Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1915-09-11


higher when any indications of ac-
ceptance accompanied an offer. All
over the state the price OF real estate
in the community under consideration
was referred to as marvel and the
credit was given to the community
center. The high order of morality
prevailing in that town and the fact
that man had not been arrested for
years was assigned as the reason.
Finally one farmer who had taken
a prominent part in affairs did the
supposedly impossible thing. He
listed his farm for sale. He was dis
guSted because there was no Chau
tauqua course and an unnecessary
SIS was added to his expenses to take
his family where there was one. He
was also put to the expense of send
ing his children to creditable high
school SO miles away, where formerly
he had driven them to town in his car
each morning, had had no expense
save nominal tuition fee. and had the
children at home every night. He
had been one of the directors of the
fair and was chagrined over the mis-
cradle failure. He could see no diff
ference in crop conditions, but there
was a dullness and a lack of interest
in the things that had formerly
aroused bountiful enthusiasm
He decided to leave and see if he
could not find some other community
like the present one used to be. He
remembered that a doctor in the rail-
road center fifty miles away, where
his children were in school, had Of
fered him $3.50 an acre for his SPLEEN
did farm. He went to the larger town
one day and after seeing his children
called on the doctor and told him
close right away. The prospective
purchaser told him that he had not
bought a farm and that he was still
in the market and asked regarding
the price. The farmer told him that
he would close at the same price but
the doctor informed him that he
would be forced to offer him not
more than $50 an acre. The farmer
was first inclined to be inSulted, then
surprised and finally curiosity seized.
1t had been only few years since the
original offer of $3.50 had been made.
The prospective purchaser informed
him that he had had four opportuni-
ties to buy land in that section in the
last three months and that he had
been a rather frequent visitor to the
town. He told the farmer that when
the original offer was made it was on
a basis of the farm being located three
miles from -, and now his offer
was based on it being located so miles
from the town in which they were
holding the conversation. The doctor
told the farmer that when he first be-
came interested in the community
that the prosperous town and wide
awake merchants were the index to
valuation. He recited to the farmer
the things that precede in this ed
itorial and the farmer was convinced
that the country town means as much
to the farmer as the farmer does to
the country town. When the farmer
returned home that evening he
glanced at the huge pile of freight
that was taken off the local and on
seeing his own name printed on the
largest bundle he thought of the good
fellow from whom he used to buy the
same articles, long since removed to
another county seat town in the
same state. Before going home that
night he went to the best remaining
store and gave an order, accompanied
by check, 1or every arucle thar ne