The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-04-14
THAT APRIL
FOOL HAT
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1912. by Associated Lit
erary Press,
BY Nj. QUAD

J AS baby Philip Gordon Master.
was dignified. AS his days heightened
out he grew more so. At the age Of
three he had n Ser had smile on his
face. At the age OF i've he had al
the dignity of man. Mr.. Masters had
been born rich. II II had been the
other way-if he had had TO elbow with
the world-he might have been diff
ferent man.
This dignifed man was thirty years
old and was growing more dignified
every second that passed, when he I'M
dertooi short railway journey. He
had his own private car and the doors
were locked and the curtains drawn.
There came an accident by which the
| train was obliged to halt at the village
| of Whitewater for several hours. Mr..
Masters got tired Of inaction and start
! ed for walk uptown. Ii was the first
day OF April but he had forgotten the
date. In fact, as he was bigger than
the almanac there was no reason why
he should remember any particular
date.
Il You may have seen an April fool hat
posed on the sidewalk. There Is a big
stone under IL. and 1t is trap for the
unwary.
Mr. Masters had never run across an
April fool hat He had never kicked
man or dog or football. He had al
ways kept his feet under him. Would
you have thought that old village hat
would have appealed to him? Would
you have thought that after thirty
years of dignity he would have even
given 1t a second glance? Human ma
ture is queer 1t breaks away when
and where you least expect 1t broke
in this case. Mr.. Masters advanced on
that April fool hat with almost smile
on his face. and when he had approach
ed within certain distance he drew
In his breath. swung his right leg and
sent 1t flying ten feet in the air. Only
he didn't! He didn't send it two inch
es. and If he had been pirate his
swear words would have been heard
mile away.
There were boys ready TO cry ha. ha.
ha. and there were men ready to laugh
no, no, no! and air. Masters limped
back to his car. boiling for revenge.
Whitewater was a solid. thriving lit
tie town. They had no booms there
Its people were conservative and no
one had ever invested dollar in Wall |
street. OF a sudden a stranger appear
cd and called on Mr.. Brown in a |
business way. Mr.. Brown owned ten /
acres Of land on the western side of
the village. Its value was 500 an acre.
but no one had offered any price for
It, Mr. Browns establishment can
therefore be imagined when the stran-
ger asked for an option on that land
at 500 per acre. He got 1t. He eau
toned Mr.. Brown to keep quiet. Then
he went to a Mr.. Gill Mr.. Gill owned
two acres OF land and an abandoned
The value was not over 500.
but the stranger got an option at a
thousand. Mr.. Gill was cautioned to
keep quiet. !
Then the stranger got an option on
he ten acres on the hill and on two
stores. the tannery. the sash factory
ind eight or ten other places. In each !
Instance be offered price and that
price was az least three times what the
property was worth. X
What did 1t all mean? What was Z
,oing to happen? 1t was no use TO /
ak to the stranger. No information !
ould be got from him except that he 9
wanted more options Some said it was
oal: some said petroleum: some iron !
r copper or lead. 1t was even report 2
d and believed that there was a dia
1ond mine under the village. ID
There followed just what might have q
cen expected and just what the "
tranger did expect. By the time he Q
ad secured options to the number OF i
wenty Whitewater was seized with a =
over. The price of real estate began :
lmping house and lot worth $1,000 :,
ne day were held at $1,000 or more the I,
ext. There was n gravel ridge run W
ing along the main street. The idea q
as that diamonds were to be found in ri
lis gravel There was a creek just W
)uth of the town. IL was contended V;
lat the hidden petroleum would be
'und there Under the land on the :"
n was supposed to be n great reser- ~
,ir of natural gas. nj
For two weeks there was no business M
II buying and selling. The congrega- tn
pms Mt the churches OF Sunday hard ri
numbered Il score. There was hard dl
a piece of property in and around n
g town that didn't change hands at %
lst three times. In a quiet way the 20
ranger sold most OF his options at 80
uble figures. One morning White m
lter woke up to ask what 1t was all tn
out. The stranger had disappeared. Ca
sudden no one wanted to buy Or
fore noon there was rush to sell. in'
side OF :wenty-four hours the $1,000 La
operties were l.aing offered for $50. l,i i
IL always so in the reaction. When 81
e town settled down n bit II found ~
lt il had been set back twenty years =
d would have to pare its potatoes -
~ close to keep out of bankruptcy.
Ind the stranger? oh. he didn't
int He was simply the agent of the