The Newtown bee., 1904-10-07


 died, IS years before, leaving his widow with just enough income to pay taxes and buy the thread with which her clothes were mended, and about $90 year for her food and all other expenses; and to be sure, the place had run way down, till it was a question whether it was cheaper to tear down and build new, or to repair: but John Graham had liked the lines of the old house, it's bay window with the climbing yellow rose. and its long wOodShed and milkroom covering the well, and he decided that repairing at the same price as building new would please him the better.
 Willis Lee, as chairman of the board seemed to naturally drift into the part of the work which consisted of reading of the newly filed lists, while Mason and Burns compared them with lists Of previous years and did the clerlcal work, and SO, as he turned over the lists, Willis Lee came to John Graham s and commented on it. John Graham, Widow GranniS' last year, Henry, got it?-IIouse and three acres of land. What was it, last year: Two thousand dollars? Humph. He's laid out $500 if he's laid out a cent on that property. Guess we'll have to raise him; What do you say. Henry?"
 "Don't see but we will. How much will it be? He ought to pay his share of our taxes and he's rich anyway. shan't We? They say he's getting as much as fifteen hundred a year in his law business and he won't feel the ex- tra taxes. Now if he was like us who don't see over $500 a year 1 do' nO' as I'd raise him over half what he's put in, for the place was pretty we'll run down when he took it. an he ain't through tXin' it up yet. What do you think"
 "Well," said Willis, "I guess he can pay his taxes, and he's got nice spot there now. Seems $ if we'd ought to make him pay on more'n half what he's put in. The property's $ worth just so much more. Now l should say we'd better add five hun. dred anyway, and 1 don't know but more. We haven't asked Jim's opin. ion yet, though, and this is one of the cases where boy may speak in the presence of his elders. Speak up Jim!
 Burns face had shown his interest in the debate, and lighted up a mo ment at the half joke at his youth but now it grew serious again, as he said: "I know I'm bit young tC criticise my elders, but you've set mt on, and now I'm like the puppy that an old COW has shook her head at til she $ made him go for her. Seems te me you've got hold of this thing from the wrong end. Our duty is," turn ing over tax list and reading from the back, "J0 atfiX fair and true val. uation to the property set in the list! of any taxpayer who fails to do it fol us, and to make such additions ant corrections as appear necessary tt Has MT Graham put value on hi property?"
 "No, he left that for us."
 Well then, what's the property worth to-day? That's what we've go to consider. He gave a thousand dol lars for it they say, and they say 'twa a fair sale. If he's put in $500 more that property ain't worth any twenty five or six hundred dollars, which NJ, Lees going to tax him on, is it M Lee?"
 "Hold on, young man, if we leave il to you there won't be any grand lis we can find without spectacles in thi town. When mans put money int real estate the values got to be there somewhere, and it ain't just to tn, l U d man who has been spending mone on his place, now is it? Particular, when he's full an able to pay it.''
 "Well as to that, MT Lee, you're some right, but 1 guess you're Som wrong too. How much could he sel that place for if he got good sale He's put part of his money into build ing fine stone wall that cost hin twice what it ought to, and othe things the same way that was goo enough as they was, an wouldn' make the place sell for one cent more Though he's put in eighteen or $500 he couldn't sell for that now, even a a high price. and I'd like to see hir get over 100. You would't give it nor would anybody else you know il this town. Then as to his being s rich! I've lived in the city mysel and know bit what it means H ain't getting all his $500 for candy an picnicS. Up here on a farm a ma don't have to pay for vegetables no rent-when he owns the farm-out O his cash, and $500 a year will buy Som meat to eat and all the clothes t wants to wear. r.and leave him a goo, nest egg for little fun now and then l know it, cause I've been brough up here. but your city man has to pa for everything in cash, or go without fires, vegetables, apple sauce, ride from one place to another in town, bi rents and all such. It's gettin' towar' evenin'. Let's quit work and tigur up, just for fun, what.he does with hi money!
 He's lawyer. so he has to have al office down town and he don't get that any less than S2O a month House rents in X are kind of high, too and he can't live in six or seven room house with people of his own sort nea him for less than thirty month there His fires don't come out of his owl wood lot, either, and he's got to hay, five or six tons of coal and cord O | wood tn keep his wife and baby warn and cook their food. Then clothe that you could wear up here he can' wear down there. If his clothes ar, more than bit worn or he don't talk. lem to the tailOr's and get lem pressed every little while folks may say he': slack or careless and they don't dare trust him with their work. So his clothes that show are just as much g part Of his business expenses as his office paper. postage stamps and rent He can't get along on less than two suits a year, with other stuff to match OvercOat and good shoes, and evening dress for parties-and he's got to have that, just the same, no matter how poor he feels, if he's going to keep ac quainted with the folks who may bring him business-so his clothes and his wife's and little boys clothes, are all investment which may bring in ten times enough to pay for themselves, but which may take ten years to do it. Then there's the servant girl he's got to keep and pay for, or his wife will be spending her whole time in the house and missing acquaintance which means dollars and centS-and a good