The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1910-05-26
DONE BY A WOMAN.
BY NJ. QUAD.

tOOpyIlbHA6us iSVS, Dy ASSOClale0 Literary
PressI
1t had often been remarked in the
village of Highlands that Mrs. Carson,
wife Of the carpenter, was smart
woman. 1t was not so much that she
had the Monday washing ont an hour
ahead of any other woman I'm the viii
lage 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
and 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 day never has bank account
to back him up In speculations calling
for thousands of dollars. That was
the trouble with his wife's ideas-it
wanted lot of money to carry them
out. Besides. Mr.. Carson was not
born speculator. He was simply
good natured, easy going carpenter.
The day finally came when the car
penter sickened and died. He left
home clear of debt and a life insurance
Of $1,000. 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 n month after the funeral ii
was known that she was making q
move Of some sort. The fact that she
had sold her property could not be con-
cealed from the public, but as 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 1t did not seem to
be greatly appreciated. Squire Hen
derson. who was supposed to he 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 90 up and that
she could double her money by invest
ing in hogs. but she would not promise
to follow bis advice. Advice came in
from all sides and was received and
laid on the shelf.
A mile west of Highlands and on
the same line of railroad was a 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 and
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 a 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 a suburban station at the
bluffs q 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 TO 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 be 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 n
new reporter came down from the city
to give "the only woman in the real
estate business" another fine writeup.
Did you ever see woman auctioneer?
Well, the hundreds from the city who
went down to that size and got off the
train where the foundations for the new
depot We're being dug saw one. 1t was
Mrs. Carson. A lawyer and notary
We're at hand to make out the deeds.
but she took her stand on box to act
as auctioneer. 1t was novelty. The
crowd had come down feeling good
natured, and the novelty further pleas
ed them. There were beer aud sand
witches nnd the dav wns lovely Thp