The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1897-04-16
Nv.
A MODERN MIRACLE.

Mr.. jenkins tencn SaC In MS private
office in the new building of the ALA
coochee Land, Manufacturing and I'm
provement company, giving audience to
| prospective investors as they were ad-
! mitted one at time by the clerk IN
the outer room. If, in the beginning,
the manager had played somewhat
! leisurely second to Lawyer Sharpless'
lead, all traces of inertness vanished
with the breaking of ground for the
new city, and Mr.. Fench became for
the time an incarnation of enthusiasm
and restless activity. Allacoochee and
it's advantages circumscribed the rim
of his horizon; the rest of the world was
mere tail to the comet of which this
latest luminary in the urban galaxy
was the head.
And evidence was not wanting that
no inconsiderable portion of the world
of investment stood ready to take ALA
coochee at Mr.. Fench's appraisal. From
morning till night the outer office was
crowded with buyers; and the rocket
like fight of prices seemed only to add
to the eager anxiety of those who wait
ed their turns to get speech with the
busy manager. 1t is true that Mr..
Fench left nothing undone to fan the
flame of enthusiasm, and it is equally
certain that some of his methods were
rather more enterprising than honor
able; but no one stopped to analyZe
( the reaping process while the golden
harvest was so plentiful, and M.
rench's little ruses were accepted and
credited by scores of people who in the
ordinary walks of life were neither
knaves nor fools.
"Lot %, Flock lean elderly gentle
man " hose portly figure and benignant
smile were best known to frequenters
the Chicago board of trade had just
81 admitted to the presence-"Yes,
=; that's one of the finest locations in
ae city. Sold the lot next to it yes
,rtlay to the Morton Cold Storage COM
any, and they've got 40 men work
uc on the foundations for their build
z now. No matter what you pay for
! to-day, the value will double within
week; it's bound to. Why-the present
price, did you ask? Fifteen thousand
dollars; and if you stay here till the
day after tomorrow you'll say it's the
best bargain you ever had"
But my dear sir-$15,O0O Why,
that is a Chicago price-and for dey-
ilish good locality at that"
Mr.. Fench suddenly changed his tao
tics. 81 know, Mr.. Brentwood, to a
man who hasn't had time to take in
the details of the situation it must
seem as if we'd all gone stark crazy
down here. If could afford to do it,
I'd hold that pico' of property till you
could look aror' md see for yourself;
I know how hing looks" there
was an imr ing at the telephone
I-"Excuse st minute. Hello!
well, he Who is that? What?
STANLEY IL right; what is it? About
what |, Oh, you mean the one next
to the Morton company? Why-there's
gentleman here now figuring on that.
What's that? Stand little closer to
the 'phone-now then, what was it you
said? The price? Fifteen thousand.
You say you will give fifteen five-I
can't take it till the gentleman refuses.
I'll call you up little later. Good-by.'
Fench rung off and resumed his seat
at the desk. "You see how it goes,
Mr.. Brentwood; that fellow will be
down here inside of 20 minutes to raise
his own bid. How would you like to
look at some of this residence prop
erty on Arlington terrace"
Mr.. Brentwood thought he should
prefer something in the business dis
trict; in fact, that Lot %, Block 16, was
precisely what he wanted. He had no
means of knowing that the telephone
was dummy, rung at the critical point
in the interview by the pressure of Mr..
Fench's foot upon a convenient button
in the floor beneath the desk. Nor did
it occur to him at the time that the one
sided conversation at the instrument
was peculiarly opportune. For the
moment the Chicago broker, like good
~ number of those who were permitted
to breathe the speculative atmosphere
of Mr.. Fench's private office, took leave
of the calm good sense which made him
respected among his business associates
in Chicago. He swallowed the bait in
nocently, believed all he saw and heard,
and refused to be diverted until he had
prevailed upon the reluctant Mr.. Fench
to accept a round sum to bind the bar
gain on the coveted piece of property.
AS Brentwood left the office by one
door, Sharpless entered by another and
sat down in the chair lately occupied
by the last visitor.
''Shut off that hungry crowd for a
few minutes, Fench, and I'll go over
these papers with you," he said.
Fench touched the electric button on
! his desk, and when the clerk answered
the bell he gave the order to admit no
one till further notice. snow, then, I'm
ready for YOU"
well, about this Woodenware COM
, pany; they're all right. They'll bring
their own operatives, and they agree to
build tenements on the block next to
their factory, selling them to their men
on the installment plan. The sawmill
people you know about They'll take
Town company's stock and pay for it
half cash and half lumber. This fire
brick fellow wants to know if we own
the furnace and rolling mill plants; and
if we'll agree to give him a monopoly
on the brick needed by us. told him
kUa would IL ha yvould faka Rlook z Mt