The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1895-05-01
SELECTED STORY.
How Jesse Clark Kept a Promise
Made to His Dying Wife.

81 will, 1 say, / will see the jedgel"
exclaimed a gluff voice outside the
court room, and the door burst open
and man walked up to the high desk
where Judge Gray sat,
The judge looked up quickly, his
deep blue eyes peered with shrewd
kindliness from behind old-fashioned
spectacles. His heavy iron-gray hair
was pushed back from a broad fore.
head. His upper lip was long and
plain while stubby gray beard partly
concealed his square chin. One very
long tooth overhupg the lower ones,
and gave him a decided lisp when
speaking. Over his head on the white
washed wall hung the photograph of
dead judge, his predecessor. Judge
Gray often looked up at it wondering if
some day his likeness would hang there,
and il be would be put crooked in his
frame like this man. He hoped not.
He was an exact creature, and the
very idea of such thing made him un.
comfortable.
On one side the room two high wal
nut bookcases stood in funeral grand
eur. They were filed with musty-look-
ing law books in yellow calf bindings.
A sign hung on the wall, stating that
each book must be returned to it's
proper place." The warning was un-
necessary, for the duet lay thick upon
the shelves.
The walls were grimy and bore
traces of many finger marks. There
was black ring around the place where
the stove.pipe hole was, and the open
ing had pasted over it piece of dirty
brown paper. A desk with ink, in
which a fly buzzed his last will and
testament, and group OF pens in deep
mourning, with some rough wooden
benches running round the walls, COM
pleted the furniture of the courtroom,
save for large wooden table in the
center. This was strewn with papers,
and clerk sat before it, rustling them
occasionally with great appearance OF
energy.
Groups of men stood about and
talked, others passed to and fro, and
notary acknowledged deeds and sigma
lures.
All this was an old story to Judge
Gray, and he leaned his head on his
hand thoughtfully as he waited to hear
the business of the man who stood by
his desk. He was tall, weather-beaten
farmer, bowed in the shoulders, and
with long, unkempt gray locks hanging
about his face. He wore look of min
gled uncertainty and decision, as he
glanced round the room. The by
ISLANDERS looked at him in lazy curiosity.
The man rested his hand on the railing
round the desk, and, pointing with
long and skinny finger at Judge Gray,
he asked:
BE you the jedge?"
yes" was the reply; "what do you
want, my man?"
81 want justice" The room was
very quiet, and the mans gruff voice
rang out: Justicel"
"That is what we are here for" said
Judge Gray, smiling little. He was
accustomed to all kinds of appeals, but
his kind old heart never seemed to
harden. "Tell me your story, my
friend" he said to the old man. AS
he took off his battered hat and wiped
his face with his handkerchief, the old
farmer said:
II amt much of hand at talkin'."
"Never mind" said the judge" go
on"
"Wa-al," said he, " it was like this:
My Jane was alters set on our havin' a
farm. So after we wuz married l
rented farm over on the Rock road,
and we lived there ten years. Then we
he'd saved some money and we bought
the place on mortgage. We worked
and shaved and screwed. l dunno as
we'd ever hev paid fur it, but the peo-
pie wuz awful good about waitin' fur
their money. Twas a fve.year mort
gage, and l paid the interest right
along, savin' some towards the prln-
cipal. When it came due we paid off
half and renewed for five years more.
1t tux US Ten years to git lhet place paid
fur, and we workin' all the time. My
boy jim, he left us; said be 'wuz goin'
some place where he could earn huff 10
spend some.' He was tired of scrmpin'.
Jane tux on ortul when Jim run off,
and peared like she never seemed the
same afterwards. She didn't seem ter
care so much about the farm. But at
last it was all paid fur, and IT'S as purity
bit of farm land as there is in all
of Missouri. thought we'd hev some
peace then, but Jane, she fell sick, and
then-she died" The mans voice
choked, but he went resolutely on.
She said ter me, the night before
she died: jesse, want yez ter prom
ise me g. mething-'
&C. What is it, said /.
Promise me never ter put another
penny in and said she. We've
worked and toiied and sent our only
child ter ruin, and all iur our farm. II
don't pay, Jesse. And l want you ter
promise me you'll never put any more
money in land Said l: Jane, you're
right. and promise.
"Well, jedge, Tor the last few years
there's come some man to me, and he
wants me TO paw taxes. Says to him,
'Whal's taxes p
Why, money fur your land he
said.
81 won't paw any more money on
my land l TO d him.
- You've got to- he said. lbs the
law. The state says you must
Jane told me not to, and | won't,
$50 that's all here is about it, said,
and he went away very mad. Now