Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1869-08-20

that two hundred will pay me good
round price for the labor perform on it.
And then when my peach trees grow up,
and my strawberry beds increasc-llo-
it's more valuable to me than it could be
to any one else.
When Peter went hume he could not
resist the temptation to sit down and cal
culate how many house-lots his land
would make and he found that the hill
side would afford fifty building lots with
q garden to each one. But he didn't think
of selling.
Two days afterwards, six men came to
look at the land, and after travelling over
it. and sticking up some stakes. they
went away. That evening Peter went to
the hotel, and the lirst thing he heard
was:
AHA, Peter, you've missed it,
"IIow SOP" asked Peter.
why, how much did you get for your
hiIlside?'
"What do you mean?'
Haven't you sold it?'
"No SIR
"Why. there was q man here looking
at it n week or so ago, and to'iay he came
and brought five city merchants with him.
and can take nv oath that each of them
engaged a building lot of him. One of
'em spoke to me about what lovely spot
it was and | told him nobody would
think OF building there ill you got the
rocks off. But haven't you sold it thought"
mo, not an inch of it,"
why. that man told me he had engag-
sd TO pay four hundred dollars for y choice
let of twelve square rods"
Then he will find his lot somewhere
else, guess, till sell out"
Some more conversation was held. and
then Peter went home. On the following
forenoon the very man who had been the
first to come and look at tho hillside. call.
cd 10 see Peter, introducing himself rs
Mr. Anderson,
Lets .ee-I believe you own some two
or three acres of land up here on the hill
side" he said, very carelcssly.
al own four acres there replied Peter
very exactly.
"Ah. vcs-well; ii doesn't make much
difference. didn't notice how much there
was, though, should like to build there,
fyou would sell the land reasonable, |
might like to purchase. 1t would be
enough to afford me quite garden; tho
suppose it would cost about rs much to
till such land as the produce would be
WORTH
That would depend upon how YOU
worked it, said Peter dryly.
40, yes, | suppose so. Bnt you are
willing to sell out, | suppose"
Certainly"
The mans eyes began to brighten.
"IIow li,uch should you want for it {"
he asked.
"Well. don't know. What could you
afford to pay?'
"why, suppose ! could afford TO pay
a great deal more than ii is worth. Rather
than not to have it would pay-well--
say-two hundred dollars, or two hundred
and fifty n. 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 my choice between one hundred
dollars and the land, and chose the lat
ter. but as you seem to labor in the dark,
| viii explain to you. In the first place,
there is no other spot of land in this sec
ton of the country that possesses the nat
ural advantages which this ono does. l
can have my early peas and vines up and
hocd before my neighbors get their ground
plowsd; so have my early sauce in mar
ket ahead OF all others. save n few hot
house owners, whose plants cannot CON-
pare with mine for strength and size.
Then my soil is very rich. yields fifty per
cent more than most other 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 Hourishing 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, and not quantity, that does the
business. A bushel Of cally peas on the
twenty-second Of May, is worth ten times
as much rs my neighbor's bushel 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 save this year six hundred
dollars interest"
Then you wouldn't sell for less than
six hundred, suppose?" said Mr.. Ander-
son, cal elessly.
Gould you sell out a concern that was
yielding yon a net profit of six hundred
dollars year, for that sum, sir?" asked
Peter.
"A.bem-well- ah-you put it rather
curiously."
"Then I'll put it plainly. You may
have the hillside for ten thousand dollars
Mr.. Anderson laughed; but he found
that Potter WAS in earnest. and he cOmenc-