“Hold on, Mister Officer! Dont be in a hurry. We are here by your invitation. We paid you for the privilege of visitin you—paid you, sir, in hoss feed and grub, besides payin by taxes to come here any time we see fit. We have come to stay all day; to visit with you. I have brought my knittin and am in no hurry. You ort a be decent enough to ask us over the fence and give us cheers to sit down on.” You ort a seen them women. They looked distrest. The officer looked tired. The women begun to tuck their skirts close agin their legs. I suppose they wanted to keep my cambric dress from rubbin em. But land a goodness! jist to torment em I said I was goin to stay. I knode they would have no more fun that arternoon if I stayed there. I knode I wouldent be welcome, and if Ide a had to stayed there Ide a wanted them women gone. When that feller said he wouldent I knode it was no use of askin any more. What does he care for the hardships of old Jobe Gaskins and his wife Betsy? So I jist up and says, says I: “Dont worry, Jobe. Weve got along without any commodation from him; we can git along agin. Arter this when a office-seekin canderdate comes to our house and talks about your bein the ‘most intelligent, influential and prominent Republican in our township,’ and is ‘astonished that you ever read sich nonsense as Populist noosepapers, much less indorse them;’ that talks about the Dimicrats all bein rascals and the Populists all cranks; that feeds you on three-for-five segars and tells you they are regular five-centers, you have sense enough to charge him 25 cents for dinner and 15 cents for hoss feed. “When votin day comes recollect that ‘self-preservation is the fust law of natur;’ that the officeholder draws the salary and you pay the taxes; that votin can bring you to distress or prosperity. “Come on,” says I, and we left. None of them was laffin. They seemed to be thinkin. Jobe he was jist so disappinted at not gittin the money, and his perlitical loyalty was so shockt at the feller furgittin him, that he wouldent try to borry the interest money any more that day. We jist got in our wagon and went up that alley by Urfer’s store till we got out of town. Nobody seen us. Jobe is diggin a well for Bill Gerber, gittin 50 cents a day. If they dont strike water too soon, and if it dont take too long, and if the fust of Aprile dont come too airly, we may be able to raise the balance of the interest money in time to keep from being foreclosed. No letter from Congressman Richer yit. I wish interest was two per cent., dream or no dream. CHAPTER VIII. ANOTHER LETTER FROM RICHER. JOBE went to the election Monday and voted her strait. That nite I put another patch on his pants. Ive been a doin his patchin just arter election every year since 1873. Jobe dont mind patches so long as the Republicans are in, but there is no end to his kickin if the Dimicrats are in.