The Planters' banner. [volume] (Franklin, Attakapas Co., Lou.) 1849-1872, 1872-02-21

"Oh, yes. sartin. yes, yes! l believe in
Dreams" said old Silas Tatton. He took
another vhif at his pipe, and then added:
!" One of the greatest speculations ever
went into come of dream, a wonderful
dream. I'll tell you about it." And we
listened to the old mans story, as follows
You remember, some of you, about the
great land speculation here in Maine thirty
years ago. Poor men, very few of them,
we're made suddenly rich and rich men
we're made suddenly poor. l was living
then in Grey. One day old Sam Whitney,
Of Oxford, stopped at our place. and showed
beautiful. There were brooks and faRss
and broad plains of pine and oak. with
streets all laid out, and spots for churches
and schoolhouses marked in proper array.
l had cousin living down that way, and
concluded to 60 down and take look. l
found the town of Ellenville, which old
Whitney had shown me on the map, to be q
Wild. worthless trect-all rocks and swaEps;
but on the edge of this tract. in another
township, my cousin owned piece of good
land, and l bought hundred and fifty acres
of it, and made me an excellent farm, and
for that purchase l was never sorry.
Meanwhile Ellenville was nearly all sold
at fever heat. and people bought without
once thinking of coming to look at the land
they were purchasing. But by and by the
new owners began to look up their property
and you can rest assured that they were
blue set when they were assembled on the
territory. Within all the limits of the
mapped out township there was not an acr'
that could be cultivated. On the side tina
bordered on my farm it was c,aggy ledg.'
of rocks; and beyond that, to the eastward
the land settled away under the mud ant
water Of sunken slough. Some of thes
lots had been sold as high as one pound al
acre, and some Of them even higher thai
That. One poor fellow. named John Twist
from Vermont, had paid one pound an acr
for lot that cornered on my farm. On tn
man it had been set down as a magnihaen
pine forest, with beautiful river upon it
border, on which was superb water power
John Twist bought it and paid for it, an
when he came to look at it he found it to
| : mass Of barren rock, with here and ther
= scrub oak and few Norway pines. an
for . river he found watercourse whic
tumbled snow over the crags in the spring
but which was dry the most of the year.
did mot zee the poor fellow when he came
survey his property, but | can imagine no
he felt. ag ~
After awhile, however. the exciteme.
y paseed 81, and the sufferers of Ellenvii
i s-..e1 sAaef 1aels spon the grave Of the
Sph sSppfa3htiSnk A9Rd6s AGd wa0a a0n Of the very be
quality, my wife was . trne helpmate; n
= orops were abundant; my stock thrivet
md found myself, at length, with good
pije Of money tied up in my stocking.
o. essning in early autumn, after o.
e,cos had sll been garnered, man, ridir
F. aery.Iooking nag, pulled up before o
-. He vas = well-looking man, with
!. .e6afo and solemn face, and dressed in blac
Z n - safe enough to conclude that he was
-i-;.,r1nr. md 70 he announced himself.
IA he was the Rev. Paul Meekmore;
I-es missionary on homo circuit, a
II ~ = shelter for the night for himself a
= heea OF course we welcomed him Chef
fnllv: and Ne we're pleased with him.
h.1 Travelled sxtensively. and his conver:
-. - sotertaining and instructive. b
Scr. he vent to bed he read chapter
-. R;Sle snd made prayer. and Betsey q
- - sfter he had retired. that she !
! ~.v.r heard such q beautiful prayer IN
T6. .ext nerninG at the breakfast ia
Mr.. Neekmors Was yery sedate. ne as'
nk;.- and hen only answered q
1.ss.s;s.se were ssked him. Fins
E:stssy told him she was sfrsid ne nse
- IN xell. He smiled. and a ss'o e ns me-;
idresm issine .;% spsl, ,hr.s 2. ,en.. c
slnss dusisg "a s.s.;sa s~ss. be Be,ssy n.y. s.Ied
sgs fH be eoouid Sen Wkas is-.s sl1nst.
- Il Uas tho s1d tort - 49, .n.l,