Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1903-12-02
UP.T0-DATE FABLES.


In an early day IN Kansas, when
the Indian vas still WhOOping II
up across the plains In pursuit Of
the buffalo, a man from the East
crossed the Missouri river and
travelled up the valley Of the KaW.
The wild grass was growing %
leet tall and some corn that had
been planted by an early settler
looked like q green forest. "Here, +"
said the man from the East, sis
the garden spot Of the world. This
land is bound TO be worth 500 an
acre within a few brief years."
Then the man from the East
went back home aud sold all that
he had and gathered his coin to-
gether to the amount Of 25,O 900
plunks and, coming back to the
new state Of Kansas, he invested
it in Kansas land at the rate Of
$3.50 per acre, to the last dollar.
And when the man saw that he
had title to 10, 900 acres of good
Kansas land he sat down and fig
ured that within 10 years from
that date he would be worth Just q
million. In the meantime he fig
ured that be could make q rafting
good living from the rent Of his
lands aud have several thousands
every year to the good In addition
to the rise in the value OF his pos
sessions, but it happened that the
next year was bad for the horny
handed sons Of toll, and the rent
the man got from his land didn't
anywhere near pay his taxes, and
most OF his land was sold by the
treasurer Of the county. "This is
hard lack" remarked the hope
full man from the East, ''but next
year | will make it back all right
and redeem this land, besides hav-
ing a lot of coin to salt away"
But the next year the grasshOp-
pers hit that part Of the Lords
heritage, and they didn't do a.
thing to the crops. The man with
his 10, 200 acres not only didn't
have any money with which to pay
the back taxes, but he was shy on
prOvender for himself and family.
In the meantime another bill for
taxes piled up against the land.
The third year he found a man
who was willing to lend him some
money on a mortgage on the land
at the rate Of II per cent and
agents commission in addition,
but by the time the agent took out
enough to pay his commission
and settle for the back taxes and
the interest in advance for one
year, the surplus that was turned
over to the mOrtgagOr looked like
80 cents. And for the next three
years he dug along trying to keep
up the taxes and the interest on
that mortgage, but hail storms
and chinch bugs and occasional
hot winds knocked out the most
of his crops, so that when the
mortgage fell due he had to deed
the land to the mortgage to keep
him from getting a personal iudg.
ment, and the amount he got out
out OF it after satisfying the mort
gage was about sufficient to pay
for a team of spawned mules. So
the man from the East went away
busted and speaking in a prOfane
manner in regard to the state OF
Kansas. But the next year the
land that had been taken on a
mortgage produced crops that net
ted the Owner $50, 900, and five
years thereafter be sold the land
for a IL million, and the buyer of
the same was convinced that he
had a snap.
Moral: It is never safe to fig
ure that you have a cinch in this
world Of gumbOils and sorrow.
There was once a bad boy by
the name Of Peter Martin who was
forced to attend school, contrary
to his inclination, because, as a
matter Of fact, little Pete was not
filed with a laudable desire for
useful knowledge. But since Pete
was forced to go to school, he de-
termined that he would get as
much satisfaction out OF the deal
BIS he could. He was g sad. faced
boy, who looked as If be was a lad
Of sorrows and acquainted with
grief. He also had the appearance
Of a boy who never meditated evil, /
and who, like Washington, was
Of prevaricatiOn. Fer
this reason the teacher took to
Pete and did not keep cases on
to any considerable extent
30 that be managed to fudge on
bic lessons in great shape and got
MARKINGS wha he dfdufe do