The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1888-11-30

An sech Ian. 'cept dat little strip OF
meadder it's SO pore it wouldn't sprout
peas"
You see," said one of the men,
turning to me in good-humored expla-
nation and shifting the quid of tobacco
he was chewing from one cheek to the
other, '.you see when they was a sur
veyin' and prospectin' of the whole
kentry to build this here railroad. one
OF the lines they surveyed was right
through gap in the mountains that
belongs to Jim. "Wa-al," with a lazy
drawl, nobody never thought nothin'
about it tell one these smart Elicky
real estate agents comes along an he
goes to Jim an tells him how the road s
jest boun' to come that way thro' the
gap, an that's jest the place for town,
an they'll lay out the valley in town
lots, an they'll get a lot of fellers from
the cities to come up and buy 'em. an
they'll build q big summer hotel, an
they'll make more money than you kin
shake a stick at. At fust, Jim he
wouldn't hear of it, but the Teller was
one of them slick talkin' chaps with
tongues that run, like they are creased,
and in the end he nigh an about run
Jim crazy with the idea of gettin' rich.
Wa-al, the Teller he measured
an he measured and he staked of
streets an avenoos and corner
lots iist like sho nough town, right
there in the gap of the mountain; an If
you'll believe me, he went down to
Ro'noke an Norfolk an lot mo- places
and talked up Jim's place-Boomtown,
he called it-tell he got a lot of them
city chaps to come up to the sale. Cose,
l went. faint every day you gifts to
walk down the streets of a city where
they amt nary house. an anyhow.
they was goin' to have big dinner.
After dinner the auctioueer (they d
fotch one up from the city, got up an
he bugun to talk bout the railroad an
what it was goin' to do for the kentry
tell you'd a thought it was jest goin' to
haul gold for us to shovel up. An
thSn he went on an on about the noun
tains, an said they was chists with for
tunes locked up in 'em in iron an
marble an lime. an then he turned up
his eyes like a wall-eyed boss and says:
What do seea l see right here in
this valley great manufacturing city.
Instid of the song of the bird the whir
of machinery. Where the wild flower
now blooms vast factories, lots selling
for few dollars a foot
worth hundreds in few years, on yon-
der heights n great summer resort
where thousands of guests are intoxi-
Gated with the wine of mountain air.
Great Jehosiphat, says to myself, eff
he kin see all that in this valley he'd
better rent his eyes out for telescope.
An then he went on talkin' an t kim +,
an after awhile he begun to auction off
the lots. Twas standin' by Jim all the
while the Teller was talkin', an seen
him gittin mighty pale an a tremblin' /,
an Jest as man from Norfolk bid on
the fust lot he stepped forward an says:
Il forbid the sale. It's mine an I'll
keep it You see he done believe every
blamed word that the auctioneer said,
an he thought that old valley of hisen
was worth as much as the heart of the
town. Wall. the Teller that rot up the
thing was mad as hornet, but twarnt
no use. Jim's one O the set kind All
the Edmondses is, en- faint no use
awaistin' your breath contendin' with
EN-. en- the folks jes had to go home a
cussin' the real-estate chap for bringin'
'em there on sech a wild goose chase. "
The speaker paused moment and
then added:
After all, when they did build the
railroad. they didu't run it through
Jim's gap in the mountains. but pears
like it all Jest turned his head He's
still looking for the railroad and the
city to be built there, an he feels Jest
as rich as eff he owned EN- all instead
of them pore. red gully hills
A little, wizzened man. biting a
straw nervously between his teeth.
broke in with:
Its agin the Scriptures to set your
affections on the riches of this worT.
Eff Jim set as much store by the New
Jeruslem as he do by Boomtown it
would be better for him in this worr
and the mex. Amt no good ever come
of settin' yo'self up better'n your
neighbors. Jes look at Bill Robertson
son. His father a inchin' and pinehin'
to save, an so close he would skun a
flea for his hide an taller, an send the
boy of to school. and when he got
back he's that full of pomposity and
ve-bosity you couldn't understand what
he's talkin' about"
That. So" chimed in another,
riches brings their HeeTs an troubles
When | was down in the mountain last
week met Tom Cyarter, an he was q
tellin' me he done adopted son. Lawd
a mighty, Tom says what On earth is
q single man ike you, without no
women folks in the house, agoin' to do
with a baby? Why, ef it had the collie
you wouldn't know how to make SCOT
tea an as for bringin' it through teeth
in, tell you candid, don't believe
you can do it With that he burst out
laughin'. and said he'd show me his
baby, an I'm blamed eff he hadn't
'dopted a great big teller, nigh en- about
as big an old as he was He said he
did it for comp'ny, but it stands TO rea-
son that ef Tom had a had TO work he
wouldn't had no call to saddle hisself
with that great feller for comp'ny.
Howsomever. Tom said he had q