Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1874-12-26
in the Turks to venture my money
there. My doubt was removed by the
further remarks of Mr.. LYNX.

in the Turks to venture my money
there. My doubt was removed by the
further remarks of Mr.. Lynx.
"Constantinople is a town in Min
nesota, which, venture to say, in the
course of ten years will contain twenty
five thousand inhabitants"
"I do not think ever heard of it,"
"That is not surprising. A few years
since Chicago was mere trading-post
and the wigwams of the Indians. Now
it rivals our largest Eastern cities. ]
might point you to many other exam
Piles, but it is needless. You, sir, do not
need to be informed of the almost mag
ical growth of our Western towns and
cities.
I ventured to inquire more particu-
larly respecting the town of CONSTANT
nople.
Fortunately" replied Mr.. Lynx,
"I have a plan of the town in my
pocket"
He drew out large sheet containing
the plan Of town regularly laid out
into streets, lots, ETC., with here and
there public building indicated.
There" said he, indicating the CEN
tral part with his finger, "are two
churches Methodist and Baptist, and
it is proposed to offer the lot contigu-
Gus to the Congregationalists, on con-
dition of their erecting o handsome
church edifice upon it. In the immedi-
ate vicinity some ten acres are reserved,
as you perceive, for public park. This
is thing which ought never to be for
gotten in lying out town."
I looked out of my Office window
upon the brick wall opposite, and COR
daily agreed with Mr.. Lynx in his re-
mark.
"This little mark" he continued,
" indicates the bank. Near by this is
the Constantinople Hotel. Those little
dots stand for workshops of various
kinds. BY the way, I forgot to say that
the name proposed for the lot set apart
for public purposes is Hyde Park"
"Isn't that rather an imposing name
for village common?' I ventured to
inquire.
"Well perhaps So" said Mr.. Lynx,
hesitatingly; but our principle is to
take good names wherever we can find
them. For that reason, knowing that
the place was destined some day to be-
come large one, we give it high
sounding name. Years hence (of course,
do not pretend to fix the time), be-
lieve, the Constantinople of the East
ern continent will dwindle into insig-
nifcance by the side of that in our
Western world"
"You are sanguine, MIR. Lynx"
"And you would be, also, Mr.. Flint,
were you aware of the immense natural
of this promising town."
need not detail the conversation which
followed. 1t is sufficient to say that
the eloquence of Mr.. Lynx fell not
upon stony (albeit upon Flint-y) ground.
Within an hour I was the legal pos
SCISSOR of one hundred and sixty acres
situated in Constantinople. Forty acres
were in the center of the town-the re-
mainder on the outskirts. These, to-
gether with the commission paid to Mr.
Lynx, just swallowed up my aunt's be-
quest.
Some weeks since, having o brief
respite from business, I prepared, as
usual, to take Summer trip. Where
should I go? To Saratoga, Newport,
Nahant?
The question was propounded by my
friends.
ct shall 60 to neither Of these
places" I replied.
You 60 to the White Mountains,
then, or to Niagara
"Still wrong"
"Where then, are you going?'
"To Constantinople," replied,
firmly.
My friends looked at each other in
blank amazement. and, believe, had
serious doubts as to my sanity, until I
assured them that I did not mean the
ancient Byzantium, but q fourishing
town in Minnesota. They manifested
considerable surprise at the singularity
of my taste. I gave no explanations.
reserving those for future time.
Travelling in cars and steamboats,
I found somewhat fatiguing. I en-
ployed the leasure which it afforded in
studying the plan of Constantinople, of
which Mr.. Lynx had obligingly given
me copy. I INDUCED in conjectures
as to the probable appearance of the
place.
The picture which my fancy painted
was something like this: o town of four
or five thousand inhabitants, with
churches, schools, stores, workshops, a
beautiful park, neatly fenced, and a
bank; in fine, just such a town as we
often see in New England, with gen.
eral air of thrift and prosperity pervad-
ing it. There might be a newspaper,
for aught I knew, in which case I was
determined to put down my name as q
subscriber at once. This would be no
more than my duty Us public-spirited
citizen.
I need not dwell upon the details of
my journey. Travelling, nowadays, is
reduced to the most commonplace thing
in the world, unless, indeed, the mo-