The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-12-28
$4,000 Insurance
Money
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

Nueu henry DdNlS was COlu ny lue |
doctor that he was on his dying bed
he called his wife, Eunice, to him and
said:
"Eunice, we have no landed property,
but have got $1,000 insurance on my
life which will be paid to you within a
few weeks. 1t is quite sum for you
| to handle. You have no business head
on you. You never even bought a
wash dish of tin peddler without be-
ing cheated. 1 have had to attend to
all the selling and buying because you
were like child. You will be advised
to do this and that, and you will not,
know whose advice to take. l feel
much troubled about it."
II shall get along all right, and you
needn't worry" replied the wife.
Henry Davis died day after his talk
with his wife, and there We're scores !
Of people in the village in which he had
lived for twenty years who predicted
Just what he had feared-that his Wire
did not know how to handle such q
sum of money.
Three months had gone past, and
she had made no investment yet that
any one had heard Of, when she sud
denly left her home, explaining that
she was going on visit to distant rel
atiyes. 1t was known that she drew
her Sc, 900 out Of the bank and took 1t
along.
The village Of Lincolnville had been
slowly dying for the last hve years
and had now reached the point where
everybody said that something must
be done.
Things were in this state of affairs
r at Lincolnville when the stage from
= the nearest railroad point drove up to
6 the tavern one day at noon. The land
lord of the hosiery was asleep in his
chair in the Office. A loud call from
the driver of the stage aroused him,
and he came to his door just as little
woman was descending from the stage.
: "Can you give me accommodations
d for three or four weeks?" she asked.
d II guess 1 can," he replied.
- 81 want two rooms" she went on,
land both Of them large ones. Is there
Il any place in this town where ! can
II buy q desk and table,"
Il He showed her two connected rooms
e and sha accepted them at once and
:, told him what changes she wanted In
= the future. Then she asked him to
% have the editor Of the weekly paper
s. call upon her on business matter and
W she gave him her name as Mrs. Davis.
IT Next morning after her arrival little
Ia Mrs. Davis, who had never bought or
:. sold dollars worth Of anything In
>. her life, was busy turning out copy
OIL for the editor and trying her hand at
er circulars and advertisements. When
er the Lincolnville Tribune came out on
es it's regular day Of issue there was
RI something like excitement when II
- contained a whole page Of advertise
ments of what was in store for the
~ town. Mrs. Davis wanted real estate
Mt She wanted vacant property by the
ed lot or by the acre.
te There We're large number of land
+ owners who were cheerfully willing tc
= sell. They offered her lots and tracts
and they came in such numbers thai
10 some Of them had to wait outside the
C. door. To the surprise Of the would
er be sellers, Mrs. Davis seemed to know
at a good deal about what real estate
a. was worth in Lincolnville. She beat
!, their figures down about one-half, ant
as soon as the deeds could be made
a. out the seller had his cash. Then an
n other announcement appeared In thu
ed paper. 1t was query Of why three
fic railroads should not make junction
at Lincolnville. 1t was logical poin
for railroad junction and for rail
road shops that would bring 3,OOl
lE workmen to the town.
There was second query-Why
shouldn't the government be asked t.
deepen the river until steamboats, coult
Ct come up from the bay, twenty miles
Vs. away? The government would do 1t Il
'p- the right influence was brought about
In the next big advertisement Of tin
r. Tribune was notice of an auction salt
rs on a certain date. Mrs. Davis would
resell all her lots to the highest bidders
The next batch of circulars sent gu
no contained the next announcement ant
u the further query:
ut Will you take $50 worth of stock il
iff street railway from Lincolnville t.
ia Buffalo? The distance is twenty mile
rift to a thickly populated region, and 1t Il
:. figured that the dividends on this stool
. will not be less than 20 per cent. &c
IN In while you can!
tn During the week preceding the auc
he ton more than 1000 strangers appear
he ed in Lincoinville. More than 100 haC
nd personal interviews with the Widow
10 Davis. When auction day arrived Their
were 1000 men ready to bid. The wild
M ow was her own auctioueer. and in TIN
ne space of two hours she had sold Liant
ne. that had cost her $4,000 for the sun
OF of $4,000.
he Had Mrs. Davis planned false boon
for Lincolnville, and was the tow
~ to be left deader than before? Tina
=, was suspected by good many people
IN but it did not turn out SO. There ha'
re- boo,, ovraat uaad of something TO lif