The ledger. [volume] (Gaffney City, S.C.) 1896-1907, October 02, 1903, Image 8
VALUE OF MAINE SWAMP
ABNER
DANIEL
$
By .. .
WILL N.
HAR.BEN
Author of
“tOtJterfelt’"
way and a charter before th(T road
could be built, and I reckon they won't
buy till they are sure of those things.”
“No; It may take a long time and a
lot of patience,” said Miller, "but your
father could afford to wait if he can
Copyright. 1902, by
HARPER « BROS.,
Who Publi»h the Work
in Book Form. All
Rights Reserved • •
t
£ ^ 4* *H* •I*•S* ❖ * ** ’*• * •H* ❖ •M* ❖ *!• -V ❖ + ❖
CHAPTER XIV.
T 1 ITE next morning Alan found
Rayburn Miller standing in
the door of his little office
building waiting for him.
“I reckon my message surprised
you,” Miller said tentatively as be
shook hands.
“It took me off my feet.” smiled Alan.
“You see, I never hoped to get you in- |
terested in that scheme, and when I
heard you were actually going to At- i
lanta about it I hardly knew what to
make of it.”
Miller turned into his office, kicked a j
chair toward Alan and dropped into
his creaking rocker.
“It was not due to you that I did get
interested,” he said. "l>o you know, 1
can’t think of it without getting hot all
over with shame. To tell you the truth,
there is one thing 1 have always been
vain about. I didn’t honestly think
there was a man in (leorgia that could
give me any tips about investments,
but I had to take backwater, RUd for a
woman. Think of that—a woman
knocked me off my perch as clean and
easy as she could stick a hairpin in a
ball of hair. I’m not unfair. When
anybody teaches me any tricks, I ac
knowledge the corn and take otf my
hat. It was this way. I dropped in
to see Miss Dolly the other evening. I
accidentally disclosed two things in
an offhand sort of way. I told her
some of the views I gave you at the
dance in regard to marriage and love
and one thing and another, and then,
in complimenting you most highly in
other things, I confess 1 sort of poked
fun at your railroad idea.”
“1 thought you had,” said Alan good
naturedly. “But go on.”
“Well, she tirst read ue a lecture
about bad, empty, shallow men, whose
very souls were damned by their past
careers, interfering with the pure im
pulses of younger men, and I’ll swear
I felt like crawling in a hole and pull
ing the hole in after me. Well, 1 got
through that in a fashion because she
didn’t want me to see her real heart,
and that helped me. Then she took up
the railroad scheme. You know 1 had
heard that she advised her father in
all his business matters; but, geewhil-
iklns, I never dreamed she could give
me points, but she did—she simply did.
She looked me straight in the eye and
stared at me like a national bank ex
aminer as she asked me to explain why
that particular road could not be built
and why it would not be a bonanza for
the owners of the timber land. I
thought she was an easy fish at first,
and 1 gave her plenty of line, but she
kept peppering me with unanswerable
questions till 1 lay down on the bank
as weak as a rag. The first bMff she
gave me was in wanting to know if
there were not many branch roads that
did not own their rolling stock. She
said she knew one in the iron belt in
Alabama that didn’t own a car or an
engine, and wouldn’t have them as a
free gift. She said if such a road were
built as you plan these two main lines
would simply fall over each other to
send out cars to be loaded for ship
ment at competitive rates. By George,
it was a corker! I found out the next
day that she was right, and that doing
away with the rolling stock, shops and
so forth would cut down the cost of
your road more than half.”
"That’s a fact,” exclaimed Alan,
“and I had not i bought of it.”
“She’s a stronger woman than I ever
Imagined,” said Miller. “By George,
if she were not on your string, I’d
make a dead set for her. A wife like
that would make a man complete.
She’s in love with you, or thinks she
is, but she hasn’t that will-o’-the-wisp
glamour. She’s business from her toes
to her finger tips. By George, I be
lieve she makes a business of her love
affair. She seems to think she’ll settle
it by a sum in algebra. But to get
back to the railroad, for I’ve got lots
to tell you. What do you reckon 1
found that day? You couldn’t guess in
a thousand years. It was a prelimi
nary survey of a railroad once planned
from Darley right through your fa
ther's purchase to Morganton, N. C.
