The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1913-04-15
THAT APRIL
FOOL HAT
By N. QUAD
Copyright. 1912, by Associated Lit
erary Press.

WAS dignibed As bis days heightened
out be grew more so. At the age OF
ahree he had never had smile on his
face. At the age Of five he had all
the dignity Of a man. Mr.. Masters had
been born rich. II II had been the
other way--if he had had to elbow with
the world-be might have been diff
1erent man.
This dignifed man was thirty years
Sd and was growing more dignified
every second that passed. when he un-
AertOok 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
traia was obliged to halt at the village
NJ whitewater for several hours. Mr..
Masters got tired of inaction and start
I'd for walk uptown. 1t was the first
cay Of April. but he had forgotten the
date In fact, as he was bigger than
the almanac there was no reason why
0e should remember any particular
Aate.
You may have seen an April fool hat
Dosed on the sidewalk. There Ii big
stone under 1t, and It is q trap for the
Snwary.
Mr.. Masters had never run across an
April fool hat. He had never kicked Q
man Or q 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
y0u have thought that after thirty
years Of dignity he would have even
given II second glance? Human ma
ture IL queer. II breaks away when
and where yon least expect. II broke
IN this case Mr.. Masters advanced on
that April fool hat with almost a smile
ss his face. and when he had approach
- within a certain distance he drew
IN his breath. swung his right leg and
sent II flying ten feet In the air. Only
- didn't! He didn't send 1t two inch.
-, and II he had been a pirate his
swear words would have been heard
mile away.
There were boys ready to cry ha, ha.
o.! and there were men ready to laugh
40, he. no! and Mr.. Masters limped
back to his car. boiling for revenge.
Whitewater was solid. thriving 1T
dc town. They had no booms there
It's people were conservative and no
one had ever invested dollar in Wall
street OF sudden a stranger appear
"a and called on a Mr.. Brown In a
business way. Mr.. Brown owned ten
acres of land on the western side of
tAe village. Its value was $25 an acre.
but no one had offered any price for
r. MIR. Browns astOnlshment can
therefore be imagined when the stran-
eer asked for an option on that land
at $iOO per acre He got It. He eau
tieaed Mr. Brown 10 keep quiet Then
hs went TO Mr.. GIL. Mr.. Gin owned
two acres Of land and an abandoned
sswnill. The value was not over 500,
but the stranger got an option at n
thousand. Mr.. Gill was cautioned 10
keep quiet
Then the stranger got an option on
The ten acres on the hill and on two
stores. the tannery. the sash factory
and eight or ten other places. In each
instance he offered a price and that
ps4ce was at least three times what the
prupcrty WAS worth.
what did II all mean? What was
going TO happen? II was no use to
talk 10 the stranger. No information
could I've got from him except that he
wanted more options Some said II was
eesl; some said petroleum.: some iron
- copper or lend. II was even report.
- snd believed that there was a dia.
0ond mine under the village.
There followed Just what might have
been expected and lust what the
stranger did expect. BY the time be
had secured options TO the number OF
twenty Whitewater was seized with
fever. The price Of real estate began
jumping. A house ana lot worth 81 600
enc day were held Mt $1,000 or more the
seXt There was gravel ridge run.
naag along the main street. The idea
ea..A H.. n.