The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1918-01-03
Envy

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II YUM" exclaimed Caleb Peaslee.
half to himself, "a pusson would al.
most think Enoch Bates had moved in
somewhere along on this stretch of
road and had got a grudge agin some
body, from the thank-ye-ma'ams there
is here"
The wagon jolted perilously and the
summer boarder had to hold her hat
with n hand, but she found breath
to ask questions.
"Who was this Enoch Bates7 Some
local celebrity?"
HE want RELY what you could call
celebrated, s I know Of" Caleb said
thoughtfully, "and yit he was some
noted ~hereabouts for certain things"
Just what form did his notoriety
take?" persisted the boarder.
"Well," said Caleb ju%diciously, "for
one thing, he was about the suggest
man that you most ever saw, in a
money way. He raised a lot of stuff
on his farm and sold everything he
could git a cent for, and lived off'n the
leavin's. I don't s'pose he ct ten ap-
pies a year, though he was fond of
'em. He sold 'em all and put the
money away. And Is for eggs, I pre-
sumo likely he'd forgot even what they
tasted like, for eggs are bout the same
as money here. Enoch used to keep a
big flock Of hens; and then he used
to buy up eggs and ship 'em, a couple
OF hundred dozen at a clip, sometimes.
1 show you how he valued an egg:
He had a boy workin' for him n time
and he sent the boy to the henhouse
to gether the eggs, and he was gone a
speck longer'n Enoch thought needful.
1t happened that there was more eggs
than the boy could get into the bas.
ket, so he put a couple into his peck.
ct. When he got back to the
house Encch took him to do bout
bein' gone too long-took holt of him
and give him a shakin', s I remember
it, and in DOM that he made out to
break n Of the eggs in the boys
pocket.
when he found out what had han.
pcned it madded him so that he start.
ed in to give the boy a reg'lar lickin'.
AMI so dcln' he busted the other egg.
and that set him purity nigh demented.
He finished by giving the boy a good
trouncln' and sent him back to the
poorhoust., where he got him.
Smother thing bout Enoch was that
he had a Jealous disposition-mean and
envious, you know. It took a mum.
Der of shapes, but the only one that
matters In this case is about JOHNNY
Doan's boss. He had a nice steppin'
little drjvjn' boss and he liked to shove
her right along-nothin' to hurt her,
for tn" boss liked to go as we'll as
Johnn, liked to have her. But it
thornel Enoch to see Johnny kite past
his pace goin' so. smooth, and he
havln' nothin' but a wind-broken old
anim'.l that could scarcely get out of
his own way.
"Tf'ere was a wet place. in the road
'twix. F'noch's place and Johnny's, and
the s'lectmen hired Enoch to fix it,
While he was workin' on it he got q
mean idea and went and made some of
them thank-ye-ma'am jounces, like
them we've Jest come over right cross.
ways of the road.
HE said he done it to turn the wa.
ter out into the ditch; but everyone
knew well 'nough that he done it so
Johnny couldn't speed past 'thout bein'
in danger Of lamin' his boss or springin'
an ex, or somethin' like that.
"Well, n mornin' a day or so after
he'd got the road all fixed for Johnny,
Enoch was loadin' up his wagon with
eggs to take 'em to the station. He had
the boss hitched in and was jest goin'
to put the last case of eggs into the
back of the. wagon when the boy
that he'd trounced and sent away
went by the house. What possessed
Enochl. J. don't know, but I s'pose he
was only tryin' to scare the boy. Be
that rs it may, he grabbed his horse
whip and started toward him, yellin'
and switchin' the whip, and he made
such a touse that the old boss started
and ran away with the load of eggs in
the wagon and the tailboard down-a
hundred dollars worth Of eggs If there
was q cents with!
"Wel', Enoch was maxim so much
racket himself that the boss got & good
start fore he realized it, and then it
vas too late to ketch him, and down