The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-11-03
Trouble in the Once Peaceful Household =
How it Came About.

Trouble in the Once Peaceful Household =
How it Came About.
B.-"HeIlo! Mr.. Devil"
D.-"HeIlo! Mr.. Bilkins,"
B.-"TelI the editor to cum to the
phone double quick. 1 want ter talk
ter him.
R.-"Au rigat, Mr.. BiLkins, let the
procession start"
B-"I want ter know what the
editor of the Lenoir Topic is goin' ter
do. Looks sorter like he amt goin' to
do enything, don't it,"
R.-"Th4t depends. He may change
his course along about 1891. He is
young yet"
B.-'Hyw about Kurnel Murrill, Of
the Press and CarOIinion, up al HEX
ory? He is sorter oristlin' up, amt
he!'
R.-"WeIl, he is showing a little
spunk now, but it is late in the
season."
B-"Do you think he wants ter dis
cuss the Sub Treasury real bad?'
R.-"Well hardly. He is just try
ing to bluff somebody. But he a get
a crowd to neal the discussion and all
tae time he wants, if he means bust
ness"
B.-"Say, I've bin readin' in the
papers that Governor Holt has with
drawn from the Cone Plaid Trust. I
thought some of the papers said he
didn't belong t) any trust. [ want ter
know how he could belong to a trust
and not belong to it, an how be could
withdraw from a taing he didn't be
long to-. How is it,"
R. Your questions + too hard
for me; ask something easier"
B.-"Well, hev you hearn what that
com mittee did yit?"
R.-"No, the report has not been
published. But it is said they harmon
lied things"
B.-"Wil harmOnizin' things raise
the price of cotton or lower taxes or
help us pay mortgages with Z cent cot
ton that cost II cents this year on er-
count Of the short crop and wet
season.
R.-"It IS not very likely, but thai
is what they AVE been giving us The
Republicans say that if every body will
vote for the tariff prote ;tion and har
monte a little the country is safe. The
Democrats say vote for lower tariff
AMI harmonic a little and all will be
we'll"
B.-"But, will it?'
R.-"You can SEE for yourself. If
everything is al right, everybody
prosperous and happy that tries to be,
then it is all right"
B-"But they amt by a jugfuIl. A
long time ago me an Betsy and the
girls had plenty to live on and didn't
go in debt. This was before the war.
OF course the var knocked everything
to pieces. But | cum home and after
I got through kissin' Betsy and the
children I set my old musket up be-
hind the door and hung my heal, for
[ was ashamed to see the family of
Zeke Bilkins SO poor and needy. But
Betsy she kinder cheered me up. She
said she had u things for four years
and both ov us together Oughter make
buckle and tongue meet now, even if
we hadn't nOthin' to start on. The
children played around and seemed
cheerful, for they didn't know the hor-
rOrs of war and didn't know how Door
we were. This sOrter encouraged me.
Betsy was in good spirits, too. She
said she would work in the field an
help me make a crop. This made a
man of me again. If wimin and chill
dren could face the ~desOlatiOn certain
ly [ could. l went to work an late as
it was, made a very good crop. We
got 40 cents a pound fer u cotton. 1t
kept going down until 1878. That year
they demOnetized silver and we had a
panic. There was thousands of failures.
Up to this time cotton paid we'll. Since
that it and everything else has gone
down, down until there is nothing left
but disaster staring us in the face.
Betsy and the children used to be con-
tented and happy. They could get
some new clothes once or twice a year.
The horses and COWS and my 'possum
dog Lead all looked cheerful. But now
it has changed. The horses and COWS
are under mortgage an they look at
me sorter like l was to blame fur it.
If they don't get better l reckon I'll
have to mortgage Lead next and then
If the mOnOpOlists an the money lords |