The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1899-06-27

regimes. Inc beginning oil the dlfh-
Guilty can be told in few words. It
was the story of one mans taking the
advantage of his neighbor's ignorance.
Silas Dyer and Job Briggs had both
been poor men, the former toiling TO
wrest from the sandy bottoms and
stony hillsides of his farm sustenance
| for his growing family, while his neigh
Dor Briggs worked early and late in
his blacksmith shop down the road.
Then came several bad seasons In sue
ces sion when the farmers crops failed.
Dyer at length was forced to borrow
money and mortgage his farm. Briggs
introduced him to mana we'll
dressed and well-talking individual
who loaned the farmer money; the
terms were what the Westerners have
learned to call "cut- throat mort
gage"
In the year the mortgage came due
the money-lender would not extend it,
the place was sold under the hammer
and was bought by the mortgage for
little more than the face of the note.
All that was saved from the wreck of
the Dyer fortunes was the old house
and the little plot of ground around
1t. This Mrs. Dyer had brought to
her husband as her dowry and the
money lender could not gobble that.
When the foreclosure and the sale
was completed it came out that the
farm, bordering as it did nearly mile
along the road between Jonesville and
the city, was much more valuable than
had been supposed. The money lend
/ er was interested with other capi-
talists i'll the building of an electric
road to connect Jonesville with the
distant city. The farm was cut up
into small lots and sold to city people
who were DESTROYS of owning a house
III the country, yet within easy reach
Of the metropolis. John Briggs. the
unfortunate farmers erstwhile friend.
obtained his lot and assistance in
building his cottage as pay for play
ing "stool pigeon"
Silas Dyer did not recover from the
blow. He was already past middle
age and his wife was an invalid, bur
den instead of--as in her younger dav
a help and inspiration to him. He
could not begin at the bottom of the
ladder again with either heart or am
bItlon. Their affairs everything about
the place, in fact-simply drifted. But
against Job Briggs Sllas treasured an
unmeasured hatred.
would not say that Silas went TO
his woodpile that morning with the
wish in his heart that the cistern his
neiGhbor was digging would cave in
on him. But he certainly was care
Jess of what might happen to Briggs.
The Dyers had lived so long upon the
farm that every spot upon livery
landmark was like au old friend.
That it was cut mp into "town lots"
and that the cars ran past the end of
the old farm nearest the city made no
difference to the Dyers. They knew
every rock and tree When Job
Briggs began to dig a cistern where an
old well had been flied in, they knew
1t. Now, to excavate deeply whore
the soil has already been removed, is
q delicate ii not dangerous under
taking. 1T was almost impossible.
under these circumstances, to keep
the sides of the excavation from
crumbling in and filling the hole.
Hence Mrs. Dyer's anxiety.
Now Mrs. Dyer would never have
antagonized her husband by taking it
upon herself to wua Mr. Briggs. She
had only said in her dreamy, hopeless
way, That it was Somebody's bust
ness to tell their neighbor. Silas
would be only too we'll pleased il after
Briggs had his cistern half due If