The Adair County news., 1918-10-30

toll nc +rat she v~s going 10 buy
bond herself. That will be all right. |
She can pay for it, if she does, out OF
her butter and egg money, and l can
take the bond and put it in my safe
deposit vault and wear the button that
she will get. That will beat taking $50
of my good money.
Publicity Threat.
Sept. %. This business looks eeri-
GUS. The Loan Committee is threat
ening to publish the names of all who
fail to buy bonds. / think that threat
is aimed at me. / don't like it. can
talk just as periodically as anybody,
but I can't do it if l am published as
one who refused to buy bond. The
Loan Committee hunted me off the
streets today. They are trying to
put the town over in week." as they
say, and a friend of mine told me ihat
l had been set down by the committee
| for $4,000 worth of bondsi That VIII
ruin me- Think of the difference be-
tween Az per cent and at least per
cent! And great deal of the time l
manage to get 10 per cent.
Sept. 20. This is Sunday, but | I'm
staying away from uptown. The Loan
Committee is working. They have no
| respect for the Sabbath or for the
man of property, it seems. ! am try
ing to figure out a way to pull the
wool over the eyes of the committee.
The trouble is that l am known as
| n11f hof ic
why l should loan my money to the
government. It's mine, amt it?
Haven't l schemed and plugged for
years to get hold of it? And what has
the country ever done for me, except
to make me pay taxes when couldn't
fool the assessor into making the right
kind of an assessment?
Sept. so. have bought bond. That
makes two in the family now. think
l will wear my wife's bond button and
my own, too. The buttons are the
same, whether you take bond for
$50 or one for $4,000. 1 bought this
bond of mine from a Boy Scout-that
is, 1 pledged myself for it-and now
hope l will be left alone. The Boy
Scout didn't seem to want me to sign
up for bond of that size. found my
wife's bond button a while ago and
have it with mine on the lapel of my
coat. l think everything will be all
right now, but l don't feel quite sure.
Becoming Serious.
Oct. 1. This thing is getting more
serious. | explained today to every.
body that / had bought my bond, but
they all listened sort of silently. Then
they walked away. The bank tresi.
dent stopped when he saw me coming
up the street and turned his back to
me as 1 passed. Some of the other
directors passed me without speaking
though l spoke just as l always do
People began to stare at me today in
, way that / have never noticed be
, fore. / found a card pinned on the
seat of my car this afternoon, with
the word Stacker" printed on it in
yellow paint. And somebody had paint
, ed the same thing on the back of the
; car, and l never noticed it till l go
home. My wife is very silent ani
7 gloomy, too. She didn't say anything
7 about my wearing her button. What!
. the matter with this country, anyway
: II is interfering with business-witl
my business.
> Oct. 2. This morning l found let
. ter in my mail 1t was from the banl
f and stated that my resignation as
! director is desired at once" I wen
n over to see about it. The presiden
n told me flat-footed that he wanted NJ
] slackers on his board of directors ant
2 that was to get out quick. and yo1
might as well fill out that blank 70
$4,000 worth of bonds if you want t.
f play the part Of an American" he toll
i me. We've got your number" b.
t went on, "and my advice to you is t.
= buy and buy quick. But that won't pu
" you back on the bank board" l fel
7 rather dazed about it. But l left M
n resignation in his hands. / had bee
II proud of being on that bank board
r. gave me standing. 1t is funny sor
g OF a situation. No one but stranger
in town seem to see me, or speak t
If me. When / went into the postoffice
h though, everybody stopped and stare
n and then turned their backs on me.
II l went into the grocery store and
o well, Bill Simms, the grocer, refuse
" to sell me thing, not even loaf c
k bread. you need not darken thi
Is door again." he told me. 81 don
IL need your trade and l owe you notl
- ing, but I've got boy over in France
t. He is in hospital, wounded. If
m thought that this country was mad
e up of people like you l would be sic
re and sorry that he ever put on I'm
,e form. You won't back him. That blu
ton you are wearing on your coat-w
n know about that. Now get out of her
it and go wherever you please"
b. Wife Goes Away.
ar My wife faced me across the tab
10 tonight. / couldn't eat much, thong
III it was good meal l hadn't told he
l anything about what happened to N
ty today. But she seemed to know abol
De it. ''This can't go on" she said. 9TH
1 country has been good to you. Yo
d, have made money and have PRO
e.. pered. People know that. Before IL
lg war it was different. People did n,
insist On evprvhodv taking mart