The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1919-02-13

anu Drought IL nome In the big wagon.
Rodney Barnes came with him to help
set up the stove. He was a big giant
OF man with the longest nose In the
township. / have often wondered how
any one would solve the problem of
kissing Mr.. Barnes in the immediate
region of his nose, the same being in
the nature Of defense.
That evening 1 was chiefly inter
ested In the stove. What q joy II
was to me with its damper and grid
dies and high oven and the shiny edge
on Its hearth 1t rivaled, In its nov
city and charm, any tin peddler's cart
that ever came to our door. John
Axtell and his wife, who had seen 1t
pass their house, hurried over for a
look at it. Every hand was or the
stove as we tenderly carried It into
the house, piece by piece, and set 1t
up. Then they cut hole in the up
per floor and the stone chimney and
fitted the pipe. How keenly we
watched the building of the fire. How
quickly it roared and began to heat
the room
When the Axtells had gone away
Aunt Deel said:
IT'S grand! 1t is sartin-but Pm
frnid we can't afford it-ayes I be I"
I'VE can't afford to freeze any
longer. made up my mind that we
couldn't go through another winter
as we have" was my uncle's answer.
"How much did 1t cost 2" she asked.
mot much differ'nt from thirty
four dollars in sheep and grain" he
answered.
Rodney Barnes stayed to supper
and spent part of the evening with
us.
Like other settlers there, Mr..
Barnes was cheerful optimist Every.
thing looked good to him until It
turned out badly.
He told how he had heard that It
was n growing country near the great
water highway Of the st. Lawrence.
Prosperous towns were building up
In 1t. There were going to be great
cities in Northern New York. There
were rich stores. of lead and iron
in the rocks. Mr.. Barnes had bought
two hundred acres at ten dollars IN
acre. He had to pay a fee of five
per cent. to Grimshaw's lawyer for
the survey and the papers. This left
him owing fourteen hundred dollars
on his farm-much more than 1t was
worth.
Our cousin twisted the poker In
he stood before my uncle and said: =
MY wife and have chopped and
| burnt and pried and hauled rocks an
shoveled dung an milked an churned
until we are worn out. For almos!
twenty years we've been workin' days
an nights an Sundays. My mortgage
was overdue, owed six hundred dol
lars on it. I thought it all over one
day an went up to GrImshaw's an
took him by the back of the mech
and shook him. He said he would
drive me out O. tho country. He
| gave me six months to pay up. / had
to pay or lose the land. / got the
money ON the note that you signed
over In POtsdam. Nobody in Can
| ION WOulu a -dareu TO lend 1t tC
me-"
"Why?" my uncle asked.
"'Fraid o. Grlmshaw. He didn'
want me to be able to pay It. The
place is worth more than six hundred
dollars now-that's the reason. / In
tended to cut some timber an hau
1t to the village this winter so l coulc
pay part O. the note an git NOR,
time as I told ye, but the roads hav,
been so bad 1 couldn't do any haul
in'."
My uncle went and took drink a
the water pail. I-saw by his fac,
that he was unusually wrought up. &.
i my heavens an earthl" he ex
claimed as he sat down again.