Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-04-20

YOUNG FOLKS COLUMN.


The editor wanted him to invest it "a
the newspaper, but Hermon felt us if ae
was too young to enter into such a dc, %
speculation.
Just west of town was piece Of land
tnlckly grown up with scrub oak" elms
and small underbrush. To the owner it
was an eyesore. fit for neither pasture
nor farming, and although only a short
distance from town it was entirely I'M
suitable for laying out in lots.
On Saturday. after the type had been
distributed and enough matter set for the
next issue so that he need not be hurried
on Monday and Tuesday, Hermon took
walk down by that land He met the
owner Of it just coming to town.
Mr. Jones, how much will You take
for that piece of land cut off by the
creek
Il don't know. Hermon. it isn't worth
much, there only an acre of it. Do you
want to buy?"
49,. Perhaps. if | can get it reasonable.
What's your price,
Il don't know, I'm sure never
really care to. Pity 10 break into ones
farm. Suppose, though, forty dollars
would be about the figure
Pine weather for planting corn re-
marked Hermon as he turned back to-
ward town.
q.
Were you wanting TO buy that land? If
you do. perhaps / might take a little less
than that. What do you think it is
worth p
IN give you 500
As land was worth about SO an acre
any place around there they made ont
the papers when they got to town. and
EIermon went homo the owner of an acre
of scrub oak. Gins and underbrush.
AtTpP * II
occupied. As the days grew longer, lie
nad more ana more time out of the Of
nee IN the morning and the evening. and
this he spent on his new possession
With an axe he cut down all the smaller
trees. leaving only the best-Shaped oaks
ana elms standing. These poles he sold
Tor hreWood, for this was a time. and a
state. when and where anything would
sell for wood. He did not have time far
anything else. and so hired man for 4
few days who went through and dug m
the roots of the trees and cleared away
tho Underbrush.
BY this time it was growing rather
late in the season for such work: never
theleSS. when rain seemed to he coming
up, Hermon went out and sowed the
place with timothy.
The shower came. and the bare places
where the roots and brush had been were
soon covered with bright, green grass
Now IN place OF the rough land was a
wcll-kept young grove, and Jones wished
he had not sold it, The scrub oak
makes a most beautiful ornamental tree
with its deep-green leaves and symmpt-
rical shape; the elm, with its long. slim
branches, has an entirely different an,
pearance, but is more picturesque even
than the oak. In the fall his land was
one fine lawn, with diminutive hills and
valleys, with here and there large rock
in it. With his spare money he mt a
neat fence around it-and, was offered
5000 for the whole.
The next year his wages were changed
to 81 week and board and washing
He sold lot, and with the proceeds,
added to what he had saved from his
wages, he was able to PUT up small
house next to the lot he had sold. The
remaining part Of the land he further
improved by laying out walks and thus
heightcning the picturesqueneSs of the
little hills and valleys. This attracted
the attention of a business man who had
Just moved 10 Window and Wished 10
build house. He offered Hern on $500
for it, and Hermon took him M. Her
mon still had his own house and 'ot.
There was what one Western ho~ did
with his money. and there are many OH.
er chances like it.-American Boy.