Year: 1875

'' WV" y uO uau uauld LOT IRA


ding.


II was currently reported in the fam


lily that when Obed was yet in the cradle


and before his first tooth had appeared


and long before the gift of speech had


come along bis way. he had made an at,


tempt to trade rattles with an other


youngster couple of years his senior


and had got badly taken in.


His early luck seemed to follow him


all through-the man he traded with al.


ways got the best end of the bargain.


lie was known to do good thing for


himself but once, and that was when he


married Martha Peaslee. She was o
treasure for any man, but more particn.
larly for man Of Obed'S peculiar disposi>
tion. Whatever happened she always
made the best Of it, and no matter how
bad and unfortunate for everybody it was,
she always thought it was just the best
thing that could have taken place


And With Obed's faculty for making
bad bargains this was Just the wife for him I;
for you know that wives are not given to
patieaee when their husb,nds are contin.
ually trading themselves out of pocket.
They know that in the long run that kind
of business doesn.t pay.


We can illustrate Obed'S disposition
and that Of bis wife by one days work of
his.


Obed had a yoke of oxen-nice, fat
"hardy" animals, good for all kinds of
work, and sound to the backbone. lie
wanted to sell them, and nobody conf. q
along to purchase he concluded to drive
them to Brighton for market. Martha
quite approved of the plan. and started
Obed off early in the morning with hot
breakfast inside of him, and a generous
slice of bread and cheese in his pocket.
if he should feel "a sinking at his stom>
ach' as he travelled onward


Obed started off whistling, for he was
very merry-hcarted naturally, and it was
morning fine enough to set anybody to
whlstling. He had not gone more than
a mile before he met man driving C.
Plebald horse in buggy. The man
praised his oxen, and asked if they we're
Tor sale. Obed pricked up lis ears at once,
and said they were. The man wanted to
buy them but he had no money. He
offered to give the horse and buggy for
them. Obed closed with the offer at once,
and the transfer took place. 1t now res
mained to sell the horse. lie mounted
into the buggy. and drove on for short
distance, when man came out from a
house by the roadside and asked him what
he would take for his team. Obed men.
toned very modest sum. The man was
quite willing to pay it, but he was short
of money. How would Obed like to swap
for q nice COW? Obed said that would
suit him to T; and the trade.was struck.
lie then started on with the COW. The
first man he encountered was driving q
pig. lie admired the COW, and asked
her price. But the money market seemed
TO be tight that day, and he offered to let
Obed have the pig for the COW. Obed
agreed, and soon found himself whistlinp
to the pig and trudging on toward Brigh>
ton, .....


The first farm-yard he came to the
herdman stepped out and wanted to buy
his pig. lie would give him buck sheep |
for it So the pig changed owners, and
Obed drove on his sheep. This animal
was somewhat uuruly. and being of the
'butting" persuasion was rather difficult
70 manage. Twice Obed found himself
very unceremoniously pitched into the
ence by the proves of bis last purchase,
70 he was not sorry when he met a man
With a dog, who proposed trading.


The dog did not take readily to his new
master, and Obed had to tie a string to
lim and pull him along. And the howls
he wretched little quadruped set up were
horrible. The next thing he traded for
vas gander, bat this bird was presses.
ed ofa very unamiable disposition, and
'ecked and hissed savagely at Obed every
line he got near it. So he was glad to
hange it for speckled hen. And the
len asserted her independence and few
way.


She went up into the top of a tree in
gentleman's door.yaad, and Obed offered
o give the gentleman the bird if he would
boot her. This he kindly consented to
10, and, as it was now nearly night and
egining to rain, Obed ate bis bread and
heese and turned bis steps nomevard.