Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1900-03-16

led into town lots. with duly dedicated
streets and alleys running along the
rutnbnga and cuulfowcr rows, he
owned hoe.
Speaking OF the cnulinower reminds
the ncphcw's father of the time Uncle
Peters hired man. Lem Jackson. was
digging potatoes and threw some clods
'rtC the wagon n'ong with the tubrrs.
He says that Urele Peter threw the
clods out again nnd exhorted Lem to
be more particular and even to take
time to knock Off any dirt that might
stick to "thcm taturs."
81 paid SIS an acre for that dirt,
Lem" he demonstrated. rNot only
that, but I've spent n matter of SIS
more for fertilizers since 1 took the
place. What you throw into that there
wagon don't do nobody no good. 1t
don't hold it's shape long enough to
pass fer tatur and get paid for as
sich; it jist grinds up inter dust and
shakes out of the wagon on the road
to town."
Lem rctortcd: "Uncle Peter, don't
you reckon you git even on that with
wet weather."
The hoe had been bought at the store
where the pleasant and outrageous
town of Lombard now is. When it was
new Uncle Peter used to treat it like
n fine-tcmpercd razor. He never al
lowed hired man to use 1t, and he
used 20 bring 1t in with him from the
field ut noon and stand 1t up in the
kitchen. where he could watch it while
he ate his dinner. When the years
work was done he would give ii coat
of axle grease to protect it from rust
and then would lock it up in the tool
| shed.
In course Of time. however, the hoe
| grew dull and Uncle Peter had TO take
| n file to it. After the third filing he
let Lem jackson take it to hill up the
beans. and Lem got tired ard leaned
on 1t too heavily.
Uncle Peter took it very had. He told
Lem he would just us soon have had
him haul Off and slap him in the face.
The hired man offered to pay for the
hoe, and Uncle Peter said that was the
least he could do. lie held back $1.65 of
LENS wages, figuring 10 cents for
wagon hauling from Lombard. Then
he nailed up the fracture in the handle
and swathed it with wire, and, handing
It to Lem, told him to use it more care
fully in future.
~ dunno but ought to charge you
fer my time a-fixin' it," remarked Uncle
| Peter.
The hired man said he'd like to know
how he made that out, and "accordin'
to the way he figgered the hoe be-
longed ter him."
II amt a-goin' to argyer with you
about it," said Uncle Peter, with dig
nifty. "The hoes mine. l bought an
paid fer it. If it was yours I'd still be
entitled to charge you for repairs, but
1 didn't say that would charge you.
1 only said ought TO charge you-and
go ought. BY gum! b'lieve l will
charge you."
when you get man that'n dc
things like that you've got mighty
mean man." said Uncle Peters brother.
in-law.
"I used to pity his women folks" he
continued. "IIe had right nice wife
and as saving as n woman need be
but she wasn't saving enough for
Peter. He'd go nosing around in the
pantry and figuring with them on the
laundry soap, and he'd pick up scraI
of something or another that he didn't
think ought to be thrown out and pGcl
it back into the house and say: See
here, M'rier; these blamed spen'thrif,
ways of yours had ought to be quit A
the same time he never got mad OF
mean before company. When ther'
was company at the house, his wife tolt
my wife once, she used to sit and jus
look at him and wonder if it could b,
that she was mistaken about him afte
ALL"
About this time something usual,
occurs to break the thread of the mar
rative. 1t seems to work the same wa,
with the nephew, so that nobody in th
suburb has ever heard the story of tn
hoe in it's fullness. Both father an,
son start in good faith, but the tempta
tion to digress is too much for them
They cannot resist telling about th
time that Uncle Peter insisted on tn
utilization of the water in which Aun
Maria boiled the potatoes-how he in
sisted that potato soup was palatabl
and nutritious article of diet, an
would by no means be convinced tina
1t was at least necessary to peel tn
4 potatoes before boiling them, holding
Il the peeling of potatoes to be sinfu
waste. A hundred instances of thei
: relations frugality tempt them t
n daily in side paths from the straigh
b and beaten track. The hoe has bee
Q