The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1893-03-16

| thickness had been reduced quarter
of an inch, while in others the project
| ing edges were torn off or hanging in
| iron shreds, so that the wheels actually
ran on the narrow central strip! 1t
keep the track.
Nov you know why we don't go
| more than five miles an hour, and are
thankful that VIC don't" said the young
traveller, quietly.
But this is disgraceful, criminal!''
calculated the other, nervously.
Not at their rate of speed" returned
| the younger man. The crime would
be in going faster And now you can
understand why a good deal of the
other progress in this state is obliged to
ing and rotten foundations. You can't
rush things here as we do in the north. :"
The other passenger shrugged his
shoulders as they rcnounted the plat
form and the train moved on. 1t was
not the first time that those two fellow
travellers had differed, although their
mission was a common one. The elder,
Mr.. Cyrus Drummond, was the vice
president of large northern land and
mill company which had bought ex-
tensive tracts of land in Georgia, and
the younger, Col CORTLAND, was the
consulting surveyor and engineer for the
company. Drummond's opinions were
a good deal affected by sectional preju-
dice and a self-satisfied and righteous ig-
norance of the actual conditions and linn
itations of the people with whom he was
to deal, while the younger man, who had
served through the war with distinc-
ton, retained a soldiers respect and
esteem for his late antagonists, with q
conscientious and thoughtful observa-
tion of their character. Although he
had resigned from the army, the fact
that he had previously graduated at
West Point with high honors had given
him preferment in the technical ap-
pointment, and his knowledge of the
country and its people made him val
liable counselor. And it was a fact
that the country people had preferred
this soldier, with whom they had once
personally grappled, to the capitalist
they had never seen during the strug-
gle.
The train rolled slowly through the
woods; so slowly that the fragrant pine
smoke from the engine still hung round
the windows of the cars. Gradually
the "clearings" became larger; they
saw the distant white wooden colon
nades of some planters house, looking
still opulent and pretentiOus, although
the fence of its inclosure had broken
gaps, aSsS the gate wagged on its single
hinge.
DR.. Drummond shifted at this damn
ing record of neglect and indifference
Even if they had been ruined they
might still spend a few cents for nails
and Stats to enable them to look decent
before folks, and not parade their pow
erty before their neighbors," he said.
'"But that's just where you misunder-
stand them. Drumm0nd." said Court
land, smiling. "They have no reason
to keep up an attitude towards their
neighbors, who still know them as
Squire so and so, Colonel this and
that, and the 'judge'-owners of their
| vast but crippled estates. They are not
ashamed of being poor, which is an ac-
cideat."
But they are working, which is de-
liberation" interrupted Drummond.
They are ashamed to mend their
fences themselves, now that they have
no slaves to do it for them"
81 doubt very much if some Of them
know how to drive a nail, for the mat
ter of that" said Courtland, still good
humoredly; but that's the fault of a
system older than themselves, which
the founders of the republic retained.
We cannot give them experience in
their new condition in one day, and, in
fact, Drummond, am very much afraid
that for our purposes-and | honestly
believe for their good-we must help to
keep them for the present as they are. "
Perhaps" said Drummond, sarcas-
tically, "you would like to reinstate
slavery?"
"No. But should like to reinstate
the master And not for his sake alone,
| but for freedoms sake and ours. To be