The Red Cloud chief., 1891-11-27

THOSE II NOT so BAL II THEY?'
and try powerful hard to scare people
away from here, but it won't work.
We've got the soil, and we've got the
seasons and SO long as we can produce
such stuff as you see there, we're all
right. ! tell you, sir, there ain q more
productive spot nowhere on earth than
you find right here i'm this county. And
yet lands cheap here. Away down
cheap. / a sell you as good land as
ever lay out door for fifteen dollars an
acre. It's the farm, too, that that corn
grew on"
John listened to this speech in won
der. Was il possible, he thought, that
the country could he such as Scraggs
said, and yet he not know it? Scraggs
was a very honest, carnest-lOOking man.
and he spoke in such a free. matter-of-
fact way that il seemed impossible that
he was not speaking the truth. After a
short silence John said:
do You say that those samples of
grain grew in this country, Mr..
Scraggs?"
tUV. tVithihiN, ittu tteTc IL Htt1lUp
remarkable in it To us who know the
country and know what the land is. /
dareSay You have heard wild stories
about this section and are i'll prepared
To believe what l tell YOU. However,
ask our farmers and they will tell You
the same story. As | said. | can sell
You the best farm in the county for
fifteen dollars per acre, and it's worth
more than that to-day, and in a year
from now it will he, worth twenty IL
not twenty five. will drive you out to
look at it if you think it would suit you.
What you say"
why. don't want To buy land. but
just came in to see about getting a loan
on n claim | have out east"
Mr.. Scraggs' ~countenance fell. and he
looked down rather sheepishly. For
once in his life he had made a mistake,
and by his precipitancy had got himself
into a trap. But he was not the sort of
man to allow himself to be cast down,
and realizing that the best way ont of the
difficulty was to put a bold face on it.
he quickly rallied and looking up with
q nearly iaurn SAID:
well, we're all in a bad boat here.
together, my friend. and We understand
each other. SO there's no harm done. A
man can't afford Ia he too particular
about his assertions in this country.
You know. Ha, ha! you were rather
surprised that anything like that
corn should grow here. and I don't
wonder at it. That was shipped in
from back east. But about that loan.
How vas that?"
Il see you advertise eastern money to
loan. and | wanted Ia borrow two or
three hundred dollars on my farm"
"Iou have just one claim
YES, one hundred and sixty acres"
And how much did you want on ito"
Three hundred dollars will do"
Three hundred Humph. I'm afraid
it's a little more than I could advance
my friend"
why. it's less than two dollars per
acre, Mr.. Scraggs."
Yes. l know: but you see this land
is no very valuable ut present, and the +.
chances are that il will get To he worth
Lands that don't produce any,
thing won't sell. You know that"
Il thought fifteen dollars an acre was |
and that next year the price
he twenty or twenty-five" John
was not in any good humor. but the
chance 10 poke the agent this once was
good To be lost
stuff. stuff" Scraggs replied. You
know what that sort of talk is worth.
I'll let You have two hundred on the
but l can't go a cent more"
John held OF for more. but finding
hat Scraggs was firm he finally ae-
the offer. Scraggs got out his
papers and began making out the notes
and mortgage.
Hold on a minute" SAID John. Let
Us know something about the terms
see you advertised them as easy"
"Yes, long time and easy terms"
scraggs repeated.
well" said John. what are they"
why, as TO time. you can have three
five years. We don't loan on less
han three years
And I've got to pay interest on
he money-that long whether ] need it
70 long or not??"