The Van Buren press., 1893-05-27
JEREMIAH BOLTON.
Two Opinions of Him as Expressed
by Hiram Stiggins.

OY au6" 0Si8Slue.
ssIs there person living in this viii
iage by the name Of Bolton, jeremiah
Bolton?s asked the stranger Of Hiram
Etiggins, who was sitting on the top rail
Of the fence.
sHo doesn't live here" said Hiram,
I good deal Of emphasis on the word.
81 have aletter from him and he gave
this place rs his address,"
ssOh, it's his address all right enough.
We don't call Jerry's existence living,
.you know. He vegetates. And ii YOU
want to collect any money from him
let me give you a pointer or two thatn
save you some trouble. You just go
back where you came from and wait
till Jerry sends it. You'll get the cash
just as quick that way as by bothering
him about it. Jerry's the alliredcst
loafer in the hull country, and that's
saying good deal. for Irlnow most of
the folks in the neighborhood. I've
lived here myself goin' on twenty-four
year. Some of 'em are splecny enough,
and these times man has to be up and
doin' ef he wants to pay his debts, let
alone gittin' credit for maxim more.
Times amt what they used to be.
remember nineteen year ago this spring
wheni- IA. M
ssSyhat Is Mr.. Bottoms business: He
is mechanic, isn't hc?"
ssJcrry? He amt got no business
nerer had. tell him he's got no busi-
ness to live. Beats me what such men
are made for in the first place. Natural
born loafer, Jerry is. Yes, sir. Work?
When you see Jerry Bolton tackle
honest work, you look out fer the judg
ment day the week after. The world
will be comm to an end, sure. Why,
last harvest-I own this farm joinin'
the village-and men were mighty
source. l come over to get Jerry to help
me with the hayin'-offered him good
papa man can get anything he likes
In hayin' nowadays. 'Tain't like what
It used to be. Seems as ef the more ma
chinery we get on farm the more
work there is to do. Labor savin', they
call them. Labor maxim is more like
IT, remember sixteen year ago last
harvest that we"
ssWouldn't Jerry work?" b3
"Not by long chalk. Needed the
money, too His wife was doin' the
washin' for the village to keep the chill
dren and Jerry alive. As fer the rent,
they never thought o payin no rent
own the house he lives in and sup
pose Jerry thought would take it out
T. -
that's Aatter,n' Jerry. He hain't sense
enough to be afraid I'd apply his wages
ON his rent He's just good for nuthin.
He's tinlrcrer, Jerry is. Allus work.
in at some new tangled thing that amt
no good to any livin' creature. Jack of
all trades and good at none, l tell him
Trusts providence and his wife mostly.
Jerry would have starved long ago if it
wasn't for that woman. She's sight
too good for him. But she's just as big
> fool as Jerry, for she believes he'll do
komethin' some day. She's the only
one creature on earth that does,
but that don't make no differ
ence to her. She's faded, washed
out creature. and the only time
she fares up is when some one tells the
truth about Jerry and she hears it.
Jest like woman, you know. TfSre's
no acconntin fur 'em. Many woman
with a good, hard-worlsin' husband
don't appreciate him. There's my wife.
fur instance ff-ss
"Whatdoes he tinker at. principally?"
Who? Jerry? Oh, Lord knows. Some
fool thug or 'nuther. Deacon Swipes
says it's perpetual motion, but tell the
deacon there's no motion, perpetual or
Otherwise, about jerry Perpetual DUN
foolishness, call it. Tryin' to get q
living by the sweat of somebody else's
brow. 1 tell 'em down in the village
that Jerry's smarter man than any of
ps 'cAlise hoican live without work and
we can't. Time was in this country
that man had to work or starve
Things amt what they used to be with
the young folks all wantin' to clerk in
the city. ! remember twenty-one years
ago when ffttfF4
Then how does he manage to live?
II tell you he don't live: he vege-
tstes, and on my vegetables. too.
m0stay. Only the other day Miss Boil
ton she come to our place with basket
and said she wanted to borrow a
basket Of potatoes says to her.
Miss Bolton, you can't borrow notbin'
III give yon basket Of potatoes, II
you 60 out and dig 'em. But I'm no
such , dunn fool US to lend anythin' TO
the Bolton family Then She. up and
cries. and my wife she says: Well, that S
neither here nor there Some women
don't know when they're well off, and
other women can't bear TO hear the
truth. I went down to Jerry's and
give him apiece of my mind. Had to
doit to somebody or bust. for my wifes
plain-spoken woman, and then man
shouldn't be q tyrant in his own fam
ily. Well Jerry he jest looks at me
an says nothin. l believe the mans
crazy. He didn't seem to hear a word
said, but jest looked past person as
II some one had hit him with club.
Hell so to insane hospital yet and "