It was made just before the war by
old Colonel Wade, who, in his day, was
one of the most noted surveyors in the
state. This end of the line was all I
cared about, and that was almost as
level as a floor along the river and
down the valley into the north end of
town. It’s a bonanza, my boy! Why
that big bottle of timber land has nev
er been busted is a wonder to me. If
as many Yankees had been nosing
about here as there have been in other
southern sections, it would have been
snatched up long ago.”
“I’m awfully glad to hear you say all
this,” said Alan, “for it is the only
way out of our difficulty, and some
thing has to be done.”
“It may cost you a few years of the
hardest work you ever bucked down
to,” said Miller, “and some sleepless
nights, but I really believe you have
fallen on to a better thing than any
I ever struck. I could make it whiz.
I’ve already done something that will
astonish you. I happen to know slight
ly Tillman Wilson, the president of the
Southern Land and Timber company.
Their offices are in Atlanta. I knew
he was my man to tackle, so when I
got to Atlanta y eterday I ran upon
if It were accidental. J
invited him to lunch with me at the
Capitol City club; you know I'm a |
nonresident member. You see, I knew
if I put myself in the light of a man i
with something to sell, he’d hurry
away from me, but I didn't. As a ;
pretext I told him I had some clients
up here who wanted to raise a consid- !
enable amount of money and that the |
security offered was tine timber land, i
You see that caught him; he was on ;
his own ground. I saw that he was !
interested, and I boomed the property
to the skies.
“The more I talked the more he was
interested, till it was bubbling out all
over him. He’s a New Englander, who
thinks a country lawyer without a
Harvard education belongs to an effete
civilization, and 1 let him think he ;
was pumping me. I even left off my
g's and ignored my r's. 1 let him think ;
he had struck the softest thing of his :
life. Pretty soon he begun to want to
know if you cared to sell, but I skirted
that indifferently, as if I had no inter
est whatever in it. I told him your fa
ther had bought the property to hold
for an advance; that he had spent
years of his life picking out the rich
est timber spots and buying them up.
Then he came right out, as I imped he |
would, and asked me the amount you ;
wanted to borrow on the property. 1 ;
had to speak quick, and, remembering
that you had said the old gentleman
had put in about $20,000 first and last, i
I put the amount at $25,000. I was ;
taking a liberty, but I can easily get
you out of it if you decide not to do it.” j
“Twenty-five thousand! On that
land?” Alan cried. “It would tickle |
my father to death to sell it for that.” !
“I can arrange the papers so that you 1
are not liable for any security outside ;
of the land, and it would practically !
amount to a sale if you wished it, but |
you don’t wish it. 1 finally told him
that I had an idea that you would sell
out for an even hundred thousand.”
“A hundred thousand!” repeated Al- ;
an, with a cheery laugh. “Yes, we’d (
let go at that.”
“Well, the figures didn’t scare him a ;
bit, for he finally came right out and
asked me if it was my opinion that in ;
case his company made the loan you ,
would agree to give him the refusal of
the land at $100,000. I told him I ■
didn’t know, that I thought it possible, |
but that just then I had no interest in ;
the matter beyond borrowing a little i
money on it. He asked me how long
I was going to stay in Atlanta. I told '
him I was going to a bank and take
the night train back. ‘The banks will
stick you for a high rate of interest,’ i
he said jealously. “They don’t do busi 1
ness for fun, while really our concern
happens just now to have some idle !
j capital on hand. Do you think you
could beal. 5 per cent?’ I admitted that
it was low enough, but I got up as If I
was suddenly reminded that the banks
: close early in the afternoon. T think I
i we can make the loan,’ he said, ‘but I
must first see two or three of the di- !
| rectors. Can’t you give me two hours?'
I finally gave in and promised to meet j
him at the Kimball House at 4. I went
to a matinee, saw it half over and went
in at the ladies’ entrance of the hotel.
I saw him looking about for me and
dodged him.”
