Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-03-01

| FINLEY BROOKE had a tongue
| for gossip, an ear for evil re-
| port, an eye for rascals. Iv-
| cry day new suspicious took
root i'll him, while others grew and
came to great size and were as hard
to conceal as pumpkins. He had mean
ness enough to equip all he knew and
gave it with lavish tongue. In his
opinion Hillsborough came within one
of having as many rascals in it as
there We're people. He had tried to
bring them severally to justice by vain
appeals to the law, having sued for
every cause in the books, but chiefly
| for trespass and damages, real and ex-
emplary. .
He was money lender, shaving
notes or taking them for larger sums
than he lent, with chattel mortgages
for security. Foreclosure and sale
were perennial source of profit to
him. He was tall and we'll past mid
die age, with short gray beard. look
Of severity, stoop in his shoulders,
and third wife whom nobody within
the knowledge Of the townfolk had
ever seen. If he had no other to gossip
with, he provided imaginary company
and talked to his own ears. He
thought himself n most powerful and
agile man, Boosting often that he still
kept the vigor Of his youth. On his er-
rands in the village he often broke into
an awkward gallop like child at play.
When he slackened pace it was to
shake his head solemnly, as If some
thing had reminded him Of the wicked
ness of the world.
"If dared tell all knew" he would
whisper suggestively and then proceed
to tell much more than he could posi-
bly, have known. Any one of many
may have started his tongue, but the
shortcomings Of one Ezekiel Swack-
hammer were for him an ever present
help and provocation. If there We're
nothing new to talk about, there was
always Swackhammer. Poor Swack-
hammer had done everything he ought
not to have DONE The good God him
self was the only being that had the
approval Of old Riley Brooke. 1t was
curious, that turning of his tongue
from the SANDER Of men to the praise
of God. And Of the goodness of the
Almighty he was quite as sure as of
the badness Of men. Assurance of his
own salvation had come to him one day
when he was shearing sheep and when,
as he related often, finding himself on
his knees to shear, he remained to pray.
Sundays and every Wednesday even.
ing he wore stovepipe hat and long
frock coat of antique and rusty as
pect.
On his way to church-with hospital
ity even for the like of him, thank
God-he walked slowly with head bent
until, remembering his great agility
and strength, he began to run, giving
varied exhibition of skips and jumps
terminating in sort of gallop. Once
in the sacred house he looked to right
and left accusingly and aloft with en-
couraging applause. His God was one
of wrath, vengeance and destruction
his hell the destination Of his enemies
They who resented tho screw of his
avarice and pulled their thumbs away;
they who treated him with contempt
and whose faults, compared to his own
were as mound to mountain-they
were all to burn with everlasting fire
while he, on account of that happy
thought the day of the sheep shearing
was to sit forever with the angels ir
heaven.
"Ye're going t. heaven, hear" sale
Darrell, who had repaired clock fol
him and heard complaint of his small
fee.
II am" was the spirited reply.
God speed YEP said the tinker as BIZ
went away.
In such disfavor was the poor mar
that all would have been glad to have
him go anywhere, so he left Hills
borough.
One day in the Christmas holidays {
boy came to the door of Riley Brooke
with bucksaw on his arm.
I'm looking for work." said the
boy, land I'd be glad of the chance t.
saw your wood"
"How much q cord?" was the lout
inquiry.
Forty cents"
"Too much" said Brooke. "Hop
much day."
"Six shillings."
"Too MUCH" said the old man snap
pishly. II used to git Sc month whel
was your age, an rise at o'clock II
the mornin' an work till bedtime. Yol
boys nowadays are lazy, good fe
nothin' lot. What's yer nameY
Sidney Trove."
Don't want ye."
"Well, mister" said the boy, VIII
was much in need of money, "I'll say
your wood for anything you've min,
to give me-"
"Pll give ye SO cents day." said tn
old man.
Trove hesitated. The sum was bare
ly half what he could earn. but he ha
given his promise and fell to. Rile
Brooke spent half the day watchin
and urging him to faster work. Nor
than once the boy was near quitting
but kept his good nature and stron
pace. When at last Brooke went ava
Trove heard sly movement of til
blinds and knew that other eyes wer
on the watch. He spent three days 9
the job-laming, wearisome days afte
SO long an absence from heavy toll.
"Waal, suppose We want money,
: Brooke snapped as the boy came to til
door. How much?"