Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-06-16
JEREMIAH BOLTON.
Two Opinions of Him as Expressed
 by Hiram Stiggins.

"Is there person living in this vil- lage by the name of Bolton, Jeremiah Bolton?" asked the stranger of Hiram Stiggins, who was sitting on the top rail of the fence.
 "He doesn't live here," said Hiram, l good deal of emphasis on the word.
 II have aletter from him and he gave this place as his address"
 ''Oh, it's his address all right enough. We don't call Jerry's existence living, you know. He vegetates. And if you want to collect any money from him let me give you a pointer or two that'll 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. Jerrys the allfredest Loafer in the hull country, and that's saying a good deal, for I0know most of the folks in the neighborhood. I've lived here myself goin' on twenty-four year. Some of 'em are spleeny enough, and these times man has to be up and doin' eff he wants to pay his debts, let alone gittin' credit for makin' more. Times ain't what they used to be. remember nineteen year ago this spring when -"
 "What is Mir. Bottoms business? He | is a mechanic, isn't he?''
 "Jerry? He aint got no business never had. l tell him he's got no busi- | ness to live. Beats me what such men are made for in the frst place. Natural | born loafer, Jerry is. Yes, sir. Workf When you see Jerry Bolton tackle honest work, you look out fer the judg- ment day the week after. The world l will be comin' to an end, sure. Why, last harvest-I own this farm joinin | the village-and men were mighty source, I come over to get Jerry to helI me with the hayin'-offered him good I pay-a man can get anything he likes in hayin' nowadays. 'Tain't like what 1t used to be. Seems as eff the more ma chincry we get on a farm the more | work there is to do. Labor savin', they call them. Labor maxim is more like it. I remember sixteen year ago las | harvest that we-'
 "Wouldn't Jerry work?'
 ''Not by long chalk. Needed tht money, too. His wife was doin' the washin' for the village to'keep the chil dren and Jerry alive. As fer the rent they never thought O payin' no rent. own the house he lives in and I sup pose Jerry thought would take it ou in rent ef he came to work. Still that's flattcrln' Jerry. He hain't sense enough to be afraid I'd apply his wage on his rent He's just good for nuthin'
 He's tinkcrer, Jerry is. Allus work in at some new fangled thing that aim
 no good to any livin' creature. Jack O all trades and good at none, tell him
 Trusts providence and his wife mostly
 Jerry would have starved long ago if i
 wasn't for that woman. She's a sigh
 too good for him. But she's just as bi | a fool as Jerry, for she believes he'll d
 somethin' some day. She's the onl
 one creature on earth that does
 but that don't make no differ
 ence to her. She's a faded, washed
 out creature, and the only tim
 she flares up is when some one tells tn truth about Jerry and she hears ii Jest like woman, you know. There
 no accountin' fur 'em. Many woma with a good, hard worlxin' husban D don't appreciate him. There's my wife f | fur instance"
 "What does he tinker at, principally?
 "Who? Jerry? Oh, Lord knows. Som
 fool thing or 'nuther. Deacon Swipe
 says it's perpetual motion, but tell th
 deacon there's no motion, perpetual ( otherwise, about Jerry. Perpetual du1
 foolishness, I call it. Tryin' to get | living by the sweat of somebody else
 brow. tell 'em down in the villag
 that Jerry's smarter man than any ( : us cause he can live without work an d we can't. Time was in this cOunt1
 that man had to work or starv > Things ain't what they used to be wit the young folks all wantin' to clerk
 the city. remember twenty-one yea V ago when"
 '"Then how does he manage to live 1T "I tell you he don't live; he veg s. tates, and on my vegetables, to 1T mostly. Only the other day Miss Be
 ton she come to our place with bask l. and said she wanted to borrow IS basket of potatoes. says to he Miss Bolton, you can't borrow nothi1 4 I'll give you basket of potatoes,
 you go out and dig 'em. But Fin
 such dunn fool as to lend anythin'