24 



Popular Science Monthly 



Below : A tall board 

 fence screened the 

 little community 

 from curious eyes 



"^ ^-J 





No one but the builders saw these 

 houses until all were completed 



Whetting Public Curiosity — A 

 Real Estate Dealer's Ruse 



AN unusual method of building houses 

 ,. was adopted in a real estate develop- 

 ment in Portland, Oregon. The builder 

 believed that "familiarity breeds con- 

 tempt." As he did not want anyone 

 to have contempt for 

 his houses, he corralled 

 them until they were 

 all done. As soon as 

 he began building, he 

 erected a tall board 

 fence all around the 

 property. The most 

 curious person could 

 not get a peep in. No 

 doubt he saw to it 

 that there were no 

 knot holes. 



This arrangement 

 had all the elements of 

 surprise which the 

 public enjoys in at- 

 tending the theater. 

 Not until the houses 

 were complete to the 

 last little detail; not 

 until the lawns were 

 green and the shrubs 

 all planted; was the or- 

 der given to tear down 

 the forbidding fence. 



How a newsboy saves his voice and yet 

 "calls" his papers most effectively 



How a Los Angeles Newsboy Increased 

 His Business 



AN ingenious newsboy in Los 

 . Angeles, California, has de- 

 vised a method of at- 

 tracting attention to 

 his wares which has 

 not only interested 

 passing persons but 

 has been the means of 

 sparing his voice, while 

 greatly increasing his 

 daily income. 



The boy has con- 

 structed a sign, which 

 is placed above his 

 head so that it may be 

 seen by persons who 

 are at a distance from 

 him. It is fastened to 

 a wire, which is held in 

 place by a belt which 

 he wears around his 

 waist. He has ar- 

 ranged two loops of 

 wire, through which he 

 passes his arms. This 

 keeps the sign from 

 falling either back- 

 ward or forward. 



