Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1910-08-04
THE HOUSE
ON THE HILL
By Nj. QUAD
Copyright. 1910 by Associated Lit
erary Press
By M QUAD

a
the house was about completed be
died It was a decaylng wreck when
along came Mr. Bushwick from no
one knew where aud bought the prop
erty for 500 As soou as he had the
deed be offered it 10 any vilager for
$500 and was laughed nj as weak in
the top story
Failing 10 effect a sale, Mr.. Bushwick
hnd the house put In repair and an
nounced that he intended 10 live there.
He also announced hat he should use
it as an observatory or course the
I villagers knew what an observatory
| was when MIR. Bushwick's telescope
aud tripod arrived aud were SET 10 on
/ the veranda he permitted the villagers
10 have look not at the heavens. but
at the earth They could almost see
the huuselics IN the town beneath
/ heir feet
Gentlemen said Mr. Bushwick
when an was ready the prize OF this
property is 800 it viii increase 500
per week until sold
or course he was luony, but SO long
M be appeared harmless the people
| would only laugh at him The first
one to make discovery was Mr.
| Graham He was an old man, and he
| had an old wife They were always
wranginE. more or less When they
| had wrangled about so long each time
he would box her ears. Two days aft
or The observatory" had been estab.
iished aud as tie old couple sat on he
/ piazza Of their house a wrangle took
| place After bit the husband looked
around, and, seeing no one passing.
| he administered Il cuff moment
later he happened to look up on the
! bill and saw that the telescope was
trained upon him If there was any
| doubt that Mr., Bushwcl, had seen hat
| cuff inflicted it was dspciIed by the
| waving OF a small white flag.
| Elder Thompson was good man,
/ very good man as all elders should be
/ and are He was sitting in his back
| yard under an apple tree, thinking
/ how good and peaceful and nice IL
/ was to be- real good. when humble
bee came along ana lifted him once
! for his mothers sake After coming
/ down from his high jump the elder
broke down n young cherry Tree, tore
down a panel Of the fence and ran his
! dog into the house. II was no more
/ than good man should do. but when
he looked w ana saw that accusing
telescope and white tag he felt hurt
aud conscience stricken
! A dozen other things Of the kind
happened during the first week, aud
then the citizens decided that an oh.
scryatory was unlawful They CON
suited lawyer and he smiled az them
! He told them the town could be sur
rounded by ubSeryaturies aud not con
dict with amy law Then il was
thought best to make up a shake purse
ana buy Mr. Bushwirk out
Gentlemen said the telescope man
when they approached him on the sub.
! ject "tbp price of This property is
! $500 Take 10 or leave it
But you have mo- right to be spying
ON our howes,' was returted
There Is no spying am simply
Surveying lhc earth before me If amy
of YOU happen to come within my
range of vision / cannot help H. | do
not think shall write book on what
! see may. but do not think so"
The citizens refused to pay the sum
named and Went down the Hill 10 their
homes. while Mir. Bushwick returned
/ TO his post and his telescope one OF
/ the residents of the village was an old
maid named Miss Saundersou she
had home Of her own. She was fond
Of sfrolliug ,u her garden. Mr. Bios
/ som, who lived next door was fond OF
4 leaning over the lime fence aud quot
/ Ing poetry &C. her Ills wife had warn
ed him 10 stop il or she would quote
something 70 him, bur ON certain aft
/ cruoon he forgot the warming and was
| repeating "Sheridau's Ride" 20 Miss
| Saundersou when there came a wife
club and cataclysm. The telescope
took Il all Go. The white hag waved
Joyously Dozens Of people saw IL
wave and Went hunting for the cause
and there was some more TO talG
.tUal Two or three days later com
mittee climbed the hill with $500 in its
hind pocket aud told Mr. Bushwick &c
take It and get out
Gentlemen, ! am sorry il you have
been put to aug trouble" he kindly re
pied, "but the figure on the property
is 5000 You see. a sort Of real estate
boom has set IN"
The committee hemmed and hawed
and refused TO pay Two days after
thar the report spread that the obsery.
atory man was going to have night
as well as day ghss-a glass that
would almost see through u pine door
Then there was n hustle Three men
took up the task of collecting oh. no.
they were not afraid of the day glass
or the night glass or any other kind
Of glass, but it would be a great i'm.
proyenent to the landscape % remove
the house on the hin and set out some
pine trees there When they Went III
to see NIr Rushwiek again he wanted
S7Do but, seeing Il wa~ they and see
ms they wanted Is better the land
scape. he would throw III $50 and get
Z a 4. /. 4