The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1922-10-26
eliminating
Susan
BY JANE OSBORN
g. 1922. by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.

Il should Judge t1at you are ABOUT
the up-and-coming-est young real es-
later in town." said Mr.. Thad Upton
as he strobe Importantly into the office
of Jewett C Howe. He was address
ing Mr.. Howe, who sat at a roll-top
desk inside the little gate and fence
that divided the inner from the outer
Office.
us there something I can do for
your" asked John Howe, rising and
stepping toward the stranger.
Answer my question first. Are you
the smartest real estate man in town?
Don't lie to me. If you think you are,
say So"
Frankly, 1 believe I am" said John
Howe.
Then Mr.. Thad Upton stretched out
his hand and shook that of Mr.. John
Howe, who ushered the older mar to
the chair beside his desk. That q
the beginning of the business rela-
tlons of Messrs. Thad Upton and John
Howe.
II want you to sell the old Truax
property" Mr.. Upton explained. MY
mother was q Truax. A bachelor
brother Of hers came by the home
stead and willed it to me. But there
is one specification in the will. It's
mine to do what l want with 1t pro-
viding if / do sell l must let Susan
Truax, his grandniece, have first
chance to buy it, and / must let her
have it at a maximum of $4,000.
Now, here's what / want you to do:
That property Is worth considerably
more than ~that-$40,000 at least. 1
want you to eliminate this Susan
Truax as a possible purchaser. I never
clapped eyes on her. All / know is
that she is a daughter Of a cousin,
lives in Fairfield and is, or ought to
be, twenty-five years old this coming
June"
"But how shall I 60 about it?" asked
Mr.. Howe. "If she gets any idea that
the property is worth more than the
thirty thousand dollars she will buy
1t whether she wants to keep it or not.
OF course, 1 can't approach her di-
rectly. She'll see at once there is
some motive"
81 don't care how you go about it,"
said old Thad Upton. "If you are as
smart as the folks In this town think
you are then you'll eliminate Susan
as a possible purchaser. ] may as
well tell you the truth-I'm not count
ing on making ms profit IN the trans
action. You can keep the profit as
your commission. You see I'm en-
titled to that property through my
mother and this uncle Of mine knew
I was. 1t was promised to her as her
portion. But he put this clause in his
will out of sheer cussedness, and then
turned around and left this grand
niece $4,000 to buy the property with.
All l care about doing is getting even
with old Uncle Truax. That's why j
want you to eliminate Susan. Some
how or other you must make her feel
that that property isn't worth any
thing. If she's spook-shy start a
rumor that 1t is haunted. Do some
thing, somehow, and the profit you
make Is youTS.
At the outset John Howe made sure
after an examination Of the old Truax
property that 1t really was worth
$4,000. Then he set about finding,
Susan. All this took time and trouble.
He found a pretext of doing business
In Fairfield and secured lodging in a
boarding house not far from Susan
Truax's home. 1t was not easy, how
ever, ever for the engaging John
Howe to gain entree into Susan
Truax's exclusive social set. However,
at the expiration of three weeks he
found himself a permitted caller at
the Truax home in Fairfield.
He talked of many things, and
managed to discover that Susan Truax
liked old houses and old things if they
had belonged to members of her FAM
lily she was not In the least afraid Of
ghosts, did not object to mosquitoes
and had no'fear of snakes. Mr.. Howe
had thought If spooks failed he might
fall back on a umo that there were
mosquitoes or snakes on the Truax
property.
81 shouldn't bore you with family
affairs" said Susan, 'but / am so in
terested in some property that / have
the first chance to buy. I have an
idea from something you said the other
night that you know something about
real estate. OF course / am anxious
to acquire this old homestead Of ours.
I'd like to keep it as a summer place /;
but / don't want to buy 1t If the $780,
600 ! shall have to pay for it Is more
than 1t is worth"
John Howe succeeded In hiding the
fact that he was more than politely
interested In what Susan was saying.
"Now, I wonder IL you could find
out for me in some way whether this
property is really a good Investment"
Without knowing what he ought to
do, John Howe promised Susan that he
personally would make the ~investiga,
ton for her. Then he went back to
his lodging to ponder on the problem
that presented itself.
If he told Susan that the property
was not worth buying he would be
eliminating her as a possible purchaser,
he would be doing the thing that. old
Mr.. Upton had sent him to do, and he
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