The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1894-03-16
CHAPTER K.
MANGAN AND RAYMOND MEET.

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tive part of the story. He had anothe
days work to do in hunting up the his
tory Of the property in the deeds filet
in the Office of the county register, go
ing away back to the Hollanders, thu
earliest settlers, on through the trans
fers under the English and Dutch char
tiers.
He took the plots where the smaller
pleasure grounds were to be located.
Then he turned his attention to the
large tract where the great park was
to spring up like section of fairy land
in the metropolis, embellished with ev-
cry beauty the best landscape artist
could design.
"Great heavens!' was his ejacula-
ton, and he drew up the heavy volume
closer to his sight, while near bysearch-
ers looked at him as if he had gone crazy.
George Leland" he read, calming
down. George Leland Strange! A
coincidence; that's all's in it'll"
The lots were ~ owned by George
Leland, purchased at about the. same
time from men whose names were known
in the history of the county as those of
people of quaint manners and methods.
They were men who lived in the past
The encroachments of the city Jared up
on their country senses, and though they
had not much faith in the greater de-
velopment of the municipality they
feared it enough to sell out their home
steads and move farther back from the
march of peace destroying progress.
The price placed upon the land in the
days when Leland bought it was not
high. Even in the city people had no
idea that this tract would form several
wards in the course of time. This is
not surprising to those who recall that
when the city hall in New York was
erected old material was used in the
rear, because the building was on the
outskirts of the town, and no one be-
lieved that the roar of traffic would ever
be heard behind it. The rear was not
even rough cast. The projectors of the
building were not adjudged thoroughly
sane, and had they dared TO intimate
that any citizen would travel beyond
and inspect it from country view
they would have been hooted out of
town. The city today runs 10 miles
above the city hall.
In Brooklyn, which will yet form
part of the greater New York, the city
hall was built to meet the demands of
the growth of 100 years. 1t failed to
supply the needs of 10. The munich
pal building was erected later. Still
the city strided out on Long Island, and
more room was required in places of
public business. There are eight large
in that city today occupied by
governmental departments, and yet the
pleasant little gentleman who has been
deputy county treasurer for quarter of
q century, James Gardiner, remembers
the time when if claim was presented
against the municipality the treasurer
put his hands into his pockets to see if
there was enough change in the treas
ury to pay the bill. This year the run
ming expenses of the government there
will cost over $40, 900, 900, and the city !
alone is rich enough to carry the mag !
aificent debt of $50, 10000
Can the cause of the remarkable in |
,rease in the value of the land George
leland acquired 90 years before be bet
er illustratedf
But was this George Leland the father |
Il Isabel?
That was the question forcing itself |
,efore Laurence Mangan. 1t was a
Wild dream maybe, but he could not |
ret rid of it. So he gathered all his |
acts together. He went into the board |
f assessment and found that Leland |
lad not paid taxes. He learned in the |
rrears department that the lands had |
,een sold, and the skirmish he had with |
he registrar had been outlined by that |
worthy official in way that leaves no
iced for repetition.
Maybe this is Isabel's father /
nused Mangan, after leaving the regis
rar's, land at all events it will do no
Iarm to run him down. If he is alive |
will be good thing to tell him that
lis neglect of the taxes is about to cost I
i'm a loss of millions. I'll see Mother |.
t. Gertrude again. There may be some
hing she has not told me that will help
ne in this affair.
Mother st. Gertrude received him as
rs usual.
What are you after now?" was her
reeting.
Its hard 10 tell.
well, if you can't tell, can't, I'm
IRE. hope you don't want 90 see Is
on not to talk TO her again until after
on come back from Denver"