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Johnson's Fortune

Johnson's Fortune image
Parent Issue
Day
14
Month
December
Year
1892
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

■Tve done ni y beet, mother," Farmer Hobbs said, coming in Hot and ■uved from the hay field. "That there Iratted machine won't woril, and ef I am to save my Hay, I'Ü have to take that interest mcmey and buy a new machine." "I tlimk ycm'd better not, fatlier, Mrs. Hobte answred in mild alarm, "I don't know -where you're going to ge.t any more, and Johnson is poweriul close about gettin' the money on time I-d be afraid to let it run over a minute." "Well, but, L-ucindy, the hay's wuth more-n the intruet, and you know they's no takin' the sto;k through the winter without it. The cattle might kinder rub along, but the horses i jist plum ableeiged to have thcir -tlmothy, and rny timothy is as íine a piece as you ever sot oyes on." "Suppose you try again," Mrs Hobbs BUggested, helping her husband to a hisoious qua,rter of raspberry pió. 'Til -o out with you and telp onehoke her, a.nd wfU uso plonty oí ile, and mebbe you can rub through jest this oncet." ' ' Woll, 111 try, Lucindy ; I ham t no hopee, Iwt I would like to save ihat intrust money." Mrs. Hobbs st.a&-ed in the fifia till ve o'clock, ajnd the hay was cut wltb íew delajys. The girla brought out 1he supper, which wajs caten with much relLsh in the hayfleld. The liorBes being watered anJ fed. tho work went on by the big harvegt moon, and at ten o'clock ttoe hay from the "Mg medder" was in the stacks. lefw days after, Jim Jolinson came out to see if the interest money was ready. He tied his norse mider ■under a tree and started through the meadow to see Mr. Holbs, who was fenctog his ricks at the other side. -Moses and the bullrushes ! Wiaf s that ?! he asked, gazing at glinty blue reflectioas floating en pools of witter standing everywhere, for it hati rained lieavily the night beSore. -Oia, aind no mistake !" he went on after dlpptae ls fiuSer into a puddle atnd teetüng it carefully with his nose. It was only the day before that the papers had eontained an account of some new oü fields found not about twenty müee aw.iy ; an old partner of Jta's had been the first to invest, and was consequently lously rieh. .Johnson caieluüy rubbed liis linger on his po?ket handkerchtef, stowed the latter in a deep pocket and hastened across tlie field, his face pale and his leyee glittering very unpleasantly. He tried to greet the {armer wlth his aecustomed familiarity, but his words carne by jerks and to guste, and his tliroat became feo dry that he could Bcaroely articúlate. "What'st he matter? Hain't you well ?" Mr. Hobbs asked, suspending hiB work to gaze curiously at his visitor. "You look taller colored as the dead, an' yottT eyes ïs like burnt holes in a tilanket." "NO, thank you, not at all," Johnson replied at randoin. "dn quite well, except husky sore throat- are you wil? And the family ? '■Pretty fair- we've got a ood deal of health mixed up amongst us -you fcnow tlwy's twelve all told." "Tes, a laigt'. Interestlng lamily- -want to sell the farm ?" He tried to make the question lcss eaer, but he could not quiet the tremor in hifi volee, and he was in mortal dread lest Mr. Hobbs Bhould have some ireason to cross the field and Boe the oil, wben hls "cake would be doutrli," as h mentaUy expressed it. "No," M#. Hobbs replied, sbortly, "I'll give yon a good pricc for it- j I want it lor a combination shoe 1 factory. vSct a figger." "WeTl, frwelve thousand- a thousand apleee," sald Mr. Hol)bs, jokingly ; the farm was not wortti more than a thlrfl of that eum. Til t-ake it," with a grasp. "Here tte iifty to bind the bargain, and 111 ÜU out a olieek for tlie balance right here." He lid so, and handed the paper to Mr. Hofcbs, who kept his eountenance and received it with perfect gravity. Privately te was cotivinced ■that Johnson was crazy. "Oome o the house and sügü the contract ior the deed." "All right." Mr. and Mits. Hobbs aecompanied Johnsoa to town, and were ttomderütruck when they learned that the Bale was ral, and that they had twelve thousand