Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1919-03-06

dies and high oven and the shiny edge
on It's hearth! Il rivaled, In its now
city and charm, any tin peddler's cart
that ever came to our door. John
Axtell and his wife, who had seen it
pass their house, hurried over for a
look at It. Every hand was on 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 rooml
When the Axtells had gone away
Aunt Deel said:
tits grandl It is sartin-but I'm
sfraid we can't afford it-ayes / be! I"
1--WE can't afford to freeze any
longer. I made up my mind that we
couldn't 60 through another winter
as we have" was my uncle's answer.
How much did 1t costi'' she asked.
@Not much differ'nt from thirty.
four dollars In sheep and grain," he
answered. s.
Rodney Barnes stayed to supper
and spent q part Of the evening with
us. =
Like other settlers there, Mr..
Barnes was a cheerful optimist. Every
thing looked good to him until It
turned out badly.
he told how he had heard that It
was growing country near. the great
water highway Of the 1T. Lawrence.
! Prosperous towns were building up
in It. There were going to be great
cities In Northern New York. There
were rich stores Of lead and iron
In the rocks. Mr.. Barnes Ind bought
two hundred acres at ten dollars an
acre. He had to pay 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. rs. ,,..
Our cousin twisted the poker In
his great hands until It squeaked as
fhe stood before my uncle and said
my wife and I have chopped and
burnt and pried and hauled rocks. an,
shoveled dung an MIXED an churned
until we are worn out. For almost
twenty years we've been workin' days
an nights an Sundays. My mortgage
was overdue. ] owed six hundred dol
lars on It. thought 1t all over one
day an went up to Grimshaw's an
took him BY the back 0f. the neck
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 Cam
ton would a. dared to lend It to
me- =
'Whyi" my uncle asked.
'Fraid o. Grimshaw. He didn't
want me to be able to pay It. The
place is worth more than SIX hundred
dollars 0w-that'8 the reason. In
tended to cut some timber an haul
It to the village this winter 60 I could
pay a part o. the note an git more
time as I told ye. but the roads have
been so bad couldn't do any haul
,in'."' s,3s',
Ny uncle went and took q drink ct
the water pail. I saw BY his face
that he was unusually wrought up.
my heavens an EARTH" he e1-
claimed as he sat down again.
tits the brain collie" ! said TO
myself as looked at him.
Mr.. Barnes seemed to have Il also.
Too much note,' = I whispered.
sI'm awful sorry, but I've done
everything I could" said Mr.. Barnes.
"Ain't there somebody that'll take
another mortgagef-it ought to 10
safe now" my uncle suggested.
Money Is 30 tight It can't be done.
The bank has got all the money an
Grimshaw owns the bank. I've tried
and tried. but I'll make you safe. III
give you mortgage until I can turn
round" !: s.:
1 60 I saw how Rodney Barnes, IKE
other settlers IN Lickitysplit, had gone
into bondage to the landlord.
How much do you owe on this
placer Barnes asked. n
'sseyen hundred an nifty dollars
said my uncle. g
Us Il due1''
Its been dussa rear IN n have
p pay that nSts IN = shert ~ r.
tersst.' -ss.