t this check, an' I desire ter say thet
I am teetotally opposed to the town's takin' this money. If the
Honorable Nathaniel Sawyer, who's the dead man's brother, or Mr. Quincy
Adams Sawyer, who's his nephew, had known that he wuz a pauper, they
would 'er relieved the town of any further charge. We hev no legal claim
agin either of these two gentlemen. Our claim is agin ther town of
Amesbury, in which Mr. James Sawyer was a citizen and a taxpayer. If Mr.
Quincy Adams Sawyer wishes to pay ther town of Amesbury after ther town
of Amesbury has paid us, thet's his affair and none o' our business, but
we've no legal right to accept a dollar from him, when our legal claim
is agin the town in which he hed a settlement, and I hope this motion
will not prevail."

As Deacon Mason regained the platform loud cries of "Vote! Vote! Vote!"
came from all parts of the hall.

Tellers were appointed, and in a few moments the result of the vote was
announced. In favor of Mr. Strout's motion to accept the check,
eighty-five. Opposed, two hundred and eighty. And it was not a vote.

"We will now proceed," said the Moderator, as he resumed the chair, "to
consider the question of appropriating money for the support of the
Poor-farm."

The next matter on the warrant of general interest was the appropriation
of a small sum of money to purchase some reference books for the town
library, which consisted of but a few hundred volumes stowed away in a
badly-lighted and poorly-ventilated room on the upper floor of the Town
Hall.

This question brought to his feet Zachariah Butterfield, who was looked
upon as the watchdog of the town treasury. He had not supported Strout
on the question of accepting the check, because he knew the position
taken by the Moderator was legally correct, and he was very careful in
opposing appropriations to attack only those where, as it seemed to him,
he had a good show of carrying his point. He had been successful so
often, that with him success was a duty, for he had a reputation to
maintain.

"Mister Moderator," he said, "I'm agin appropriatin' any more money for
this 'ere town lib'ry. We hev got plenty of schoolbooks in our schools;
we hev got plenty of books and newspapers in our houses, and it's my
opinion thet those people who spend their time crawlin' up three flights
er stairs and readin' those books had better be tillin' ther soil,
poundin' on ther anvil, or catchin fish. Neow, I wuz talkin' with Miss
Burpee