OLD HOMESTEAD 



the sharpest competition of white men. The Wilcox boys and 

 • some others were already aware of the great chances in minks, 

 and their traps lined the creek from the State Road to the old 

 milldam. To make it short, the prices went up, competition 

 among trappers became fierce, and the minks were soon exter- 

 minated. This left me stranded with my "plant," consisting of 

 twelve or fifteen old box traps, which I never took the pains to 

 collect. My first accumulation of wealth, this teapot of money, 

 got away from me gradually, but carried me through many a 

 pinch and panic which struck other boys hard. 



Town meeting, or general election, was always a great event 

 in the country, and everybody attended and stayed nearly all 

 day, and, such as could, till after the count. There was no 

 Australian ballot or booth system then. Partisans worked hard 

 for the success of their candidates. Any doubtful voter was 

 first ''horse-shedded " by both sides, then pulled and hauled by 

 one party or the other, votes put in his hand, pushed up to the 

 box and pulled away by some one else, until his vote was finally 

 deposited. 



It was, necessarily, a noisy, disorderly crowd, as whiskey 

 was sold in the barroom below, while the board sat in the ball- 

 room above, and the electors buzzed and fumed and foamed at 

 the mouth, and talked loud, long and earnestly, each feeling 

 that the salvation of his party and the interest of the country 

 rested upon his shoulders. 



Wrestling, jumping and other games, to establish their phys- 

 ical strength and personal superiority, were also common at 

 town meeting. It gave the occasion great importance and made 

 it more interesting than elections of the present time. 



Father was seldom a town office-holder, and never sought 



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