Smyrna times., 1912-01-10
A PECULIAR
FACULTY
BY ARNOLD TREAT
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

school, and after quitting school |
didn't like to work. | remember that
as a boy during the marble season |
took no interest in the game except
for keeps" and usually won all the
other boys marbles. When | came in
from playing the game with my pock-
cts loaded down with alleys and aces
and bullSeyes my father would look
at them wOnderingly.
When | was eighteen | was put 20
work. My employer owned a large
number of dwelling houses. and they
were mostly vacant. The reason for
this was that he would do nothing for
his tenants. They were all mortgaged
to the same man. who couldn't get the
interest on the mortgages. The mort
gagee came into the Office one day
tearing mad and told my employer
that be didn't know how to manage
such property and the houses must be
put into the hands of some one else.
Hartwell. the owner. offered to put
the management in my hands. to
which Johnson. the mOrtagee. assent
ed. | suppose Hartwel thought he
could make me do what he liked. But
in that he was mistaken l offered a
big commission to agents to recon-
mend the houses and gave the tenants
everything they asked. The result
was that within a year l had the
houses all occupied. all in prime or
der and paying u good interest on the
investment.
When | got things running l had
nothing more to do. so | lit out into
the world for a bit of excitement
strOlled down the street, with my
hands in my pockets and saw a red
| flag out at the door Of a handsome
| dwelling. I'd got some idea of the
value of such property and thought
I'd go in and attend the sale. Per
haps l would buy the property.
! hadn't any money even to pay the
| percentage of the amount of purchase
demanded when the property is knock
ed down to the highesc bidder. but
that didn't trouble me a bit. had
the assurance of Satan himself. So
went in and found a lot of bidders.
each one acting as if he was afraid he
would have the house on his hands.
} estimated that the property was worth
lot more than any of the bids.
don't know why | did so. only
know that l felt certain of it. So |
raised the last bid by $1,000. That
scared everybody else of, for put on
look as much as to say. I'm bound
to own this property if | have to pay
double its value for it," The conse
quence was that it was knocked down
to me for $4,000. The auctioneer
called on me for the usual percentage
of purchase. which was S2.100. AS
had nothing but my wits to satisfy
him. | proceeded to exercise them. /
asked him if be would take my check.
and he replied. "NOt without it being
certified" Then asked him if he
would wait till sent Il check to the
bank for cprtitication. and he said ne
would. Since hadn't any check or
check book or bank for that matter
to draw on was wondering what
move | should make next. when the
owner of the property rushed in and
asked if the sale had taken place.
When told that it had he sank in a
chair and mOaned
I've got the money! be said. with
which to pay off the mortgage.
II thought the ease must be one Of
foreclosure" remarked. I've bought
the property dirt cheap. I'm ready TO
sell it back to you for - per cent Of
what it's worth. consider it worth
$4,000. I'll sell it TO you for $3O,O0O.
The man frPtted and fumed and dick
cred. but at last he accepted my terms.
"Iust you give me $4,000 for my
: bargain" | said. land I'll sign any
paper you like"
He agreed TO do so. and I made a
, quick profit. Then | told him that
what l had said was true. and |
thought | could sell the property for
9 $4,000 He declined TO bother with
me, but within a year sold it for
S65.Q0O. 1t was all luck. A railroad
terminal station was put up near the
property.
slapped that $4,000 around in all
sorts of investments and every time |
put it in pulled it out with lot OF
other dollars sticking to it. Some
q times | doubled it. twice trebled it
= and on one deal increased it tenfoId
b When | had got few hundred
thousand together, | went home and
I asked father how he was getting on
y He said he was very hard up. Our
q interview ended in my drawing hin
a check for double what he needed
then sailed out to look around fol
more chances.
Not long after that friend told me
that he had asked my father to ex
plain my success. My father told hin
, that | was no good on the principle,
{ that govern ordinary nlOrtals: that
I. had no sense. no management in tn,
e usual acceptation of that word - il
d short. that | was born Tor a neer-do
: well. but there was something in my
baod e., coc enf,cre, 1,