The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-01-21

clothes. and permitted him to con
tinue. No sooner was he gone than
| another individual entered, who lm'
mediately began:
"My dear monsieur, you must &c
me a great favor. Buy my house
You are rich, very (rich)-you want
real estate. Fifty thousand francs
are nothing for you-only the half Of
your income; and at present / am in
urgent want Of money, l expected
Monsieur, Felix to buy it.; but he
does not decide, and l have some
pressing engagements to settle" :
Il buy your house ?-what folly T
|. "It's no folly. 1t is a safe invest
ment. After some repairs, in two
wears it will be worth double. I have
your word" and he left without Civ
ing me time to reply. sagja "a
So well did he propagate report
of my purchase, that in two hours
afterwards Monsieur Felix came to
me in great hurry, apparently out
of humor. 'o
i"You have cut the grass from un-
der my feet, monsieur" said he on
entering; II cannot do without that
house, and thought it. was already
mine, as had made an offer OF forty
nine thousand francs, believing that
the owner would surely come to my
terms. But there is no hope of starv-
ing you into an agreement; SO, with
out further preamble, came to offer
YOU an advance Of fifteen thousand
francs upon your bargain" a,
Fifteen thousand francs coming-I
knew not how-to me, who had SO
much trouble in earning my eight
hundred francs of salary as clerk to
the registry Of the courts of law !
Although but little acquainted with
business, I saw the advantage to be
derived from my position, and re-
piled .aa.ed l og.
eft is impossible, monsieur, for me
to give you an answer at this mo-
ment; return at five o'clock I; mean.
time will consider the matter"
At quarter before the appointed
hour Monsieur Felix was again at my
door. .. M .hps #5
"AIonsieur," said I, II had no wish
for that house, and did not even think
about it, when the proprietor came
to beg me to purchase it; and it APP
pears that the house is now mine.
AS it suits you. and any other will
9ass 6NBaa-l aaaa15s ala''sse s
fer" W
"You shall be paid in fortnight
in paper on Paris" exclaimed the pur'
chaser, delighted with my prompt
tude in business. ss44uAal
Paper on Paris / was SO little
accustomed to that currency, as tc
imagine that it would be necessary tt
send to the capital for payment. and
therefore wrote to a commercial
house, the only one whose address
knew, as from that I received regu
larly an annuity of five hundred
francs left me by an uncle, and whicl
formed welcome portion of my in
come. .aa
With what impotence I awaite'
the expiration of the time, when
wrote to Messrs. Hughes q Bergere
that, having certain funds to invest,
begged their advice as to the safes
mode. It appeared that the word
"certain funds" have different accepts
tons in commerce, according to tn
name and position of him who use
them. The news of my inheritanc
must have reached Paris. Certai
funds, situated as was, was a moo
est manner of specifying a consider
able sum-at least supposed So
on receiving In answer from the firr
that my letter had been received jus
before the close of the Cortes loan, i
which they had purchased to tn
amount of $4,000; that, if though
it too much, a large profit might b
Immediately realized, as the stoc
had gone up. A postscript, in th
hand of the principal, congratulate
me on my accession of fortune.
Twenty thousand dollars lTh
letter fell from my hands; tn
amount frightened me. I,wrote il
stantly to my correspondents, inform
ing them that so large asum went b
| yond my means, adding that no IL
mittances having been received fror
Martinique, as they supposed, | wa
| unable to satisfy their claims. a !.
The answer came in day or two
stating that, as did not appear t
have confidence in the Corte loal
they had sold out my stock at
profit of eighty thousand francs, an