Diary of Hiram Harvey Hurlburt Jr - Chapter 26

A part of the Diary of Hiram Harvey Hurlburt Jr

"Well, now about the time for the lease urged." Wood. Says I What do you propose? Ninety nine years!" He turned to Jewett, and said, "Hurlburt, can keep account straight so you can understand it. When his father was here, I tried him to let me have the book but his father would not consent." We set the lease for three years.

Marshall Cloyes had a shingle mill right below his mill of Wood and Jewett's with a tidy house and two acres of land and a fine barn. Cloyes has a fever to go to Kansas and wanted to trade with me for my place in the Hollow. He kept at his offers of lowering his price until I closed with him. So we changed places.

Now I want to make a statement that I was never really twenty one in business until I was forty two years of age, for I was still caring for mother. Father had hired girl before he left Ripton several years, Miss Jane McQuirey. She did take up all their wages, but left one hundred dollars on interest taking faith note. This spring that we moved up there Miss McQuivey who had gone west with her brother Nathan; ordered him to come to Ripton and collect the note. I did not get the cash quick enough, and McQuivey had a county court sued on there real estate.

I had things to meet of my own, so to meet the debt I worked all day around the mill, then half the night sawing shingles until the amount was earned and carried the account to Wood, got the cash and took the case out of court.

It took just about two and a half months to earn this extra but it was accomplished.

this year we had such a call for lumber, and a large stock of logs that I run the mill night and day. I had my brother Henry on one trip and Charles Damon for the other trip. Furnishing them house rent that belonged to the mill.

Damon was one of that kind of men, that was true as the sun to rise and set. I learned Henry to file the circular saw's and it was a source of income to him, as he went west, finally got a position as a saw filer in the Eau Claire Lumber Company's mill. Some of the last years of his working there he had one hundred dollars a month.

Damon's wife was sick and died and he was in grief. I had paid him his wages up along as due and he came to me for funeral expenses, for which he wanted twenty dollars in cash. I had kept my books posted with Wood, so I knew every week my due. I gave Charles Damon an order of twenty dollars on Wood, and Charley went to Middlebury on foot nine miles. Somehow I felt as if Wood might object to paying, have some excuse, and so I made some excuse for business and went down. As I got to the bridge over the railroad I met Charlier. He could hardly speak, but finally got out, that Wood said. "No money today". Says I Charlie just come back with me. We went into the store. Wood was behind his desk. I said, Mr. Wood. Do you protest my order to Damon? He just looked at me. Then said, to his confidential clerk. "Billy pay Mr. Damon twenty dollars". Some time after I was in the store, and Billy had a chance to speak to me, and said, "You brought Uncle Nathan to terms?" Yes I said, I never overdrawing my account under any circumstances and you have here a duplicate all the time. Yes Wood said to me, "Hurlburt was mad!" Concluding, "I think he would have sued me if I had not paid him!"

Wood had the name of gruffness, As long ago as the merchants went to Boston by stage route to buy their goods once a year. Wood had made an uncommon large purchase at a wholesale house, and he stood in the street, while two young clerks were letting down by tackle a pile of boxes. One of them seemed to be astonished at the quantity; So he spoke to Mr. Wood saying, "You have two stores in Vermont haven't you?" Wood answered, None of your sauce there boys! Down with the boxes!

Hon Daniel Chipman's widow took quite a liking to my Sarah. I was in there one day, Ellen was a year and a half old, and the old lady wanted to tell me that Mrs. Hurlburt was fine looking, and wished me to bring her down there for an afternoon. Now Mrs. Chipman was a cripple and could not leave home, she had fell sometime and broke he hip, had to have two crutches. She was somewhat tall and slim, stately appearing. When I saw her she was sitting in a chair very straight. It was a Sabbath or two after Sarah's visit that we went to church and we waited some minutes and the minister from Middlebury did not come. the old lady sit in her accustomed pew she beckoned to Deacon Cook. Cook went went out and soon back from her house which was nigh the church, with a volume of sermons; then beckoned to me, I went to her pew, and she had the book open to a sermon, then she had selected a hymn, then wished me to stand behind the communion table and read the sermon! All which I accomplished to her satisfaction. After the meeting she spoke to Sarah, to wish he to let me help her home. Which I did. She always had some one to lean on when going to and from church using one crutch. She had to inform me. I read much more distinct than Deacon Lewis, and she should ask me again if the circumstances occurred like today. As we came to the house, she said, Mrs. Hurlburt has better blood than generally m?? for her daughter shows it.

Mrs. Chipman asked us again there to tea one day, and the table was furnished with a set of China ware with her name made in the ware. This was quite a curiosity to us. Mrs. Chipman relating how Mr. Chipman ordered it from China when he was a Representative in Congress.

Mrs. Chipman was a congregationalist of the most aristocratic type. Exactly at 6-P.M. Sundays she would have her knitting work in her hands, and equally as particular would she observe 6-P.M. Saturdays. Mrs. Chipman was the only place Sarah cared to go, except an acquaintance afterwards made.