Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1910-04-07
Talec For
q Winter
Evening
His Native Heath
From the "Old Home House"
BY JOSEPH c. LINCOLN
Copyright. 1907. by A. S. Barnes q Co.

Copyright. 1907. by A. S. Barnes q Co.
~ NEVER could quite understand
why the folks at Wellmouth
made mi selectman. Anyway,
l was elected unanimous at
town meeting, and Peter was mighty
anxious for me to take the job.
"Barzilla," says Peter, II jedge thai
a selectman is a sort Of dwarf alder
man. Now, I've had friends who've
been aldermen, and they say it's a sure
thing. like shaking with your own
dice. If you're straight there's the
honor and the advertisement; if you're
crooked there's the graft. Either way
the house wins. Go in. and glory be
with you"
So I finally agreed to serve, and the
very first meeting 1 went to the ques-
ton of Asaph Blueworthy and the
poorhouse comes up. Zoeth Tiddit Che
was town clerk he puts it this way:
"Gentlemen," he says. 1--WE nave here
the usual application from Asaph
Blueworthy for aid from the town.
I don't knows there's much use for me
to read tits tolerable familiar. 'Suf-
fering from lumbago and rheumatic
UNI. yes. Out Of work'-um, just so.
Respectfully begs that the board will
-etcetery and so forth. Well. gentle
men, what's your ~pleasure?"
Darius Colt, he speaks first, and
dry and drawing as ever. "Out of
work. hey?' says Darius. "Mr. Chair
man. I should like to ask if anybody
here remembers the time when Ase
was in work?"
Nobody did. and Cap'n Beniiah
Poundberry Che was chairman at that
time) he fetches the table a welt with
his starboard fist and comes out en-
phatic.
"Feller MEMBERS" says he, 81 don't
know how the rest of you feel. but
it's my opinion that this board has
done too much for that lazy loafer
already"
"He ain t sick, except sick of work.
Now. it's my idea that, long IS he's
bound to be a pauper. he might s
we'll be treated as a pauper. Let's
send him to the poorhouse."
But" says l. "he owns his place
down there by the shore, don't he?"
All hands laughed-that is. all but
Cap'n Benijah. own nothingn says
the cap'n. 1.-THE whole rat trap. from
the keel TO main truck, amt worth
more n $500, and 1 loaned his sister
Thankful $500 on it years ago, and
the mortgage fell due last September.
Not a cent Of principal, interest nor
rent have l got since. Whether he
goes to the %poOrhouse or not. he goes
A man can s,nite me on one cheek
and maybe III turn t'other, but when,
after I have turned it, he finds fault
cause my face hurts his hand, then
I rise up and quit. You hear me?'
Nobody could help hearing him IN
less they was deefer than the Teller
that fell out of the balloon and couldn't
hear himself strike. so all hands
agreed that sending Asaph Blueworthy
to the %poorhouse would be a good
thing. 'Twould be a lesson to Ase
and would give the poorhouse one
more excuse for being on earth. Well
mouth g a fairly prosperous town. and
the paupers had died, one after the
other, and no new ones had come, un-
til all there vas left in the poorhouse
was old Betsy Mullen. who was down
with creeping palsy. and Deborah
Badger, who'd been keeper ever since
her husband died.
Ths poorhouse property was valua-
BILE. too. specially for a summer cot
tage, being out on the end of Robbins
point, away from the town. and hav-
ing Il fine view right across the bay.
Zoeth Tiddit was q committee of II
with power from the town to sell the
place. but he hadn't found a customer
yet. And. If he did sell it. what to do
with Debby was more OF less Of a
question. She'd kept %poorhouse for
years and had no other home nor no
relations to go to.
Well. we voted to send Asaph to the
poorhouse. and then I was appointed
a delegate to see him and tell him he'd
got ~ 60. I wasn't enthusiastic over
the Job, but everybody said l was ex-
actly the Teller For the place.
''Io tell you the truth" drawls Da-
RUS. "you, being a stranger. are the
only n that Ase couldn't talk over.'
So, us there want no way out Of it.
I dr0ve down TO Asaph's that after
noon. He lived off on a side road by
the shore, in a little rundown shan
ty rhnt was as no account as he was.
When I moored my horse to the "heav-
emily wood" tree by what was left Of
the fence. l would have bet my SOU
wester that I caught a glimpse of
Brother Blueworthy peeking round the
corner Of the house. But when / turn
ed that corner there was nobody IL
sight.
+ knocked on the door. but nobody
answered. After knocking three or
four times I tried kicking. and the
second kick raised from somewheres
inatda n proan that WAS as 1onosomo a