The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1896-06-26

He called his clerk, he called his
porter; he took a pen and went to
marking mysterious figures on his
goods. The three of them did the
hardest nights work they had ever
done in their lives. But it had to be
done that night, for, as Simon said,
Call the farmers in Lonely Valley
would be down on him the next day. !"
Most of them were, but Dick was
the first, and was greeted cheerfully
rs by man making the best of the
situation.
ssI have seen the law. 1t is as you
say. Here is your note; the corn I
have stored away. While I still think
the decree an outrage 1 will have to
submit to it,
'That's SO, that's so. We farmers
only want what the law gives us, you
know. Law is law. So that's all
right-glad you have no hard feelln's'
Simon"
s'We'H let that pass, Dick. You
have your note and I have the corn =
SO far that is settled. Can I do any
thing more for you?"
"Well, yes. I want few things
now. I've paid my note. I've cot q
list somewhere, mighty big sum, too.
mounts to about q hundred dollars
worth of credit, but don't be scared,
Simon, Pm richer nor I was, now my
corn crops come in. If you will get
the goods for me to take back on my
wagon, I'll pay, Simon, I'll pay"
''Just as you please, Dick the goods
are here. How'll you pay-corn CT
wheat?"
"Corn, Simon, corn. All our folks
are going to pay in corn. Splendid
crop, more than we can get in our
cribs; been putting it up in the
barns"
tAll your folks going to pay in
| corn? I thought so. Then the goods
on your list will cost ynu just two hun
bred dollars credit in corn. just two
hundred bushels, Dick, and your
friends can pay on the same terms"
"Why, why, why, Simon, I figured
on my list and it didn't come to over
hundred dollars of credit. You look
ct it."
81 am looking at it, but I'm not 60
ing by it. I am selling by my own
list, not yours, and since yesterday all
my goods have been marked up to
corn value-iust doubIe-and you will
have to pay it in corn if you want to
purchase.
"But, Simon, this is cheat, a
fraud"
'Just what said about the note.
"But won't buy"
$50 wouldn't take your corn"
"But the law don't compel me to
buy of you. I can so somewhere
else."
"You can't; there's nobody in the
country to go to but me-"
"Then I'll go across the big pond or
over the North River"
"You'll have to pay in wheat-one
hundred bushels for one hundred dol
lars credit-and you haven't the wheat
and soon won't have the credit. Be-
sides, you will have to pay for bring
ing the goods over"
"Do you mean to say l will have to
pay you forever your own prices on
all I buy?'
ooh, no; only on corn. Give me
fair profit-wheat or corn, it is the
same to me-"
':But I haven't the wheat. Mighty
small crop and little attention given
it. All OF US went wild over corn"
"Then you will have to be credited
o111o
"And I'll have to buy of you, too?"
"You will, Dick, undoubtedly"
"And it takes me year to change
my crops and you can change your
prices in a night?'
"The pen is mightier than the pillow,
Dick"
"Then what good does the decree
that bushel of corn is as good as a
bushel of wheat do me, anyhow"
"None at all. You have simply been
fooled again
81 don't know what to think of this
thing. I won't dicker to-day, any
way"
ssBetter decker while you can. Pow
erful big corn crop; farmers will be
rushing it all in; tomorrow 1 may get
overloaded, and corn may go down"
go down."
Certainly. If I get more ban I
can use. am not going to credit you,
or any one else, with present prices
for it. It will go down, or the prices
of goods will go up, just as you
please"
''I'd take the goods, Simon. But,
say. want pair of pants for my
hired man. You're not raising on him,
too, depressing the poor man. He's
got none too much, I can tell ye.''
81 don't know. How are you paying
him, corn or wheat?"
Corn, of course. You see corn's
cheap
Dick stopped; something seemed to
dawn upon him. He never said
"cheaper,' for the look he saw on
S1mon's face. He was a deceived, but
at bottom an honest man, and took in
the situation. After pause he
stepped up to Simon and held out his
hand:
cold fellow, let's see if we can't
deal on the square again. don't like
the:e new ways anyhow you fix 'em.
And if you'll help me catch that
squint-eyed chap that was around here
last spring, I'll pay all the costs if wo
get brought up. When the farmers
get chance at that judge [ guess he
will either have to reverse his decree
or leave"
Dick stayed at the warehouse all
| that day. He talked with the farmers
as they came in. The result was that
Lonely Valley went back to its old
ways of honest credit honestly can