Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-04-22
CHAPTER xv-continued.

BUSINESS LUZ JuuSe WeSLDrOOKE
yes"
"Writs to server
Yes" l answered with no thought
Of my imprudence
Say, young man. by hockey nettie
L advise you to turn right around and
60 back"
"Why?" ..
Cause IL We try to serve any writs
ven git into trouble"
That's interesting" 1 answered 81
am not seeking a quarrel, but 1 do
want TO see how the people feel about
the payment of their rents"
Say mister, look down into that val
ley there" the stranger began. "See
ali them houses-they're the little
houses o the poor. See how smooth
the land Is? Who built them houses
Who cleaned that land? Was it Mr..
Livingston? By hockey nettie! guess
not. The men who live there built the
houses an cleaned the land. We amt
got nothin' else-not a dollar! It's all
gone TO the landlord. l am for the
men who made every rod o. that land
an who own not single rod of it.
1ears an years ago king gave 1t to
man who never cut one tree or laid
one stone on another. The deeds say
that we must pay rent o. so many
bushels o. wheat a year but the land is
No good for wheat, an amt been for
hundred years. Why, We see, mis-
ter, good many things have happened
In three hundred years. The land was
Willin' to give wheat then an a good
many folks was willin' to be slaves. By
ho!1ey nettiel they had got used to it.
Kings an magistrates an slavery
didn't look so bad to 'em as they do
now. Our brains have changed that's
what's the matter-same as the soil
has changed. We want to be free like
other folks in this country. America
has growed up around us but here we
are Twin back In old Holland three
hundred years ago. 1t don't set good.
We see lots o. people that don't have
to be slaves. They own their land an
they amt worked any harder than we
have or been any more savin'. That's
why 1 say we can't ray the rents no
more an We mustn't try to make us.
By hockey nettiei You'll have trouble
If We do"
The truth had flashed upon me out
Of the words of this simple man. Un-
til then 1 had heard only one side of
the case. II l were to be the servant
of Justice. as Mr.. Wright had advised,
what was 1 to do? These tenants had
been Grimshawed and were being
Grimshawed out of the just fruits of
their toll by the feudal chief whose
remote ancestor had been a kings ia
vorite. For half moment l watched
the wavering needle of my compass
and then:
eff what you say is true 1 think you
are right" I said.
Il don't agree with you" said young
Latour. "The PATRONS have a clear
title TO this land. If the tenants don't
want to pay the rents they ought to
get out and make way for Others"
Look here, young man, my name is
Josiah Curtis" said the stranger. 81
live in the first house on the right
hand side o. the road. You may tell
the judge that l won't pay rent no
more-nOt as long as 1 live-and /
won't git ont, either"
Mr.. Latour, you and Purvis may go
on slowiy-Fn overtake you soon," /
said.
They went on and left me alone with
Curtis He was getting excited and /
wished to allay his fears.
Don't let him try to serve NO writs
or there'n be hell to pay In this val
ley" said Curtis.
I'm that case shall not try to serve
neighborhood, but want to know the
facts. l shall try to see other tenants
and report what they say. 1t may lead
to a settlement"
We went on together to the top of
the hill near which we had been stand
ing. Far ahead 1 saw a cloud of dust
but no signs of Latour and Purvis.
They must have spurred their horses
into a run. The fear came to me that
Latour would try to serve the writs In
spite Of me. They were in his pocket.
What a fool had been not to call for
them. Ny companion saw the look of
concern In my face.
Il don't like that young feller," said
Curtis Hes In fer trouble"
He ran toward his house, which was
only a few rods beyond US. while l
started on In pursuit OF the two men
at top speed. Before my horse had
taken a dozen jumps 1 heard horn
blowing behind me and its echo In the
hills Within a half a moment dozen
horns were sounding in the valleys
around me. What q contrast to the
quiet in which we had been riding was
this pandemonium which had broken
loose in the countryside. A little ahead
I could see men running out Of the
fields. My horse had begun TO lather,
for the sun was hot. My companions
were far ahead. l could not see the
dust of their heels now. gave up try
ing to catch them and checked the
speed of my horse and went on at a
walk. The horns were still sounding.
Some OF them seemed to be miles
away. About twenty rods ahe.-d l saw
three riders in strange costumes come
out of a dooryard and take the road
at wild gaIlop in pursuit of Latour
and Purvis. They had not discovered
me. 1 kept as calm as / could in the
midst of this excitement
I passed the house from which the
three riders had just turned into the
road. A number of women and an old
man and three or four children stood
on the porch. They looked at me In
silence as was passing and then be-
gan to hiss and jeer. 1t gave me a
feeling l have never known since that
day. logged along over the brow or
the hill when, at white, frame house,
1 saw the center toward which all the
men Of the countryside were coming.
Suddenly / heard the hoof-beats OF