“Dodged him?” echoed Alan. “Why”—
Miller laughed. “You don’t suppose
I’d let a big fish like that see me flirt
ing my hook and pole about in open
sunlight, do you? I saw by his man
ner that he was anxious to meet me,
and that was enough. Besides, you
can’t close a deal like that in a minute,
and there are many slips. I went back
i to the club and threw myself on a
lounge and began to smoke and read
an afternoon paper. Presently became
in a cab. I heat'd him asking for me in
the hall and buried my head in the
paper. He came in to me, and I rose
and looked stupid. I can do it when I
try. if it is something God has failed
at. and I began to apologize.
“He didn’t seem to care. ‘If it had
been a deal of your own,’ he said, with
a laugh, ‘you’d have been more
prompt,’ and I managed to look guilty.
Then he sat down.
"‘Our directors are interested,’ he
i said confidentially. ‘The truth is, there
I is not another concern in America that
i can handle property as cheaply as w<‘
can. We happen to have a railroad
; about that b-n th up in ea<t Tennessee
| that h.is played oc.t. and you see w
j could move it to where it would do
some r nod.’
“As sosm . be * bl : a that i knew
he was our tuoni. i*«>: es. 1 saw trade
in his eye as nU as an arc light. To
j make a long tale slan t, he is coming
■ up here tonight, and if your father is
willing to accept the loan he can get
the money, giving only the land as se
curity—provideil we don’t slip up.
Here’s the only thing I’m afraid of.
1 When Wilson gets here, he may get to
making inquiries around and drop on
to the report that your father is dis
gusted with his investment, and smell
a mouse and pull off. What I want to
do is to get at him the first thing after
breakfast in the morning, so you’d bet
ter bring your father and mother in
early. If we once get Wilson’s twenty-
five thousand Into it, we can eventual
ly sell out The main thing is the loan.
Don’t you think so?”
“I certainly do,” said Alan. “Of
course a good many things might in
terfere. We’d haye tp get a right of
"Tircnty-Jh'r thousmul! On that land/"
get bis money back by means o’f the
loan. 1 tell you that’s the main thing.
If I had offered to sell Wilson the
whole thing at $25,000 he never would
have come up here, but he is sure now
that the property is just what he is
looking for. Oh, we are not certain of
him by a long jump! It all depends
on whether he will insist on going over
there or not. If he does, those moss-
backs will bu st the thing wide open.
If he comes straight to my office in
the morning, the deal may be closed,
but if he lies around the 'hotel taTUng,
somebody will spoil our plans, and
Wilson will bang off to make bis own
terms later—if he makes any at all.
It’s ticklish, but we may win.”
"It is a rather ticklish situation,” ad
mitted Alan, “but even if we do get
the loan on the property, don’t you
think Wilson may delay matters and
hope to scoop the property in for the
debt?”
“He might,” Miller smiled, “if be
didn’t want to move that railroad
somewhere else, and, besides, your fa
ther can keep the money in suitable
shape to pay off the note in any emer
gency and free himself.”
“I don’t know how to thank you, old
man,” answered Alan. “If you had
been personally interested in this, you
could not have done more.”
Miller threw himself back in his
chair and smiled significantly, “Do I
look like a man with nothing in it?” he
asked.
“But you haven’t anything in it,” re
torted Alan wouderingly.
“That’s all you know about it,” Mil
ler laughed. “If the road is built, I’ll
make by it. This is another story. As
soon as I saw you were right about
putting a railroad into the mountains
I began to look around for some of
that timber land. I didn’t have long
to wait, for the only man that holds
much of it besides Colonel Barclay—
Peter Mosely, whom Perkins fooled
just as he did your father—came In.
He was laying for me. I saw It in his
eye. The Lord had delivered him to
me, and I was duly thankful. He was
a morsel I liked to look at. He opened
up himself, bless you, and bragged
about his fine body of virgin timber.
I looked bored, but let him run on till
he was tired; then I said:
“Well, Mosely, what do you intend
to do with your white elephant? You
know it’s not just the sort Barnum is
looking for.’
“He kind o’ blinked at that, but he
said: Tve half a notion to sell. The
truth is, I’ve got the finest investment
open to me that I ever had. If I could
afford to wait a few years, I could
coin money out of this property, but 1
believe in turning money quick.’
“ ‘So do I,’ said I, and watched him
flirt about in the frying pan. Then I
said, ‘What is the price you hold it at?’
