Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-10-22
GRACE AND GOBBLE.

toAhtus ldAiHSs W. Su the DO4S nau
grown into men Grace stayed on the
farm and Gobble went to the city.
They had breathed the same country
air; had gazed upon the same
old oak trees along the djsty village
street; had gone to the same old
weather. beaten school house 10 pore
and do e over the same dog, cared
and begrimed volumes containing the
mysteries of Teadin'. 'ritin' and
'rithmetie." had gone fishing for
mud cats" in the shallow yellow
pond in the hollow beyond the town
instead OF going to sunday school. as
commanded by their parents and had
smoked their first home. made cigar
under the same old bridge on the road
this side of town-and experienced
pretty much the same deathly sensa-
ton that usually accompanies an in
ltial venture of this kind-with the
solemn maxim Of the preacher ring
Ing in their ears that the wages Of
sin is death.
let with all this sameuess the two
were wholly unlike in disposition and
thought after arriving at maturity.
Gob5le loved to own things. 1t did
not matter to him much what they
were-Just so he exercised ownership
over them-that gave him momentary
pleasure. Grace. on the other hand.
didn't care a copper who owned the
universe. ust so he had a right TO
ENJOY its beauties and comforts. His
lace was always wreathed in smiles
and it really made people feel pleased
TO be in his company. Not so with
Gobble. He wanted to own every-
Thing If he could have obtained a
warranty deed TO the earth he would
have greedily accepted it and ex-
acted rent from every inch of terri
tory therein mentioned. 1t gave him
an intense pang in the region or his
pancreas whenever he beheId desir.
able piece of property-which he
could not possess. He loved money.
1t did not matter much of what ma
terial composed. A mouldy bank
note gave him the same thrilling
sensations as bright coin fresh from
the mint He had no interest in any
thing disconnected from gain. The
glorious panorama of June night:
The incense-.aden zephyrs OF MAY
and the chaste and immaculate crys-
taline beauties OF DEFENDERS wreaths
and draperies. were unseen by his dull
eye. There was mo money
in these cheap things OF ma
ture to him. II he could
have erected a tent sufficiently
spacious to exclude the sun, moon
and stars from the gaze o. man, and
been permitted to charge for the
privilege OF viewing them through a
hole in the canvas perhaps he would
have taken some interest IN the sub
leeti but, as it was, he saw nothing
worthy of interest n these things
common to everybody. who might en-
10y them for nothing He 0 ten CON
templated what great money could be
made by a corporation having a
monopoly OF thes5 free gifts of nature.
II he could have obtained so many
dollars for each square yard OF sun
light or so many dollars for each
cubic foot OF fresh air or SO many
dimes for every Whit off the blossom
ing flowers OF spring. he would have
been an interested. il not a happy.
individual People approached him
with ditfidence. His presence berot
q chilling sensat' on others. Per-
sons who knew m declared that.
when they looked at h m. they in
goluntar ly thrust their hands into
their pockets and grasped their
purses. His dry smile seemed to
suggest 'ihand me over your money"
Dr. "give me a mortgage on your
place and | will lend you money at
zen per cent interest and ten per
cent discount off your notes.
Gobble was not an irreligious man.
and his propensity for accommodating
things d1d not stop at earthly acqui-
'itions. Being a prudent business
man. he did not neglect TO make
Zeal IN celestial futures. but his in
vestments in this direction were
meager-in fact on rather limited
scale. Heaven did not have the same
attractions for him it had for others.
Yet he knew, when he died that
rom all accounts. it was about the
next best place TO this earth. He al
ways sighed when he thought OF this
move he would. at some time or other
be compelled to make. No. it gave
him no pleasure to think OF changing
his field OF operations. Here he was
the owner OF thousands OF miles OF
railroads hundreds OF steamers.
thousands OF bonds and mortgages.
thousands OF acres OF land. aud
houses: what could he do with HIM
self up there? 1t is true he was
promised mansion in the sky, but
SO was every other person who emf
grated to that not yet definitely To-
Gated or explored region. So he rea.
soned with himself that it must in
the end be q rather dreary place for
a man OF his disposition. What
should he do in the New Jerusalem.
where everybody owned mansion.
and where he had no assurance they
did mortgage or land and railroad
grabbing business2
But rs he thought II inevitable. he
schooled himself to the belief that.