The Duke of Stockbridge | Page 9

'bolish nothin," said Peleg Bidwell, gloomily.
"It can't do nothin but rekommen the Gineral Court way daown tew
Bosting. Bosting is too fer orf fer this caounty, nor Hampshire nuther,
tew git no considerashin. This eend o' the state ull never git its rights
till the guvment's moved outer Bosting tew Worcester where't uster be
in war times."
"That's so," said Ezra Phelps, "everybody knows as these tew counties
be taxed higher nor the other eend o' the state."
"Hev yew paid up ye taxes fer las' year, Peleg?" inquired Abner.
"No, I hain't, nor fer year afore, nuther. Gosh, I can't. I could pay in
pertaters, but I can't pay in money. Ther ain't no money. Klector

Williams says as haow he'd hafter sell me out, an I s'pose he's goin ter.
It's kinder tough, but I don' see zi kin dew nothin. I callate to be in the
jail or poorhouse, afore spring."
"I dunno o' nobody roun here, as haz paid ther taxes fer las year, yit,"
said Israel. "I callate that more'n half the farms in the caounty 'll be sole
fer taxes afore spring."
"I hearn as how Squire Woodbridge says taxes is ten times what they
wuz afore the war, an its sartain that they ain't one shillin intew folks'
pockets tew pay em with whar they wuz ten on em in them days. It
seems dern curis, bein as we fit agin the redcoats jest tew git rid o'
taxes," said Abner.
"Taxes is mosly fer payin interest ontew the money what govment
borrowed tew kerry on the war. Naow, I says, an I ain't the on'y one in
the caounty as says it, nuther, ez debts orter run daown same ez bills
does, reglar, so much a month, till they ain't nuthin leff," said Ezra
Phelps, setting down his mug with an emphatic thud. "S'poosn I borrers
money of yew, Abner, an built a haouse, that haouse is boun tew run
daown in vally, I callate, 'long from year tew year. An it seems kinder
rees'nable that the debt sh'd run daown's fass as the haouse, so's wen the
haouse gits wored aout, the debt 'll be, tew. Them things ez govment
bought with the money it borrered, is wore aout, an it seems kinder
rees'nable that the debts should be run daown tew. A leetle orter a been
took orf the debt every year, instead o' payin interes ontew it."
"I guess like's not ye hev the rights on't, Ezry. I wuzn't a thinkin on't
that air way, ezzactly. I wuz a thinkin that if govment paid one kine o'
debts 't orter pay t'other kine. I fetched my knapsack full o' govment
bills hum from the war. I callate them bills wuz all on em debts what
the govment owed tew me fur a fightin. Ef govment ain't a goin tew
pay me them bills, an 'tain't, 'it don' seem fair tew tax me so's it kin pay
debts it owes tew other folks. Leastways seems's though them bills
govment owes me orter be caounted agin the taxes instead o' bein good
fer nothin. It don't seem ez if 'twas right, nohaow."
"Leastways," said Peleg, "if the Gineral Court hain't a goin ter print

more bills 't orter pass a lor, seein thar ain't no money in the kentry, so
'z a feller's prop'ty could be tuk by a fair valiation fer what he owes,
instead o' lettin the sheriff sell it fer nothin and sendin a feller tew jail
fer the balince. Wen I giv Squire Edwards that air leetle morgidge on
my farm, money wuz plenty, an I callated tew pay it up easy; an naow
thar ain't no money, an I can't git none, if I died for't. It's jess zif I
'greed tew sell a load o' ice in January, an a thaw come an thar wan't no
ice leff. Property's wuth's much 'z ever I callate, an't orter be good fer
debts instead o' money, 'cordin to a far valiation."
"Mr. Goodrich, how did you go to work to stop the King's courts in '74?
Did you hang the justices?" inquired Paul Hubbard, arousing from a fit
of contemplation.
"Nary bit," replied Isaiah, "there warn't no need o' hangin nobody.
'Twas a fine mornin in May, I rekullec jess zif 'twas yes'day, wen the
court was a goin tew open daown tew Barrington, an abaout a thousan
men on us jess went daown an filled up the court haouse, an woudn' let
the jedges in, an wen they see 'twan't no use, they jess give in quiet's
lambs, an we made em sign their names tew a paper agreein not tew
hold no more courts, an the job wuz done. Ye see the war wuzn't farly
begun