Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1899-07-13


Guilty can be told in a few words. 1t
was the story of one mans taking the
advantage of his neighbours ignorance.
Silas Dyer and 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 a mana we'll
dressed and well-talking individual
who loaned the farmer money; the
terms were what the Westerners have
learned to call q "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
it. 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
alamo 4ba roo1 boIuoa, Topac1,iIlo ~ 7
the city, was much more valuable than
had been supposed. The money lend
er was interested with other capt.
talists in 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 house
in 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 day
"a help and inspiration to him. He
could not begin at the bottom of the
ladder again with either heart or am
bition. Their affairs-everything about
the place, in fact-simply drifted. But
against Job Briggs Silas treasured an
unmeasured hatred
L 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
less of what might happen to Briggs.
The Dyers had lived so long upon the
farm that every spot upon it-every
landmark like an old friend.
That it was cut up 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 cistern where all
old well had been flied in, they knew
it. Now, to excavate deeply where
the soil has already been removed, is
u ucllCdIC IL uOb uuu5 tIOuS inutI-
taking. 1t was almost impossible,
under these circumstances, to keep
the sides of the excavation from
crumbling in and filling the hole.
Hence Mrs. Dyers anxiety.
Now Mrs. Dyer would never have
antagonized her husband by taking it
upon herself to warn 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 well pleased if after
Briggs had his cistern half dug it
should cave in and all his labor go for
naught. But Johnny had been atten-
tive to all that his mother had said.
81 wonder what ma means?" he
said to old Rover, who patiently sat
upon his launches against the house,
while his young master held his paws.
"She said twas somebody's business
to tell Toady's pa about that old we'll.
I wonder if she meant me. When
Classy says it's somebody's business to
go fetch kindlings, drinking water, t
most always is me. If 'someby' means
me them times, does it mean me
now?"
To tell the truth Johnny was rea-
soning along the line of his inclina-
tons. He wanted to see how far Mr..
Briggs had got with the cistern, and
he wanted to play with Toady. So
after little, he left Rover to lie COM
fortably down in the sun while he
stole out of the yard and ran over to
Toady's.
Toady was lettering upon the mound
of earth that had been thrown out OF
the hole.
"Hullo, Johnny" he said.
"Hullo. Where's your PAP" asked
Johnny, intent upon his errand.
Johnny was consistent runaway.
Toady pointed to the cistern.
Johnny went nearer the edge and
looked down. The well was already
some fifteen feet deep. Mr.. Briggs
was working in the bottom.
"When he wants to get up I lei
down tho ladder to him." said Toady,
proudly, pointing to the short ladder
living en- the ground.