“ T thought,’ said he, ‘that I ought to
get as much as I paid.’
“ ‘As much as you paid Abe Tomp
kins and Perkins?’ I said, with a grin.
‘Do you think you could possibly sell
a piece of land for as much as those
sharks? If you cau, you’d better go
in the real estate business. You’d coin
money. Why, they yanked two thou
sand out of you, didn’t they?’
“ T don’t really think Perkins had
anything to do with it,’ he said. ‘That’s
just a report out about old man Bish
op’s deal. I bought my land on my
own judgment.’
“ ‘Well,’ I said, ‘how will fifteen hun
dred round wheels strike you?’
“ T believe I’ll take you up,’ he said.
T want to make that other investment.’
So we closed, and I went at once to
have the deed recorded before he had
a chance to change his mind. Now,
you see. I’m interested in the thing,
and I’m going to help you put It
through. If your folks want the loan,
bring them in in the morning, and if
we can manage our Yankee just right
we’il get the money,”
This story will be continued in
next Friday’s issue.
He Learned a Great Truth,
It is said of John Wesley that he
once said to Mistress Wesley: “Why
do you tell that child the same thing
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Five years ago Hob Carley came to
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says a Glenburg (Me.) dispatch to the
Philadelphia Press. After reeuperat- j
Ing be spent the winter in cutting and
shaving hoop poles, earning a living
and having $10 coming to him In the |
spring.
With this he bought ten acres of
alder grown hoop pole swamp and be
gan to burn rough alder wood into
charcoal, which he sold in Bangor. He
used the crooked sticks for making
rustic lawn furniture—settees, chairs
and rude swings—all of which found
quick sales among the summer visitors
who owned cottages.
Later in the season he reaped tons
of cattail Hags, the leaves of which
are used by coopers for chinking in
between their new barrel staves and
which sold for $00 a ton, ten times the
price of ordinary meadow hay. The
next winter he again turned his ener-
gies to making hoop poles.
Owing to the rapid growth of the
alders, he learned that the sprouts
would grow from the size of a lead
pencil to four and five inches in di
ameter and be fit for cutting in ten
years. By dividing his land into ten
lots, each containing an acre, and cut
ting off one every year, he could keep
up a succession of fuel and charcoal 1
for all time.
This summer Carley has built a
house costing nearly $2,000. It is fin- j
Ished and paid for, and the owner has
money in two banks and Is getting an
Income of $1,500 a year from a strip of
swamp land which was not thought to
be worth returning thanks for and sold
for about enough to pay for making
out the transfer papers.
Just now the citizens think the ex-
tramp is one of the most successful
men in town and have offered to elect
him to the legislature.
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Jury List.
Write of Venire Facias for Thirty-
Petit Jurors for October Term, A.
1903, second week:
J. T. Baines, Timber Ridge.
Joe Daniel, Gaffney.
K. O. Huskey, Gaffney.
J. II. Ruppe, Maud.
W. W. Gaffney, Gaffney.
F. H. Dover, Antioch.
Wofford Price, Ezells.
Z. J. Petty, Timber Ridge.
T. L. Brown, Gaffney.
I). J. Wilson, Blacksburg.
M. D. Amos, Gaffney.
J. A. Northey, Gaffney.
W. C. Lipscomb, Thickety.
N. S. Allison, Grassy Pond.
R. E. McCraw, Gaffney.
J. A. M. Estes, Wilkinsville.
J. W. Vassey, Ezells.
E. G. McCulloch, Star Farm.
J. E. Patterson, Draytonville.
J. M. Lovelace, Ezells,
B K. Humphries, Gaffney.
C. F. Inman, Sarratts.
J. G. Kendrick, Sarratts.
W. O. Johnson, Gaffney.
R. S. Spencer, Draytonville.
E. W. Harris, Macedonia.
A. L. Peeler, Gaffney.
O. A. Osborne, Blacksburg.
J. F. Patrick, Gaffney.
J. L. Clary, Macedonia.
J. R. Season, Gaffney.
J. D. Pryor, Turner’s
Price Martin, Blacksburg.
G. W. Eaker, Butler’s.
A. B. Gaines, Gaffney.
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