Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1891-11-04
CHAPTER XII.
A BuRsrED BOON.

1 bURSTED BOON.
| A month passed and thea the great
boom ut Paradise Park received a sud-
den check. A railroad line was located
through that section OF Kansas, but IL
came not To or through the place. IL
ran within five miles of the town. and
the company located depot and laid
out n townsite at the point nearest 10
Paradise Park.
AS soon as this fact became known as
n certainty the great boom burst and
the embryo western metropolis lay fat.
The sale OF lots stopped short, and
within three days the value of real
estate ran down until IL was impossible
TO sell lots Mt any price. The noise of
the saw and hammer ceased, and un-
finished buildings were left so.
Then new town on the railroad was
started under the name of Magic CITY.
| Scraggs, the inevitable, shook the dust
OF Paradise Park from his feet and
went down to Magic City TO inauQurate
boom there; and he succeeded SO
well that within n few DAYS there was
grand rush of people TO the new
town, and real estate craze rivaling
that OF Paradise Park began TO rage.
The people who owned houses at the
old town moved them 20 the new, and
thus within couple OF weeks the
famed town of Paradise Parl-the
! once proud infant wonder of the world
was blotted out OF existence, and
nothing save few old foundations and
the painted corner stakes remained 70
mark the spot where the embryo
metropolis had stood.
The collapse had been sudden and m
expected, and hundreds Of poor settlers
who had invested their little all In the
hope of making u raise awoke sudden
~ TO the fact that they were ruined, and
that their hopes and their money had
gone down together in the great wreck.
Some who had a small amount Of means
left invested In the new town in the
hope Of retrieving what was lost in the
old, but hundreds had nothing left TO
invest, and oil they could do was TO
mourn the departed, and curse ScraQgs.
This latter pleasure. however. was
denied John Green. fIe could mourn
the fall OF Paradise Park. but he had
no occasion TO curse Scra1Qs, for
Scraggs had warned him and had made
every effort 20 get him 20 save himself
John took his loss seriously 20 heart.
and many were the wakcful nights Il
caused him. The sum OF money was
small. but Il was all that stood between
his family and want II he should fail
on his crop the coming season. as there
was n fair prospect Of him doing
since the season had opened up exceed
ingly dry.
Mary, ever patient and long suffering.
deplored the loss Of the money equally
az much as John did. hut made n pre-.
tense Of considering Il a mere trine.
True wife that she was, she was willing
20 bear her own l.. indcrs alone. and be-
sides shoulder a large part Of her hus-
bands. She saw nothing Ia the future
outlook % encourage her, yet for Johns
sake she affected 20 sec q great deal,
and TIE more he regretted, the more
cheerful and hopeful she became. and
the more lightly she treated their LOSE.
II am glad, Mary" John remarked
one day, that you take such a happy
view Of the situation. The loss 81 the
money, and the knowledge that Il was
my fault, II enough % make me despise
myself almost, even AZ best, and II you
had blamed me as deserve 70 DO
blamed, ! believe I'd have gone mad"
fro BE cozTIEUED.l