dollars in the bank. "Sence that Johnson haln't crazy," Hobbs began as Boon as he was elear of the town, "why they'a somethin' I in the wind. It may be a slioe factory, Iwt I don't belileve it. I wonder ef they've found gold ?" "It don't make no sort of r.iifi'rence to u, father," Mrs. Hobbs answered. She was afraid that her husband might take alarm and want to "rue lack," as she expresscd it. "Xo, it don't make a grata o'difference to us, sin' ve've got enoivgli for the place el they f toe dimonts. I nevorlid like it, an' I don't keer how soon we git away. Iet's buy batk ouv six acres on the edge oí Oloverdale. We can git it íor thrce thousand, an' then you'll ] have nine thousand to put out at interest." "Yes, motlier." '■And we kin git little Jim bis net and eend liim off to be learnt to , play." "You kin do jiet as you please, mother. I'm rich enouigh now, I reekon, to do as I IB, and I hope I won't never want to do nothin' very bad." "That's something you never did do, father," dutifully replied his wife, "and I dotft believe bein' rich is a-goin' to chanige you mueh. If it would, Td want somethin' to come along and take the money away Irom us, because it can't never pay to give up doin' good." As soon as the transfer was made and the deed reeorded, Johnson sent the following telegram to nis whilom partner : "Come on-britog all your loose cash - il in abundance." The cash was sent with instnictions to fcuy adjoinimg farms on option of rhirty days ; the oLl man would come later and bring an expert. The farms were bargainetl for at rldlcutously low figures, and then Johnson invited his Irtends out to see hia "filld." "I teil vera, boys," he said, as he rode up and tied his horse to the meados lence, "the whple carth te juet a with it, and it's just burstin' out of the ground. You see tute country has liever had any oil taken out of it," he went on glibly, "and as it is constantly genoratbxg it has become so chock full that the ground .can-t hold it and its compelled to come out. Tou'd be astonished to see how it is actnally boiling ap." "If must be wasthig H it is in that condttiOB," eome one remarked. "Whafs a waste of a few millions o' barrels f' Bcornfully retorted Johnson. "Ttere's enough left for me and my family and all my poor relations." ' By lis time others, liaving heiird the new, nad arrived at the farm, and quite a crowd had gathered when the partner wlth the expert drove up, followed by Mr. Hobbs. "Ju6t walt until yon examine these blue patches," Johnson said to the two men after they liad alighted from fhcir buggy. "Now teil me if you ever saw a shui-er inüieation oí oil .' The expert jrave a glance over the íiield, took a quick survey of the contormation of the country, and opened liis Upa to speak ; but before he could articúlate a word, Mr. Hobbs broke into the conversation with a remark that sent the oold chills down Johinson's epine. 'And is it them bluie patehes tbat Hadtoarte ile ?" h asked, with a glance toall pityincc. half contemptuous. "Thttt'a a fact, for I used more'n two pailón on my ole mowin machine, a tryin' to get through the season without ímytn' a new one." 'Let thiis he a lesson to you, sir," nai'.l Johnson's partner. "AU the lesson I Bet out of it," asain put in Mr. Holbs, "is that wlwn you are a euttin' hay use plenty of ile." 'lts a- swindls t" Johnson broke out, livid with rage. "And I'll land you in the pen Tefore this is over." 'Don't talk to me aliout s-vvindling," Mr. Holibbs begaai, aclvanMng np to Jolmson, who retreated to his bug-gy "Who was it ewindled the Widow Rob inson out oí her property and diove lier to commit suicide ? Who was it that swindled the people out of their taxes and barely missed the pen ? Who was it that swindled- " Johnson gave his norse a lash with the whip and drove rapidly away. "I didn't know nothin' ahout this lile business until this mornin'," Mr. Hobbs explaimcd to the people presLent. "I kmnved they was something up, Irat I had no idea what it was, for I isupposed every blamed fooi in tlve country would know machlne-ile on a medder after a rain."-

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Courier