Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-01-28
DREADNOT.
To the Iowa County Democrat.


Thomas Collins has been given
charge of the a. II. Law mine. Two
shafts are now in operation, two
shifts being worked in each shaft.
Lead has been found in both shafts
but not in paying quantities. DR.. Law
came down last Friday and expressed
himself fully satisfied with the work.
There has been little or no sickness
in this locality, with the exception OF
colds, this winter.
George Bennett and Will Mitchell,
having taken the mining fever, are
slowly but surely disappearing into
the hitherto unknown depths on land
leased from Bert Richards.
Ben Mitchell will work the Kirst
farm this year. There Ben will find
ample room to expand and work OFF
that tired feeling.
Frank Aid is still doing good work
at the school. Fulfilling his duties as a
teacher and repelling the attacks of
Cupid keeps Frank pretty busy.
After several years rest from pros
pecting, John Francois is once more
trying his luck whenever time permits
We don't see why the farmers should
be blamed for the high price of wood,
for it is getting to be very scarce
article. Many farmers who a few
years ago had wood to sell now have
it to buy, and their number is being
added to every year. The forests have
disappeared never to return, and wood
is cheaper today than it will ever be
again in Wisconsin. But it seems
that almost all the people residing in
cities blame the farmers for it all, al
though the city dealers, as a rule,
charge more than they. We would
advise those who still adhere to this
belief to follow the example of a GER
tain editor who lives not a thousand
miles from Mineral Point, ana go out
into the country few miles and see
for themselves. 1t seems that a farmer
brought to his Office, or residence, q
load OF choice and selected sticks to
settle for a few years subscription,
and the editor became very angry be-
cause the wood was little larger at
one end than at the other, declaring
in loud voice that it was a put-up
job and that the farmer was hauling
his good wood elsewhere. The farmer
told him If he believed that to come
home with him and see for himself
which the editor did. The first thing
he saw after reaching the farmers
land were few stunted oaks standing
around here and there like sentinels,
and was informed that that was all
the wood left. He then saw the farm
er's wife digging into snowbank with
a scoop-shovel, and drawing nigh he
saw her take few short and very
crooked sticks of crab apple wood
from the snow, and then IL stave or
two from last years salt barrel,
which she broke in pieces over the
shovel handle while she thanked the
Giver of all good for these unmerited
luxuries.n Following the farmer into
the house he saw laths nailed up to
the windows and the space between the
two filled with straw 80 keep out the
cold. Going over by the stove he saw
the two youngest children, wrapped in
gunny sacks, asleep in the oven on
some straw, and he noticed that the
six or seven older ones were encour-
aged by their parents to wrestle and
scrap" in order to keep at least one
degree above freezing. Feeling some
"ldO hSiulhSu VI HIS SOluuCb HG Nv
tempted an apology, and had spoken
about Two dozen words of it when he
discovered that the words did not
leave his mouth, and do his best he
could not force them out. His mouth
by this time being quite full, he had
great difficulty in breathing, and not
caring to be sutfocated where there
was no fire to die by, he inserted his
fingers into it and drew out the words
n few letters at II time, which immedi-
ately froze and will probably remain
in that state until warm weather thaws
them out BY great effort he got
outside, where he began to thaw and
feel better, while the good farmer held
his own face over the lamp for fifteen
minutes in order to thaw out smile
at the expense of the editor who could
not speak the winter language of the
rural districts. We are happy TO
learn that the good editor has changed
his mind about the wood business
and hereafter will not kick when u
farmer brings him wood, even if eggs
are placed through it in order to keep
the sticks the same distance apart SO
that the halfcord will be more taste
full to his eye and more pleasant to
the back of the boy hired to saw it,