Show the light in ane clearing A A TALE of the NORTH COUNTRY in the TIME of SILAS WRIGHT IRVING BACHELLE k author of EDEN HOLDEN DRI AND 1 I DAI tIXEL of 0 TUB BLESSED D ISLES KEEPING UP WITH LIZZIE etc etc 1 copyright by irving bacheler Bac heUer 1 CHAPTER V 5 the great stranger Stra noer some strangers came caino along the road those days hunters peddlers and the like and their coming fillod filled me with a joy which mostly went away with them I 1 regret to say none of these however appealed to my imagination as did old kate but there was one stranger greater than she greater indeed than any other who came into Rattle road jle ho came rarely and would not be long iong detained how curiously we looked at him knowing his fame and power this great stronger stranger was money I 1 shall never forget the day that my uncle showed me a 0 dollar bill and a little shiny gold coin and three pieces of silver nor can I 1 forget how carefully he watched them while they lay in my hands and presently put them back into his wallet that was wa long before the time of which I 1 am writing I 1 remember hearing him say one day of that year when I 1 asked him to take us to the caravan of wild beasts which was coming to the village im sorry but its been a hundred sundays since I 1 had a dollar in my wallet allot w for more than ten minutes I 1 have his old rc count book for the years of 1837 and 1838 here aro are some borne of the entries balanced accounts with J dorothy and gave him my note for 2115 to be paid in salts january 1 1838 sold ten bushels of wheat to E miner at 00 90 cents to bo be paid in goods sold two sheep to ri lavius curtis and took hla his note for 8 0 payable la in boots on or before march the first only one entry in more than iha n a hundred mention money and this was tho the sum of eleven cents received I 1 in n balance from crova a neighbor so bo it will ie be seen that a spirit of mutual accommodation served to help us over the rough going 3 mr fr GrInis baw however demanded hlf his pay in cash and that I 1 find and wits was mainly the habit of the moneylenders money lenders we were poor but our poverty was not like that of these days in which I 1 am writing it was proud an and d cleanly and well fed our fathers had sem seen heroic service in the wars and we knew it I 1 was twelve years old when I 1 began to be the reader for our little family aunt deel had long complained that she keep up with her knitting and read so much we had not seen mr wright for nearly ann two a ye years ais but he had bad sprit us the novels of sir walter scott and I 1 had led them heart deep into the creed battles of old mortality then came the evil days of 1837 when the story of our lives began to quicken its pace and excite our interest in its coming chapters it gave us enough to think of god knows wild speculations in land and the american paper money system had brought brou glit us into rough going the banks of the city of new york had suspended payment of their notes they could no longer meet their engagements gage ments As usual the burden fell heaviest on the poor it etwas was hard to get money even for black salts uncle peabody had been silent and depressed sor for a month or more he had find signed a note for rodney barncs a cousin long before and was afraid that lie he would have to pay it I 1 know what n note was and I 1 remember that one night when I 1 lay thinking about it I 1 decided that it must ile he something in the nature of horse colic 3 my uncle told roe me that a note ans a trouble which attacked the brain In instead stenI of the stomach one autumn day in canton uncle Il enbody traded thres three sheep and twenty bushels of wheat for n cook stove and brough tIt home in the big wagon rodney barnes came with hini him to help set up ulf the stove he a big giant of nf a 2 man with the longest nose in the township to I 1 have often wondered how rny one would solve the problem of rising ki mr barnes in the immediate raw aviu i of ills his nose the same being in iru i iture impure of f a defense that evening I 1 was waa chiefly inter ted in ill the lie stove what a joy it tn air wit hits damper and grid dies and high oven and the tha shiny edge on its hearth I 1 it rivaled in its novelty and charm any tin peddlers cart that ever came to our door john axtell and ills wife who had seen it pass their house hurried over for a look at it elvery hand buind was on the stove as wo we tenderly carried it into the house piece by piece and set it up then they cut it hole in the upper floor rind the stone chimney a and n d fitted the pipe ilow how keenly we witched watched the building of the farej ilow quickly it roared and began to heat beat the room I 1 when the artells had gone away aunt deel said its grandt grand it la Is sartin but im arald we cant afford it ayes I 1 be I 1 we cant afford to freeze any longer I 1 made up my mind mina that we go through another winter as we have was my uncles answer how much did it cost she asked not much diff different ernt from thirty four dollars in sheep and grain lie ho answered rodney games barnes stayed to supper and spent a part f tho the evening with us like other settlers seit lers there mr barneskas barnes was a cheerful optimist everything looked good to him until it turned out badly he told how he had