The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-08-11
Eleventh Page
BY
Upton Sinclair

was freshly painted, and made con-
siderable show, It was all brand
new, so the agent told them. but he
talked so necessarily that they were
quite confused, and did not have time
TO ask many questions. There were
all sorts OF things they had made up
their minds to inquire about, but
when the time came, they either for
got them or lacked the courage. Tho
other houses In the row did not seem
to be new, and few of them seemed
to be occupied. When they ventured
to hint at this, the agents reply was
that the purchasers would be moving
In shortly. To press the matter wouli
have seemed to be doubling his word,
and never In their lives had any one
OF them ever spoken To, person OF
class called gentleman" except with
Difference and humility. gh.
The house had basement, about
two feet below the street line, and n
single story, about six feet above II,
reached by a flight of steps. In addi-
tion there was an attic, made by the
peak OF the roof, and having one small
window In each end. The street In
front OF the house was unpaved and
unlighted, and the view from Il con-
sisted OF few exactly similar houses
scattered here ana there upon lots
grown up with dingy brown weeds.
The house inside contained fow
rooms, plastered white; the basement
was but a frame, the walls being un-
plastered and the floor not laid The
agent explained that the houses were
hsulI hot kh.~ N1e.u
orally preferred to finish the base
ments to suit their own taste. The
attic was also unfinished family
had been figuring that In case of an
emergency they could rent this attic,
but they found that there was not
even floor, nothing but joists, and
beneath them the lath and plaster OF
the ceiling below. All of this, how
ever, did not chill their ardor as much
as might have been expected, because
OF the volubility of the agent. There
was no end to the advantages OF the
house, as he set them forth, and he
was not silent for an instant; he
showed them everything, down to the
locks on the doors and the catches on
the windows. and how to work them.
He showed them the sink In the kitch-
en-, with running water and q faucee,
something which Teta Elzbieta had
never In her widest dreams hoped
to possess. After discovery such as
that 1t would have seemed ungrateful
to find any fault, and 80 they tried to
shut their eyes to other defects. s
Still they were peasant people, and
they hung on to their money by M
stinct; 1t was quite In vain that the
agent limited at promptness--the
would see, they would see, they told
him, they could not decide until they
had had more time. And so they
went home again, and all day and
evening there were figuring and de-
batting. II was an agony to them 10
have to make up their minds In a mat
ter such as this. They never could
agree all together; there were 30
many arguments upon each side, and
one would be obstinate, and no sooner
would the rest have convinced him
than IL would transpire that his argu-
ments had caused another to waver.
Once, In the evening, when they were
all In harmony. and the house was as
good as bought, Szedvilas came In anil
upset them again. Szedvilas had no
use for property-owning, He told them
cruel stories Of people who had been
done to death In this buying !.
home" swindle. They would be al.
most sure to get into a tight place
and lose all their money; and there
& was no end of expense that ona
could never forOgee; and the house
might be good-for-nothing from top 10
bottom-how was poor man IN
know? Then, too, they would swim.
die you with the contract--and how
was a poor man to understand any
thing about a contract? II was all
nothing but robbery, and there was