The Washington times., 1938-09-03
W DUNG BILLY COTTON

cause he looked that way, AM
everybody liked him; yet wheI
his father died, and they toIc
him he was heir to the brewery
he lust shrugged his shoulders
and said he should worry.
He was likewise lad OF few
words, so people gave up wonder
ing about him after a bit. there
being no explanation Forthcoming
But he always had that look about
him of being fitted for q DeTGel
and happier lot than had oe1a4ieI
him.
sMALL-TOWN BREWERY
The brewery was situated in 9
town of 5000 inhabitants, squeezeo
IN by two mountain ranges IL
Pennsylvania. It had been a pros
porous numbering town, but the
Sawmills had cut down all tne
henlock from the mountain sides
and the mill owners were just now
beginning to be worried because
there was practically no toreS'
left for a radius of many miles
and pretty soon people Wou4o De
gin to be out of work.
Already, in fact, one Of the saw
mills was discharging hands, pre-.
paratory to closing up, and several
families were asking Billy 1ol
small loans. With only two saw
mills and a brewery to keep 5'oou
people fed and happy, the owner
of the brewery would have to as
Sume some responsibility for the
nopulation if the SaWmillS closed
up.
So Billy began writing checks
People moved away from town
with the money he loaned them
but all the comment that could be
got out of him was he should
worry.
Anyhow, he wasn't so much con,
cerned with holding on to his
money as he was with the problem
of holding on to his freedom,
since Miss Fanny Williams had
developed the distressing attitude
of setting her cap for him.
In a village consisting OF one
main street along the valley and
two streets on the hillSideS, every
body knew everything, and for
three years, now, it had been
noised about tht Miss Fanny
meant to make him her Mister.
Unfortunately, too, persistence was
one of Miss Fanny's virtues. It
certainly was, for she kept her
cap at precisely the same angle
for something like 16 years.
TOWNS BIG-SHOT
All that time Billy continued to
be the mainStay of Shipton, be-
cause, as the SawmillS failed and
closed up, he became the towns
financial pivot. He was always
good for a loan, because he had
more money than a bachelor
needed, and he never complained,
or even mentioned it, if the loan
was not repaid.
Miss Fanny had money Of her
own too, but it came from an
uncle far away from Shipton. A
well to do uncle, at that, for she
kept up a big house, and turned
in her car every year for a new
one. Miss Fanny had one OF the
prominent homes of Shipton. and
there were only four such.
About four hundred of the Ship
ton population moved away at
the time the first sawmill closed
up, and when the other closed,
two years later, nearly six hun
dred more followed them. That
winter the mountains on both
sides Of the towns four streets
shivered in the wintry cold, bare
Of hemlock foliage, their million
naked stumps all that was visible
to the roaming eye. Billy shud'
dered.
The hemlocks, in winter, had
carried the snow on their branches
so gracefully. The mountains
looked lonesome and broken. But
in q few years more a growth Of
hardwood had started up, anc
the State had bought up a lot o1
the denuded mountains for a dol
lar an acre and forbidden any
more tree cutting.
The population of Shipton wa!
reduced by one-half when prohibi
ton stepped in and closed thu
Cotton brewery. There was NJ
divisinn Of opinion in Shipton a
to prohibition. It was removing
their one and only industry, anC
they hated it.
EXIT FOR BREWERY
The day the brewery closed it
doors there was a positive run OF
Billy Colton'S bank account, s.
many people borrowed $40 to NOV
their families out of town. Blu
there were the diehards VIII
stayed because they had been borl
and raised there, and couldn't bea
to leave the mountains.
Among them was Miss Fam
Williams. Among those who let
was the president of the bank. H
took his money with him, and Sut
gested tnat either Billy or M
simon, the undertaken. be pres
dent in his stead. They aske
Billy first but he said he was goin
fishing.
SO Mr.. Simon, the undertake.
became president Of the Shipto
National Bank by way of prelim
nary to juggling its funds so il
1udiciousiy as finally to bring
to close It's doors too, as the say
mills and the brewery had dor