The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1896-02-14
LIVE ISSUES.
BETSEY AND JOBE.
Their Home Sold and Will Have to
Vacate on or Before rIarch |.

to be up. We have been foreclosed
and Ex-Congressman Richer has
the farm back. We have a notice
in writin to vacate these premises
on or before the fust of Mrrch.
Jobe bein sick neither of us was to
town the day our old home was sold
by the sheriff. / felt bad all that
day, felt iist like as if somethin
awful was agOin to happen. Jobe
seemed weaker than usual. Bill
Bowers rode by our place i'll the
evenin, stopped at the gate and
hollered. went to the door hopin
agin hope that may he for some
unknown reason the foreclosin
hadn't been done, but as soon as |
laid eyes on Bill knowed our home
was gone. He hemed and hawed,
and stammered tryin to say some
thin that was hard for him to say,
says I "out with it Bill, we are pre-
pared for Their wust.''
"Well Betsey," says he, "its
gone. Congressman Richer bought
it in at just what the mortgage and
costs amounted. He seemed pleased
to git the old farm back agin."
Yes, Bill J" says I, 81 allow he
was glad to get it back, he ort to be,
he has some $500 of interest and
principal that we paid on the farm
before he forced us to borrow the
money to pay him last spring.
Well, Bill" says I, eve have done
all we could to hold the farm and
hoped to have place to stay in
our old age. We have given all
we have raised to Congressman
Richer in payments and interest,
and taxes, we have done without
many things we ort a had, tryin to
keep up our payments that our old
age might be spent here, and among
our neighbors, but every year since
we bought the farm times got hard
er, prices lower and money scarcer.
We have raised good crops, Jobe
has worked hard, and now after all
the years of good crops and hard
work, 1--WE have $500 less than we
had then. They kept tellin' Jobe
that it was better to have lower
prices and less mony to have high
prices and lots of money, and Jobe
and his likes have kept a votin'
for the fellers that told him SIGH,
and to-day he is sick and sold out,
he's done the votin' and the other
fellows got the money"
well Betsy" says Bill, Owe
about made up my mind that none
of us farmers has much to show for
our past votin.
cit looks as though while we
have been workin hard night and
doy, economizin, and savin, while
we have been tryin to lay up some
thin for ourselves in old age, and
for our children, while we have
been doin all this and doin the
votin, there has been a lot of
schemers, and rascals seekin office
and gettin laws made to redeem one
kind of money in another and then
cornerin the redeemin kind and
contractin this kind and that, so
that they would be able to take
from MS what we were raisin and
savin. Betsy, step up closer to the
fence, says he, I'll tell you I've
made up my mind to try them Pop.
ulists hereafter, see they have
some purity smart men in the SEN
ate, but for the life of you don't say
anything to any one about me
changin."
j jist stepped back step or two
says "Bill Bowers, / am surprised
that you, a full blooded American
citizen, grown up man, a man
who has made up his mind to what
he believes to be right, and then
hasn't the manhood to let the world
know that you are Independent,
afraid that some office-seekr or pol
ertician who lives off you will turn
up his nose at You. Bill Bowers,
I thought you had more firmness
in you than that. If the party You
have been votin for has betrayed
you, if the Office seekers you have
helped to elect have used you as a
tool, haint it your dOOty as man,
and citizen, to let it be known
that you air goin to quit the
oanp?r