AND WHERE TO FIND ONE. 107 



terest in a patent pump, which was subsequently 

 found to be a failure. On another occasion, a young 

 man of six-and-twenty, dressed in a farmer s every 

 day suit, came in to look after a place of seventy 

 acres which he had seen advertised. The advertise 

 ment did not state exactly where it lay, but the low 

 price of 700 attracted his attention. The seller 

 opened his thick book and read out a minute de 

 scription, on hearing which the inquirer immediately 

 recognized the farm as one of which he had long had 

 some knowledge. After a very short parley he 

 bought it. This farm was improved with buildings 

 which had cost 1,200, though now old and out of 

 repair. The fencing could not have been placed 

 there for less than 300, while there were other ap 

 pliances about the house sufficient to make a mod 

 erate family comfortable. There was wood enough 

 on it for fuel, and it was within two hours ride of 

 Philadelphia by railroad. 



But why should it have been sold so low ? The 

 former owner was a lazy, thriftless fellow, and, like 

 the weeds on his land, had fairly gone to seed. 

 Poor, of course, the longer he remained there the 

 poorer he became, and thinking he could better 

 himself in the West, where land was cheap, bar 

 tered off his farm for a half section, 320 acres, of 

 Missouri land. This half section had cost the buyer 

 500 at least he had taken it at that figure in a 

 previous trade. He had never seen it, neither had 

 he ever been to examine the farm for which he ex 

 changed it. His business was to buy and sell, not 

 to examine property or to keep it. Thus 700 was 



