Identifier: bookofcountryclo00john (find matches)
Title: A book of country clouds and sunshine;
Year: 1897 (1890s)
Authors: Johnson, Clifton, 1865-1940
Subjects: New England -- Social life and customs
Publisher: Boston, Lee and Shepard
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
A tlRH ON THE Kuijli Ot- THli WoOUS as one man. If a town hasa poor-house and a drinking-place, I think these voterscare little what else it lacks.The man who runs the hotelis around during the morningat the polls, to see howthings look ; but later he hasto attend to business. Heserves free drinks that day tothe faithful, and the faithfulare thirsty and call often.When, in the middle of theafternoon, it is announced bythe moderator that license hascarried the day, the visagesof the drinkers light up joy-fully ; and they shout, andstamp the floor, and claphands. Then there is a sud-den cjuiet. Every soul ofthem has deserted the halland public business, and gonedown to the hotel to celebratein the flowing bowl the sweetdelights of xictory. Some of the humoroussparring of the day comes onsuch questions as the follow-ing : One man, named Bates,thmks the best way to collecttaxes is to allow a five-per-cent discount for prompt-
Text Appearing After Image:
Old Friends 57 ••A BOOK OF COUNTRY CLOUDS AND SUNSHINE ness. Another man says there is no gain in that, even forthe man that takes the discount. Now, he says, a man likeMr. Bates, with plenty of ready money, pays his tax and gets hisdiscount. But the man wiio doesnt have ready money just waitstill hes made up that amount of interest before he pays. So itamounts to the same thing in the end. There was just enoughtruth in this statement of the case to make it funny. The selectmen proposed that the town should buy a roller.The choice lay between three styles, that cost respectively $185,ig200, and $225. The selectmen thought the one for $185 hardlysuitable, and a motion was made to appropriate $200. This wasobjected to, because it seemed possible it was wisest to get the^225 one. The man who made the motion then got up and saidhe expected that with a $200 appropriation they would get theJg22 5 machine. If the manufacturers knew that was all the townhad to pay they would, in these har

Note About Images