heard board that it was a growing country near the great water highway of tho the st lawrence prosperous towns yere were building up in it there were going to be great northern new york there were rich stores of lead and iron in the rocks mr names barnes had bought two hundred acres nt at ten dolla dollars rs nu all aero acre he had to pay a fee of five per cent to GrIm grimshawe shaws lawyer for the survey yand and the papers this left him owing fourteen hi hundred milred dollars dolla 4 on his farm much more than it w was worth our cousin twisted the poker lit in ills his great hands until it squeaked us its it he before my uncle and said my wife and I 1 have chopped and burnt and pried and hauled rocks nn an shoveled dung an milked an churned until we are worn out por for almost twenty years weve been days an nights an sundays my mort goKe go was overdue over due I 1 owed six hundred dollars dollard on A it I 1 thong thought ht it all over one day an went ua up to GrIms baws on an took him by the alic back of the neck ani shook him lie ile said he would drive me out ol 01 0 tho th country I 1 he le gave me six months to pay up I 1 had t pay or lose the land I 1 got money on the note that you signed over jn in Pots potsdam dem nobody in canton would a dared to lend it to mo inc why my uncle asked farald 0 grimshaw ile he want me to be able ti to pay it the place Is worth more than six hundred dollars now the reason I 1 intended to cut some timber an haul it to the village this winter so I 1 could pay a part 0 the note an git more time as I 1 told ye but the roads hn have ve been so bad I 1 do any haulin V my uncle went and took a drink lit the water pall I 1 saw by his face that lie ho was unusually wrought up my heavens an earth I 1 he exclaimed ns desat he sat down again its the brain colic I 1 said to myself I 1 looked nt at him mr barnes seemed to have it also atoo too much note I 1 whispered im awful sorry but ive done everything I 1 could said mr barnes ain aint 4 there somebody take another mortgage 7 it ought to be safe now my uncle bugge suggested sted money isso is so tight it cant bo be done the bank has got all the ilie money nn an scrimshaw Srim drIni shaw owns the bank ne ive v tried and tried but ill make you safe cute ill give you a mortgage until I 1 can turn round so I 1 i saw how rodney byrncs like other r settlers in alch hiti had gone into bondage to the landlord ilow how much do you owe on this tl is place barnes asked seven hundred an fifty dollars said nay uncle Is it due iner its been due a year an it if I 1 have to pay that note ru FU be short nay my interest 11 god 0 israeli im said uncle peabody down crashed tho etlick of wood into the box what about it would bo be like him to put the screws on oil you now youve got be wean 11 lalni im tilt an ills his prey youve taken the diougo away from tho the cat I 1 remember the little panic that fell on us then J 1 could sen tears teara in III the eyes byca of aunt deel as sho sat with her head leaning wearily weakly on her hand band I 1 if lie he does docs ill 10 lo nil all I 1 can said barnes whatever ive pot got will bo be yours barnes left us and I 1 remember how flow undo uncle peabody stood in the middle of the floor and whistled the iner merriest riest tuno tune he knew stand ind right up here lie he called in ills most cheerful tone stand right i up lip here before me both 0 yo ye 11 I 1 got aunt deel by the hand and led her toward my uncle wo we stood facing him stand straighter lie he demanded now altogether one two three ready sing lie ho beat time with ills handin hand in imitation of the singing master at the schoolhouse and we nye joined him in ill singing an old tune which began oil oh keep my heart from sadness god this irresistible spirit of the roan man bridged a bad hour and got goi us off to bed in fairly good condition A few days later the note came due and its owner insisted upon full payment there was such it clamor for money those daycl 1 remember vint that my aunt had sixty dollars which she had saved little by little by selling eggs ond and chickens site she had planned to use it to buy a tombstone for her mother and father a long ambition my uncle needed the most bilm IN I 1 edw I 1 ik one two three ready sing of it to help baythe pay the note we drove to potsdam on that sad errand rind and what a time we had getting there and back mud and sand and jolting over corduroys corduroy st I 1 bart my undo uncle said the next evening as I 1 took down the book to rend 1 I guess wed better talk things over a little tonight these aro are hard bard times if wo we can find anybody with money enough to buy em cm I 1 dunno but we better sell the sheep if you been a fool my aunt exclaimed with a look of grea great t distress ayes I 1 it you been a fool im just what I 1 be an I 1 aint so big a tool fool that I 1 need to be reminded of it said my uncle ill 11 stay home an work I 1 yo r 0 o posed bravely you aint old enough for that sighed aunt 1 I want ta keep you in school said uncle peabody who pat at making a splint broom while wo we were talking in walked benjamin grimshaw the rich man of the hills ile iio stop to knock but walked right in n as if the house were hs own it was common gossip that thai lie he held heid a mortgage on every aero acre of the