The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1868-01-11
reformation Wanted.

40 sue NcW 1Ork lrlDune
Could you give me any information respecting
suoh islands, if any, as the government is going
TO purchase? 1t is an uncle of mine that wants
to know. He is an industrious man, well.dis-
posed, and wants to make living in an honest,
humble way, but more especially he wants to be
quiet. He wishes to settle down and be quiet
and unostentations He has been 10 the new
island, st. Thomas but he says he thinks things
sre unsettled there. He went there early v it'll
an attache Of the State Department, who was
sent down with money to pay for the island. My
uncle had his money in the same box, and so
when they went ashore, getting receipt, the
sailors broke open the box and took all the
money, not making any distinction between gov
eminent money, which was Legitimate money to
be stolen, and my uncles, which was his own
private property and should have been respected.
But he came home and got some moro, and went
back. md then he took the fever. There are
seven kinds OF fever down there, you know, and
his blood was out of order by reason of loss of
sleep and general wear and tear Of mind, he fail
cd to cure the first fever, and then somehow he
got the other six. He is not kind of man that
eujoys fevers, though he is well-meaning and al
ways does what he thinks is right, and so he was
q good deal annoyed when is appeared that he
was going to die.
But he worried through and got well, and
started farm. He fenced it in, and the next
day the that great storm came and washed the
most of it over to Gibraltar, or around there
somewhere. He only said, in his patient way,
that it was gone, and he wouldn't bother about
trying to find ont where it went to, though it
was his opinion that it went to Gibraltar.
Then he invested in mountain, and started a
farm up there, 30 as to be out of the way when
the sea came ashore again. 1t was good mountain
and good farm, but it wasn't any use an earth
quake came the mcknight and shook it all down.
1t was all fragments, you know, and so mixed
up with another mans property that he could
not tell which were his fragments without going
to law, because his main object in going to st.
Thomas was to be quiet. All that he wanted
was to settle down and be quiet.
he thought it all over, and he finally con-
cluded to try the low land again, especially as
he wanted to start q brickyard this time. He
bought fiat and put ont 10000 bricks to dry,
preparatory to baking them But luck appeared
to be against him. A volcano showed itself
through there that night, and elevated his brick
yard about 1000 feet in the air 1t irritasea him
9 good deal. He has been up there, and he says
the bricks are all baked right enough, but he
can't get them down. At first he thought may be
government would get the bricks down for him.
because If government bought the island it
ought to protect the property where man in
vested in good faith; but all he wants is quiet,
and 30 he is not going to apply for the subsidy
he was thinking about.
He went back there last week, in couple of
ships Of war, to prospect around the coast for a
safe place for farm, where he could be quiet !;
but another earthquake came and hoisted both of
the ships out into one Of tie interior Counties
and he came near losing his life. So he has Civ
on up prospecting in ships, and is discouraged
Well. now he didn't know what to do. He
has tried Walrussia.; but the bears kept after
him so much, and kept him the jump, as it
were. that be had to leave the country. He
could not be quiet there, with those bears pranc-
ing after him all the time. That is how he came
| to " 10 the new island we have bought-St.
Thomas But he is getting to think st. Thomas
is not quiet enough for a man of his turn of
mind, and that is why he wishes me to find out
if government is likely to buy some more islands
shortly. He has heard that government il think
ing about buying Porto Rico, if it is quiet
place. How is Porto Rico for his style Of nan !?
DO you think the government will buy it?
MARK TWAIN.