Amador ledger., 1909-12-24
DONE BY A WOMAN,


wife of the carpenter. was smart
woman. 1t was not so much that she
had the Monday washing out all hour
ahead of any other woman in the viii
Inge or that her hens were laying eggs
right along when other hens were rest
ing. but that she was always putting
smart ideas into her husbands head
end he was always telling of them
The only reason none Of these ideas
were carried out was from lack of
capital. A village carpenter working
for 81 u day never has II bank account
TO back him mp IN speculations calling
for thousands of dollars. That was
tie trouble with his wife's ideas-it
wanted lot of money to carry them
out. Besides. Mr.. Carson was not IL
born speculator He was simply Il
good natured. easy going carpenter.
The day finally came when the car
penter sickened and died. He left
home clear of debt and II life insurance
Of $4,000. Some of the neighbors said
that was more money than his wife
could make in fifty years. notwith-
standing her smartness. and others
predicted that she would take the cash
capital and open the eyes of the town.
Within month after the funeral 1t
was known that she was making Il
move of some sort. The fact that she
had sold her property could not be con-
cealed from the public, but rs to what
she was going to do with the cash in
hand she was reticent. The minister
of her church called and offered his
financial advice. but it did not seem to
be greatly appreciated. Squire Hen
derson. who was supposed to be one
of the cutest capitalists and specula-
tors in that part of the state. called
and tried for an hour to convince her
that pork was sure to go up and that
she could double her money by invest
ing In hogs but she would not promise
to follow his advice. Advice came in
from all sides and was received and
laid OIL the shelf.
A mile west of Highlands and on
the same line of railroad was farm
of 200 acres. 1t was one Of the oldest
and poorest on Long Island. 1t began
at the railroad and ran back to the
shores of the sound-not exactly TO
the shore. but to marsh ana
bayou and three or four tidal channels.
the breeding ground of malaria and
MOSQUITOES for ten miles around. The
farm had been for sale since the Oldest
inhabitant could remember. 1t had
passed from father to son TWO or three
times 1t had steadily gone TO decay
with all changes. and the day the
Widow Carson made her call and an
nounced she might buy it If the price
were right she was regarded as an
angel straight from heaven. The price
was made right. and promise was
eXtorted that the name of the buyer
should be kept secret for certain
length of time. Even before the deed
was signed men were at work cutting
down the dead and scraggy fruit and
other trees, burning up rotten fences
and clearing off the site everything
but the house. That was left for the
real estate Office of the Highland
Bluffs Improvement company. No one
had ever seen any bluffs there, and
no one could discover any bluffs there.
But what of it?
On the same day that arrangements
were made with the railroad company
to build suburban station at the
bluffs surveyor was in the field lay
ing the old farm out into parks. ave-
nues and streets. A few days later
the maps were out Then followed
the advertisements of the new town.
The Widow Carson came 10 the front
now. She was handling the good
thing all by herself-that is. she paid
cash to her assistants, and that ended
their interest in the matter
The Widow Carson went on the prin-
ciple that the bigger her advertise
mentS the quicker they would he read
and the more they would convince.
She therefore took half pages 1t was
costly business, but even bankers came
forward and offered TO advance any
money needed. and every day or two Il
new reporter came down from the city
to give the only woman in the real
estate business another fine writeup
Did you ever see Il woman auctloneer!
Well, the hundreds from the city who
went down 10 that sale and got Off the
train where the foundations for the new
depot were being dug saw one. 1t WAS
Mrs. Carson. \ lawyer ana Il notary
were ut hand TO make out the deeds
but she took her stand on box to act
as auctioncer 1t was s novelty. The
crowd had come down feeling good
natured. and the novelty further pleas
ed them. There were beer and sand
witches. and The day was lovely. The
tide covered most of the mud flats and
the marsh. and If any one missed the
bluffs he wasn't mean enough to speak
of II. That auction sale went with Il