A Bright Schemer

A professional real estáte "bootner" ! while riding on horseback tbrongh the pine woodn oí Arkansaw, carne upon a peculiar-looking follow a uader i tree, deeply iuterested in i sort of d vgram, wliich, wlth a short stick, he was drawing in the sumí. "How are yon?" said the boomer, dlsmounting. 'Ain't complanin'," tbo fellow j plied, ootemplatiug a fresfa mark wliich ■ he made In the sand. "You seem to bu lay ng olí' a towu there." "No, I ain't do'.n' that, nuther." "Must bt somo sorl of land sehemo j yon've got on hand." "No, it ain't that, nuther." "I was in hopes so. You seo my business - " "No, I didn't see yore b'zness, nuther." "Walt a min uto. I say mj business is to go hito a neighborhood and sin- iiicdiately bring up tho valué oflmid by gtimulatlng a spirit of gpeoulatlon. Say lor instanoe, thut you' ve Lot one ' linodred aores tliat yoa'd Hke to solí i but for wliich you have not found a ; niíirkct I see you secretly and enter ! hito ni arrangement w.th you Shortly after w arda I meet you at the crossroads where you aro s tting with a nmnber of fellows. I meet you as ií for tho first time, fall Intoconvursatlon, gradually como down to land matiers and after awhile ask you who owns a certHin trnct. You do. I would like to buy it You regard the matter careles.sly. just ns I observe you are admira bly tttted to do, and without giving nio any sutLsfaction, got up and go off. 'J'hen I take out a sort of runp and after looking ovcr it for some timo mumblo sometbing ubout a new railroad, as if I dont caro about any body hearing me and after sliowing considerable anxiety concerning you, ask where yon hare gone, and start out to look for you. I fail to find you tmd como baok lo the . place whi'.re tbo fellowa are silting. Finally L explain ill ubout tho new ra 1road, and speak of you as a most fortúnate follow, for the new depot is go ng to be located on your land. I start out to look for you again, nnd wbilo I 1111 goue you come back, By thia time lliose follows huve forined a sort of Bvndicate to cheat you outof place. The leader begius to ask about your land, all the time keeping a sharp lookout to see if I am coming back, and tho tirst thing you know you'yu sold your place for ten times as mucb ís it 3 irortb. After that, of course you givo me a certain per cent, of the nioney. SeeP" The diagram-maker sprang to h:s feet, knocked the boomor down and kicked him; and as he was trying to get np, knocked him senseless. Wlieu t lie Ijoomer carne to, be raised up and said: "Will you let me go now?1' Tlie peculiar-looking folio w glanced up from the diagram, upon which ha had resuined work, and replied: 'Reckon you'd better." The boomer got up, and, after brushing the sand off his clotbes, said. "Would you mind telling a slranger who is acquainted with tho social customa of tbe community, wby you thumpod mo around that way?1' 'No, wouldn't mind. You see, a feller with the same gamo come through liere about a monlh ago, an' 1 was one of the fools that wus roped ínto buyin' a oíd sedge lield that aiu't wutb ten cents." "Thatik you for your iuformation. [ do not care to be inquisitivo, but . will you please tell me what sort of a map that is you are working on so ntently?" 'I am trj in' to see ef I ken make a map showiu' how a railroad ken jrit round a cypress swamp, over a bayon, over a sand mountain, thraugb anothei I swamp and then git to tho oíd íiekl that a possul of us tellers boughfc Stranger, I reckon you'd beiter niosj ; along,