The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1858-08-12
Aha, Pete, you've missed it.

what do you mean ]!
Haven't yon sold it -
NO, SIR
Why there was man here a week o
so ago, and to-day be came and brough
five city merchants with him, snd I cal
take my oath that each one Of them en-
gagged building lot of him. One of EN-
spoke to me about what lovely place il
was; aud told him that nobody would
have thought of building there till yor
got the rocks of. But haven't you sold il
thought
mo, not an inch of it,
why, that man told me be had en-.
gagged to pay four hundred dollars for q
choice lot of twelve square rods
Then he will find his lot somewhere
else, | gusss, till l sell out
Some more conversation was held, and
then Peter went down. On the following
forenoon, the very man who had been the
first to come and look at the hillside, call
ed to see Peter, introducing himself as
Mr.. Anderson.
Lets see--I believe you own some
two or three acres of land, up here on the
hillside, he said very carelessly.
Il own four acres there replied Peter,
very exactly.
'Ah, yes-well; it doesn't M axe much
difference. didn't notice particularly y
how much there was. thought should
like to build there, and if you will sell
the land reasonable, l might like to pur-
chase. 1t would be enough to afford me
quite garden; though 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.
'Oh, yes, l suppose so. But you are
willing to sell out, supposed
Certainly
The mans eyes began to brighten.
How much would you want for it 7 be
asked
well, don't know. What could you
afford to pay?'
Why. suppose could afford to pay
great deal more than it is worth. Rath.
er than not have it [ would pay-well,
say-two hundred dollars, or two hun
dred and fifty dollars at the outside
Il don't think there is much use of our
talking, sir
'But-you paid one hundred, only, if
| mistake not
i had ny choice between one hundred
dollars and the land, and choose the lat
ter. But as you seem to labor in the
dark, l will explain to you. In the first
place, there is not another spot of land
in this section of the country, that pos
sesses the natural advantages which this
one does. | can have my early peas and
vines up and hoed before my neighbors
get their ground plowed; SO have my
early sauce in the the market ahead of all
others, save a few hot house plants, which
cannot compare with mine for strength
and size. Then my soil is very rich, and
yields fifty per cent. more than most 9th
er land. Now look at this: During the
last season [ have realized over eight
hundred dollars from this land, and next
season can get more than that, for my
strawberry vines are fourishing finely
There are not any two farms in this town
that can possibly be made to realize so
much money as my hillside, for you see it
is the time of my produce not the quanti-
ty that does the business. A bushel of
my early peas on the 22d day of May,
are worth ten times as much as my neigh.
boris bushel on the first of July and Au-
gust. Two hundred dollars will more
than pay me for all my time and trouble
in attending to my land; SO you see | have
this year six hundred dollars interest
Then you wouldn't sell for less than
six hundred, suppose 7 said Mr.. Ander-
son, carefully
Would you sell out concern that was
yielding you net profit of six hundred
dollars year for that sum, sir 7 asked
Peter.
'Ahem-well--ah-you put it rather
euriously.'
Then I'll put it plainly. You may
have the hillside for ten thousand dollars.
Mr.. Anderson laughed, but he found
that Peter was in earnest, and he COM
menced to curse and swear. At this, Pc
ter simply turned and left his customer
to himself, aud 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 sto-
ry they were ready to do justly by him.
They went up to examine the spring,
which they found to bo 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 merchants first went to the man
who owned the land above Peters, lnclu-
ding the ledge and the spring. and he a.
greed to sell for two hundred dollars =
This, to builders, was great bargain, for
tho stone of the ledge was excellent gran
ite. Then they called surveyor and
made plot Of the hillside, whereby the y
found that they could have forty building