment, the most silly things, and
yet prospered. At school he was
noted for his folly, as we'll as for pluck
and GOODNESS. If a big boy maltreated
little one, instead OF minding his own
business, as q sensible boy should.
Fool Jim would take it up and thrash
the bully.
When that wretC..ied little Dick
Greene, the son OF old Corney Greene,
q sort CT odd-jobb man about town,
broke his leg by g. fall from a cherry
tree, Fool Jim used to 60 around and
cheer up the little brat, and spend his
pocket money, (which ne had plenty,
for Dicks benefit. All the leading big
boys OF she school thought him q fool,
but no one dared to tell him so, for,
though he was not quarrelsome, he
was quick to resent an insults, and
was a tough customer in rough and
stumble fight. ~.
Foliamble left school for an aeade-
my where they prepared boys for COL
1ege, and went afterward to college.
left at the same time TO become I'M
der-salesman and general drudge in
the grocery shop OF Eggs & Oalchieze.
lost sight OF him then, except at va
cations, until he was graduated, and
had come home. His father. a con
firmed invalid, was very rich, and
made q great fuss over him when he
returned, and was very proud OF the
TACT that jim was at the head OF his
class There was no nonsense about
Jim, | must say. He rememb ered all
his old schoolmates, and put on no
airs. He would come into our shop
at all times and talk with me when
was not busy, and, as he would be
very rich in time, old Figgs, though
he did keep his peoples noses close to
the grindstone, never grumbied at 1t.
Not that Jim was an idler. He
took vast deal Off his sickly father 8
hands in managing the large planta-
ton. No little job that was, either.
Foijambe place embraced over nine
teen hundred acres, and with the ex-
ception Of hundred acres Of wood
land, and about three hundred OF
pasture and meadow, was closely cul-
tivated. There was q fine herd OF
Jersey cattle, then coming into vogue,
and over forty blooded horses, besides
others for plough and wagon.
For four years there was nothing
worthy of note, except that I got to
be head salesman and o sort of gener-
81 manager in Our concern, which,
considering my age. was p big lift for
me. But old Foljambe died at this
time, and as James was motherless,
and an only son, he succeeded to the
property. Then began the follies OF
this son, which made talk for the
country around for years.
The first exhibition was in the mat
ter of the Peabody mortgage
There had been two Peabody broth
ers. Nathan and David: but David,
she younger one, On his fathers death
had taken one thousand dollars in
cash for his share. and gone Off to
Mexico to seek his fortune. He was not
heard of afterward, and was believed
to be dead. Nathan stayed on the old
place. He Yves a shlftless man, and
though he married Ben Merritt 8
daughter, who was O. tidy housewife
and 8 prudent woman, he could not
get along. The farm was pretty we'll
worn out and he dld not improve it
at all. The crops grew less and less,
and Nathan drew a crop Of debts. To
wipe that out, he borrowed another
thousand dollars on bond and mort
gage from the same party who held
the first mortgage given to raise
David's money. Things grew worse
and worse, and at last the interest
remained unpaid for two years, and
proceedings were taken to toreclose the
mortgage. Nathan took sick over it
and died. The doctor said it was the
typhoid fever. but every one thought
it was the trouble, and that Nathan
had given up the ghost because he
could not face his difficulties. At all
events he died, leaving his widow with
one child, girl OF fourteen. She was
very pretty-the image OF her father
and all the Peabodys were fine look
ing people; but she had her mothers
ways. ...-
Everybody pitied the widow, for it
was we'll understood that the farm
would bring no moro than the debt
and law expenses; in fact, that the
MORTGAGE would be obliged to buy it
in. With the exception of one spot,
the farm was B. worn.out sandy loan,
over-run with sedgegrass, the sign OF
sterility. The exception was a hill,
covering about forty-twe acres, APP
parently composed Of q tough, erav-
1aelly clay, unfit for even brick-making,
and incapable OF cultivation. 70 be
sure, the five acres around the house,
which was at one end of the place. had
been used as q vegetable garden. and
that was in q little better order. 1t
was sorry piece of property. So
when sale day came, and I happened
to be over at the county town, drop
ped into the courthouse where the
sheriff was to sell. I found only q
half dozen persons, and one of these
was Foljambe, and another sPhipps
who held the mortgage.
The sheriff. stating that every one
knew the place, which had been with
the PeabOdys for oyera hnn1red wears