countryside I 1 had never liked him for lie he was a stern eyed man who was always scolding somebody and an d I 1 hild had not forgotten what his bis son had said of him good night I 1 lie he exclaimed curtly its as lie he sat down and set his cane between his feet ana rested ills his hands upon it ile iio spoke hoarsely and I 1 remember the curious notion came to mo me that he looked like our old ram ile he wore vore a thin gray beard under his chin ills ilia mouth wits was shut tight in a long line curving downward a little tle at the ends my uncle used to say tant his mouth was made to keep ills his thoughts from leaking and going to waste ile he had a big body ai big chin a big mouth a ilg big nose and big ears and hands ills his eyes lay small in n this setting of bigness bl enesa why mr grimshaw it ita years since bouvo been in our bouso ayish said eald aunt deel 1 I 1 suppose it la he bs answered tired er cr sharply 1 I dont loo I 1 binya much tim unix to get around i have lia to work theres some bome people seeni to be able to git along without it I 1 youve kot got oue one 0 01 these newfangled stoves lie he added its as lio lie looked it over giuli I 1 rich folks can have linao anything they want 11 uncle peabody hall had sat splintering the ithe long ions stick of yellow birch I 1 observed allut tho the jackknife trembled in ills his linstid ills tone had a touch of proceeding no doubt from ro III lila his fear of the man before litta him na as lie said fald I 1 bought that stove I 1 felt richer rl chit than I 1 do now I 1 find and nin almost I 1 ost enough to settle with you up lip to d date lite but I 1 signed a noto for or it friend and hall had to pay it aych I 1 I 1 suppose so grimshaw Grimsh nw answered inso rod in a tone of oc bitter irony which cut ino inc like a knife blade young its ii 1 ans was what business have you notes tin nn givin away money litch aint yours to give id like to know what business have you acala like a rich ninn man when you cant pay cpr er honest debts id like to know that too it if ive ever acted alkon alko n rich man inan its it s been when wien I 1 want lookin said undo uncle peabody Ic what business have you to go en largin yer family another it mouth to feed and another body to spin for that costs money I 1 want to tell you one thing baynes youve got to pay up or git out 0 here ile he raised ills his cane and shook it in theat theair r as he be spoke oh I 1 nent no doubt 0 that said uncle peabody Pc have to have yer money sure an you will have it if I 1 live every cent of it this boy Is coln to be a great help to me you dont know what a good boy lie ho Is a and what a comfort lie hes been to us ill these words of my beloved uncle uncovered my emotions so that I 1 put my elbow on tho the wood box and leaned my head upon it and bobbed 1 I aint coln to bo be hard on ye baynes said mr grimshaw as he rose from ills hla chair rii ill give ye three months to see what you can do I 1 wonder it if the boy would virn irn out nil all right iles hes big an cordy of lila his ago and a likely boy they tell we 1110 mr grimshaw Grimsh nw open edthe door and stood for a moment looking at us and added in a milder tone bouvo got one ol 01 0 the best farms in this town an all if yo ye work hard an uso use common yo ought to be out 0 debt in five years debbe less ile ho closed tho the door and went away neither of us moved or spoke as we listened to his footsteps on tho the gravel path that went down to the road and to the sound of ills his buggy buga na as he drove away then uncle peabody broke the silence by saying iles the dam dest lie ile stopped set tho the half splintered stick aside closed his jackknife and went to the water pall to cool his emotions with a drink aunt deel took up the subject where lie he had dropped it 0 as if no halt half ex pressed sentiment would satisfy her saying old skinflint that ever lived in this ayesh I 1 aint golo to told hold my opinion 0 that man no longer ayeal ayes 1 I 1 cant its too powerful ayes ayea I 1 slaving recover recovered pd my my compos composure ure i repeated that I 1 should shoula like to give up school and stay at homo home and work aunt deet interrupted mi me by saying ang 1 I have an ideo idee that site silo wright will kielp us ayeal ayes I 1 lies hes comin home nn an you better go down an see him byest ye bart an ill go down to said uncle peabody some fourteen months before that day my uncle had taken me to po potsdam ta and traded grain and salts for what lie he called a rip boarin une fine suit 0 ol 01 clothes with boots and tap ap and a nd shirt and collar abil necktie to match I 1 having earned them by sawing and cording wood at three shillings a cord co rd how flow often we looked back to those better days dayal I 1 the clothes had been too big tor for me and I 1 had had bad to whit until my growth had taken up the slack in my coat and trousers before I 1 could venture out of the neighborhood I 1 had tried them on every week or so for a long time now in statsie filled them handsomely and thy th y filled mo me with a pride and faction which I 1 had never known before now may the lord helvye help ye to be careful awful terrible careful 0 them clothes every minute 0 this day aunt deel cautioned as she looked nt at me dont git no horse sweat nor cor |