The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1858-08-18

would make; and he found that his hill
side would afford fifty building spots
with good garden to each Que. Blu
, be didn't think of selling.
! Two days afterwards, six men COM
to look at the land, aud after travelling
over it, and sticking up some stakes, the,
went away. That evening Peter wen
down to the hotel, and the first thipj
he heard was:
AHA, Pete, you've missed it."
"How so ?" asked Peter.
"Why, how much do you get for youl
hillside ?'
"What do you mean ?"
! Haven't you sold it?"
"No, sir"
"Why there was q man here q weeI
or SO ago, and to-day he came and
brought five city merchants with him
and l can take my oath that each one oi
them engaged a building lot of him =
One Of 'em spoke to me about what a
lovely spot it was; and 1 told him no
body would have thought of building
there till you got the rocks off. But
haven't you sold it though ?"
"No, not an inch of it.'
"Wby, that man told me he had en-.
gagged to pay four hundred dollars for q
choice lot of twelve square rods
"then he will find his lot somewhere
else, guess, till sell out"
Some moro conversation was held, aud
then Peter went down. On the follow
ing forenoon, the very man who had
been the first to come and look at the
hillside, called to see Peter, introducing
himself as Mr. Anderson.
Let's see-I believe you own some
two or three acres of land, up here on
the hillside" he said carelessly.
81 own four acres there" replied Pc
ter, very exactly.
"Ah, yes-well; it doesn't make
much difference. 1 didn't notice parti,
cularly how much there was. thought
1 should like to build there, and if you
will sell the land reasonable, 1 might
to afford me quite. a garden though 1
suppose it would cost me about as much
to till such land as the produce would
be worth"
That would depend upon how you
worked it," said Peter, dryly.
cob, yes, suppose SO. But you are
willing to sell out, suppose?"
Ger tainly."
u,anis-ey eyee-began- brighten.
"How much shonld you want for itf"
he asked.
"Well, 1 don't know. What could
you afford to pay?"
why, suppose I could afford to
pay great deal more than it is worth.
Rather than not have it would pay
we'll, say-two hundred dollars, or two
hundred aud fifty at the outside"
Il don't think there is much use of
our talking, sir.''
"But-you paid one hundred, only,
if | mistake not"
81 had my choice between bne hun
dred dollars and the land, and l chose
the latter. But as you seem to labor in
the dark, 1 will explain to you. In
the first place, there is not another spot
of land in this section of the country,
that possesses the natural advantages
which this one does. I can have my
early peas and vines up and hoed before
my ueighbors get their ground plowed;
so | have my early sauce in the market
ahead of all others, save few hot house
plants, which cannot compare with mine
for strength aud size. Then my soil is
very rich, and yields fifty per cant more
than most other land. Now look at
this: During the last seas5n 1 have
realized over eight hundred dollars from
this land, and next season l can get
much more than that, for my straw berry
vines are flourishiDg finely. There are
not any two farms in this town that can
possibly be made to realize SO much
the time of my produce, and not guam
tity, that does the business A bushel
of my early peas on the 22d day of May,
are worth ten times as much as my
neighbor's busl,el on the first of July
and August. Two hundred dollars will
more than pay me for all my time and
trouble in attending to my land; so you
see l have this year six hundred dollars
interest,""
"Then you wouldn't sell for less than
six hundred, suppose ?" said Mr.. An
derson carefully:
"Would you sell out concern that
was yielding you net profit of six hun
dred dollars year for that sum, sir?'
asked Peter.
"Abem-well--ah-you put it rather
curiously."
IN put it plainly. You may have
the hillside for ten thouand dollars"
Mr.. Anderson laughed, but he found |
that Peter was in earnest, and he com,
menced to curse and swear. At this,
Peter simply turned and left his custo.
mer to himself, and he saw nothing
more of the speculator.
Two days afterwards, however, three
Of the merchants came to see our hero,
and When they had heard his simple
story, they were ready to do justly by
him. They went up-and examined the
spring, which they found to be pure as
crystal, and as it was then dry season,
they saw that the supply of water could
never fail, and all the houses which
might be built upon Peters land could
be supplied with running water, even
in the very attics of the upper ones.
The merchant first went to the man
who owned the land above Peters, in.
cluding the ledge and the spring, and he
agreed to sell for two hundred dollars
This, to builders, was great bargain,
for the stone of the ledge was excellent
granite. Then they called surveyor
aud made plos of the hillside, whereby
they found that they could have forty
lots, worth from two hundred
and fifty to four hundred dollars each.
They hesitated not a moment after tho
plot was made, but paid Peter his ten
thousand dollars cheerfully.