St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1892-09-08

| refused TO exIen0 IT, ne better TO
/ enable payment to be made. Flint
threatened an immediate foreclosure
Lem, whose dealings with the inan-
cier had resulted much in the same
way, left the Office with Ike To-
gether they rode home in silence.
II don't know what we'll do,
Lise," said Ike at supper. Flint
wouldn't entend the chattel mort
| gage, an he says he'll foreclose on
the stuff, whatever that means. l
s'pose he'll sell it, but the stock
wouldn't bring much. the shape
they're in
Several attempts made by him to
borrow the money elsewhere result
ed in: as many failures. At length,
in the drudgery and crush of his
work, he forgot the mortgage, think
ing that Flint would be lenient with
him and wait until the crops were
| harvested.
The green corn had grown to be
almost knee high; and as Ike held
| the handles of his cultivator between
the waving rows, a feeling akin to
happiness came upon him. The
song of birds sounded from the
thicket near by; cool, sweet breeze
came over the hill, tanning his sweet
begrimed face with a gentle touch;
flock of crows alighted on the fence,
screamed vociferously, and flew
away.
He stopped to let the horses
| elbow" at the border of the field.
The heaving of their mighty sides
kept the cultivator shaking and
creaking as if in fit of ague.
Gee 'up!"
Slowly they turned around and
went back across the field, with
patience like that of the man who
guided the plough. Their heads
were loose and unreined, but they
did not try to eat the tempting corn
growing at their feet; they had
learned better.
Good morning"
Hating at the edge of the field
near the lane, he looked up and saw
a stranger, well dressed, standing at
/ the fence. Ike had dim recollection
of having shaken hands with him the
| fall before, just previous to election.
How d. do" he responded.
81 am sorry to tell you, Mr..
Simms, that have a chattel mort
gage to foreclose upon your team
and cow and hogs. Fletcher
| Flint
HAS Flint gone an sued me?"
asked Ike sadly.
well, not exactly" answered the
sheriff, "but the mortgage gives him
the right to take possession of the
property and sell it at any time he
may choose to do so. 1 have it with
me, and you can read it if you like"
81 don't want to read it; it'd take
me too long. 1 CANT read overly
swift, anyhow" said Ike.
He unhitched the horses, and drove
them out into the road and down to
the house, the sheriff follow wing. An
other man sat in buggy holding
his horses near the house
Il brought this gentleman along
to help move the property" ex-
planned the sheriff.
Lise came out, big-eyed and
wondering. Passing close to her
husband, she whispered =
what does the men want, Ike ?"
They're agoin' to take the stuff
on account o Flint's mortgage" was
|
Let me see, said the sheriff; 81
believe the wagon is included in
the mortgage, isn't it ~
Ike made no answer, but helped to
hitch the horses to the wagon and
load the hogs into it. With his own
hands he put the side boards" on,
SHINING his knuckles in the opera
ton. Damn the luck! he said
The COW was led in from the little
pasture, and tied behind the wagon.
Lise came up and patted the beast
on the head, causing the great
creature to blow in loud, contented
measures. Then the woman sat
down upon the seat of an old mower,
and drawing her stained apron
over her face, cried softly to herself
The man who had sat in the buggy
mounted the wagon and drove
away, preceded by the sheriff. Ike
stood and watched the procession
until it was lost behind an angle in
the road. On his way to the house,
he passed near where his wife sat
How'll we git along without the
COW? ~ she asked.
eve won't git along at ALL" he
snarled. "We'll go to the poorhouse,
l reckon"
Out in the West, the rude settlers
who opened up the first farms in
those vast prairies looked upon a
mans team as the sole means of his
existence. Horse thieves they punish
ed summarily by hanging or shoot
ing. The sum for which Flint had
taken the horses had been loaned at
thirty-six per cent interest. 1t is
hardly necessary to say that no
vigilance committee ever waited up
on Mr.. Flint.
Lise went into the house, and
threw herself on the bed. She was
not a coward, but her husband
words had raised terrible fear in