Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1885-09-11

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look at the place at all, l concluded
to 90 right on an see IL, hopin' to get
homo, though, afore it was so late. But
when [ got back to town it was almost
dark already, an neither mo nor tho
horse had ct a bite since mornin', an
was jest obleoged to stop an let tho
animal rest a couple of hours. That
gave me q dark rido home, an the
roads is purity bad over the hills since
the rains come. What time o. night is
itp Nigh on to midnight, reckon"
"The clock struck twelve some time
SINCE" replied Mrs. Parsons "But
what about the place? Is thero any
house on it, or an orchard, or any
thingp And what does tho man ask
for it9'
There's bit of shanty on it," re-
turned her husband "an' few scat
term grape vines, an dozen or two
peach and pear trees. Tho place is
well up on the mountain an is OF of
the main road, an sort o. lonesome
like; leastwise, I'm afcarcd 'twould
seem so to you an the lad. But there's
a chance to make livin' there even II
it amt a very good one, an / s'pect
may be grapes will do pretty well on part
o. the claim. It's mighty rough an
broken, though, an won't be so pleasant
cultivatin' rs this place used TO be.
''Thcrc amt no bottom land onto it,
ner within ten miles of it fer that mat
ter. An there amt many ncighbors,
an such as there is is poor folks, that
couldn't git claims nowher's else. l
talked with one of 'em, an he said he
was satisfied they could raise as good
fruit of most kinds rs grew anywhere
in the State; an anyway there amt
any danger of their iloodn' il from any
mines; it's too far up on tho mount
aims fer that, an may be the best thing
we kin do is to take it, specially rs the
owner, who lives in town, is willin' TO
take pair of horses an purity near
anything else we have to turn out to
him, | guess"
"Thcn we had better take it." re-
piled his wife. 'I had rather have
place of our own, however poor, than
to be dependent upon somebody
else and obliged TO move every year
perhaps, and never feel that anything
is our own, as we would do on a rented
place. But are you sure about the
title, Johnp Don't for PHYS sake let
us buy ranch to which there is not a
good title"
That's just what told Mr.. Blake,
the man that owns it. told him that
if there was anything at all wrong with
the title l wouldn't touch it with ten
foot pole, but he says it's all right, an
he is to get an abstract of it from tho
recorders Office. The place has never
had but two or three owners, an it's
clear outside of the land grant, so il
there's no mortgages onto it don t
see how there can be any danger, am
of course the abstract will show"
81 almost wish you had told him VIC
would take it. I'm afraid somebody
else will step in and get it first, there
are SO many looking for places now.
When did you tell him you would give
him an answerp"
"He is to come over tomorrow and
look at the things we have to trade. If
we kin agree, then he is to get the alb
stract, an ii that is all right, it's :
trade. wish you could see the place,
mother, before we decide about it, but
don t see how you kin, unless we take
Johnny over to Ritchie's and leave him
while you go an take look at it.
"What do you say, johnny VIII you
stay at Mr.. Ritchie's while mother goes
with me to see the new place?"
"Won't the water and mud rise clear
over us and bury us?' asked the boy,
in his weak little voice.
"Oh, no." replied his father, "Mr.
Ritchie's house is higher up than ours,
you know. There, is not a bit of
danger" n
Then I'll stay"
But Mrs. Parsons did not wish to go
to see the place.
"It would be hard days ride" she
said, 's;fty miles there and back, and
we would have to 90 on horseback,
suppose, for it must be awful slow get
ting along with wagon, now; and be-
sides it would make no difference any
way. If you think we can make a
! living on it we had best take it, for VIC
cant stay here many days longer. We
have no other place to go to, and it will
not be easy to find places that we can
And SO they talked on while the tea
was made and drank. Then they lay
down, but. it was almost day before
| sleep came to either of them.
About noon the next day Mr.. Blake
came as he had promised.
He was a man of medium size and
pretty well built. He had red face
and large mouth, and appeared about
fifty years of age.
Certainly not a handsome man, he
was yet not noticeably homcly. In
fact, there was nothing especially mo-
ticeable about him in any way. To all
! appearances he was an ordinary kind
of man, who had doubtless mined
some; been farmer back in the States,
perhaps, and mt some period in his lie
had probably kept hotel in II country
town, or engaged in some other occu-
patton which had given him n little
more the air of man of business, and
a little less that of q day laborcr.
At dinner, of which he was invited
to partake, he asked blessing. As
they ate he commended the cooking
spoke of the great loss which his host
had sustained from the destruction OF
his ranch by the overflow, and con
demned in strong terms the outrage
upon the rights of so good citizens as
those at whose table he sat.
llGh uC puoSId VII w IL aCsNllptlOI
OF his own ranch, which he wished tc
sell. a.s ..+
1t was well up in tho hills, he said
but it was fine place for fruit, anC
was out of danger from the overflow
and all it needed to make it valuable
property was the cultivation and care
which Mr.. Parsons knew SO well how
to give it.
He offered it for sale cheap because
he was going back East, and wanted tc
clear everything up before he went, and
get what he had together.
He would prefer to sell for cash, bu
If they could not do that, he woult
take pair of horses and any othel
stock they might have to turn out. Ant
if he could not dispose OF them rcadil,
in the neighborhood, would drive then
to Sacramento. ON his way to New
York. and sell them there.