The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-03-20
GREAT THIRST 90 A TExAN
which ne Was OIad 60 Assuag- as tho
Test &C go Acres &C Rirh LanAL

which lse Was OInd 60 Assuagc ~ tho
test &C 0SO Acres 90 Rich Lana
Il was a g,les. Of a native OF tho Fich
Brazos bottoms In Texas one tima.S aid
a New York man. and he was onssFahsn-
ing me on tramp, Pausing at certain
spot, he glanced over the land and then
gave his arm a sweep and said:
AS far as you can see in all ways nom
here lies about the most fertile stretch
Of the whole Brazos bottoms. and that
means the richest stretch Of soil In the
whole known world. sir; and all that SEQ
ton, Geo acres. was bought, sir. by ons
drink Of water.
L made appropriate expression OF
Amusement at this deal in Texas real 60
tate and Of course asked for a detailed
statement. 1850
YES, SIR said my Texan friend.
'six hundred and forty acres OF the richest
land in Texas. which means in all tho
world, for one drink Of water. IL isn't %
strange. either. when you come TO think
about it. said the Texan musingly. I've
seen the time more than once. I'm afraid.
when I'd have given more land than that
II I'D had IL for a good long pull at the
water pitcher myself.
1T was quite a while ago all this hap
pened. sixty years. | guess. IL came on
at Corsicana. One dRy a man went there
TO do some trading Afterward he bought
the old stuff 50 persis;ently that they had
to stow him away one night in a corner OF
Dominic TESTERS big loft.
THAT was the last that was heard
from him until along about O'Clock IN
the morning. Then he woke with tar
ribls consuming alkali desert thirst.
l L.. h.. lssfe n
didn't know bow to find the way to the
ladder to get down out OF u. lie put his
head out OF the window and as the moon
vas shining Re -aw the forms 81 number
Of men Htretchsd out on the grass below
-'-Hey down thar he yeiled Come up
h'yar. one o you. with a bucket o water.
an III hand you a dollar! He met
with no Response ana yelled loudef tnnn
ever. repeating the Oner. adding that "
he didnt get a drink OF water mighty
soon he would take fire AMI 20 up IN
\ flames. hut no one below moved. Then
he found his gun lying on the noor ana
yelled out of the window:
-'-lf some o you saloots down tnas
don't wake up an say suthin III Send
You whar youth be beggtn fer a drink
yourselves from now on an forever tllt
your tongues hang out
That caused one OF the men belo~ TO
Send an be hanged What a want
~ want a drink o. water the man IN
/ the loft yelled hack. An III give dol
lar fer bucketiul this hyar minute,
J HE'LL tho nam on the grass yeiled
back reckon YOU don't want water 20
rantankerous bad. u that's all it's wutn
-hIf any saloot down thar totes me up
yelled again. I'm give him a slttifkt 70
s2O acres % Brazos bottoml
| Land certificates were the chief Cur
c,IlatinR medium In those days ON the
Texas frontier. To this offer the man be-
Vail / wouldn't climb the laddel
20 you upstairs whar yo is-not TO no
setch foOlishness as that.
-sI'n give yo' a suttifkit TO eto aores
o BrazOs bottom 10 one Oucke, o watIn
the man in the loft yelled To the one oo-
low AN 20 take up with that oner
an tote the bucket or Ill give 20 all thar
is in this hyar fo'ty-fo' o mine. reckon
20 heah me-
then yellsd TO the thirsty man at the Ioft
Pears like you air sum some To-
moistenin'. COnnel, after all. l reckon
I'll 'cede 20 that offer q yo'n an tote 20
} up the moistur.
The man got up, drew a bucket Of
water from the well IN the yard and
. climbed the ladder 10 the loft. The thirsty
man took a long drink Then he PAUSED
for breath and exclaimed
-'- Ah-h-hl POdner, yo have sho "
saved my life An | wish 10 remark. sun.
that yo' We saved 20 own life too,
Then he drank 'he rest Of the water
in tho bucket and went back To his corner
The man who had toted the bucket
returned to his place On the grass below.
Next morning the lodger IN the lott cams
down. woke the man on the grass VINO
had saved his life and incidentally his own
for