Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1895-07-10
at their more evenly

shoulders, askance, at their more evenly
| developed brethren.
Perhaps there is no shorter way of de-
scribing HeZekiah's relations to the
world than by saying that he was by
way of being a crook-neck squash HIM
self. The people of East Warsaw
Maine is dotted with the most remote
names III close positiOn-Norway
and Naples, for instanse, are III adjoin-
ing countless defined Mr. Martin as odd
There were various legends as to the
cause of his singularity. The women
suspected that he had been early crossed
in love; the Self-cOnstituted congress
which met six days of the week at the
store agreed that he had been cheated
by a brother, now long since deceased,
and under such aggravated circumstances
of meanness that his faith in mankind
had been winter-killed, as you might say.
At all events he had bought, twenty
years before. piece of land high up
on the mountain; had cleared a small plat
eau and lived there, secular hermit, cul-
tlvating his garden patch. His green stuff
was the best in wide region of country.
1T amt enough to plough and plant
and dig around the truck" he would
say, when asked the reasons of his sue
cess. II take an interest in SEEM of 'em
grow, an they know it, them squashes
does" But he invited nobody to visit
his farm, and people understood that he
liked to be let alone
That morning, however, there was a
general craning Of necks and a moving
forward of chairs on the veranda of the
store when Hezekiah drove sedately
down the street. He appeared to notice
nothing unusual until after he had cared
for his horse; then he turned and faced
the men who had followed him into the
she'd. II hev got some irst-rate straw
berries today he said. "They run even
I Io++ of+
They amt deaconed. Not but what dea-
cons is all good, as the sayin' is, but
there's odds even in deacons.'
Hezekiah was not without the solemn,
cut bias humor of the Yankee. He saw
that the others were full of some news
| So he talked strawberries.
Finally young Eli Barnes struck IN
''What do you think about the railroad,
Mr.. Martini
Il don't know as 1 hey call to think
| about it, hev I?'
Il guess so. Fact is, they want to
run a line right across your land up
| there
Not through my garden?"
''WeH, sir, here's Mr.. Thorpe from the
city; he can tell you all about it. Make
you acquainted with Mr.. Martin, Mr.
Thorpe
A small crowd had gathered. There
would be sport in hearing the talk be
|
great railroad man. But the two APP
peared to come easily enough to a mu-
| tual understanding. Thorpe explained
the proposed route of the railroad, to
connect with another line, and showed
that to cross Martins table land was
the only way to avoid expensive blast
ing of lodges and difficult gradients.
Hezekiah made no particular objections
He said that she didn't know as he
knew'-which is as near as a Maine
man ever comes to a confession of ig.
norance-''why that was not good
plan"
But inst as Thorpe supposed that moth
! ing remained but to go across the street
to the lawyers Office and have the deco
of the land made out and signed, Heze
kiah quietly added:
But I can't undertake to do nothin
before I talk with my pardner. Eff he:
willin'. I'm willin'. Eff not, l cam
trade.
Everybody was astonished Twent,
years had Hezekiam farmed the mount
ain land, and this was the first that haC
ever been heard Of Il partner.
WHO is your partner, Mr.. Martin!
hazarded young Barnes
Hezekiah looked at him soberly. "Hi
name is Black-Peter Black. He ain
a person that raises objections nor talk