The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-12-09
CAN OF GOLD
Containing $2ooo Flowed Up By Road
 Grader In Kansas.

From the Kansas City Star.
 When Joe Prentice kept a hardware tore in Sabetha, Kan, some twenty years ago, the countryside reckoned him a "pow-ful good feller' but not so very keen at driving a bargain. He always met every financial obligation promptly, and his credit rating was therefore unassall- able, but he took life easy-"too easy goin ter ever git much ahead,' the will lage gossips said.
 One summer afternoon, when the heat of Kansas sun beat down as though in merciless effort to warp and blister all nature, Joe Prentice loiled in leisure on a nailkeg in front of his store. stranger drove up In a buggy, stopped in front of Joe's place and "helloed'' pleasantly Joe always had a word of welcome for every caller, and he was soon in the midst of conversation.
 Git out, hitch yer nag an come in, won't ye?" said Joe by way of cour- tesy.
 Don't mind if l do. My names Evans John M. EN ans, and I'm from Ohio" the stranger remarked
 All the way from Ohio eh?"
 Don't want to sell out do you?" and the stranger asked the question in an in- cidental sort of way as though he were not caring very much one way or the other.
 Nope, not specially, but l allus did say that I'd sell anything I've got eff git enough outen it. said Joe, as he sunk his teeth deep down into the butt end of a twist of Hillside navy.
 What about some Nebraska land?" queried the stranger.
 And then he went on to explain to Joe that he owned S2O acres Of fine prairie land near Hebron, the county seat of Tbayer county. It was raw land, the Ohio admitted bIt If only a nnpSfiOn of time. he declared, until it would be very valuable.
 Reckon I might take in some land on a swap, eff yell let it go in as boot to some money, too."
 There was something muscally mag netic in Joe's way of saying things. The man from Ohio looked about the store and went away Over at the village bank he was closeted with the president of that institution for a half hour or more Then he visited the two other rival hardware stores in Sabetha and talked with several farmers over at the wagon yard.
 He was ready to talk business a little later when he again found his way back to the Prentice establishment. The banker or the farmers or somebody had evident ly given a roseate report of Joe's bus mess. Ii was agreed that the stock should be invoiced, the Ohio man taking it at cost, and an agreement was reached as to the worth of the building in which the store was kept. A certain sum of cash was to be paid and the Nebraska land was to be put In to cover the balance. Joe had an accurate idea as to what figure the invoice would aggregate. but to satisfy the buyer a complete invoice was taken.
 What ye goin' fer ter do with yer New brasky land Joe?" he was asked by one of the oldest inhabitants.
 Coin fer ter raise corn an hogs on 1t, of course" retorted Joe. with somewhat more show of importance than usual.
 What Farm that thar droughty New brasky prary?"
 The village oracles in and around Sa- betha were sorry for Joe. They had heard that crop failures were the rule rather than the exception in Thayer coun- ty, Nebraska, and they were sure that the land that Joe secured in the trade was a bad thing, even If it was counted in at only s4 per acre. But. undaunted, Joe moved over into Nebraska, made for him. self a sod shanty and went to work.
 That was nearly fifteen years ago.
 One day last week, while grading a highway in front of his residence-a s50,- 900 structure, by the way, the old sod house having disappeared long ago. Prentice unearthed a rusty can. Pick ing 1t he was amazed to find that