TEN ACRES ENOUGH

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MAKING A PURCHASE FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The owner of these eleven acres had been for some months in the furnace of pecuniary affliction. He was going the way of ninetenths of all the business flesh within the circle of my acquaintance.

As a purchaser I did not seek the owner, nor to his representative did myself or my wife let fall a single word indicating that we were pleased with tire property. when fifteen hundred dollars were named as the price, I did indulge in some expression of surprise, thinking it was quite enough.

Discovering subsequently that the owner was an old city acquaintance, I dropped in one morning to see him, and for an hour we talked over the times, the markets, the savage rates demanded for money, and how the spring business was likely to turn out. On real estate I was mute as a mouse, except giving it as my decided opinion that some holders were asking greater prices than they would be likely to realize This side thrust brought my friend out. He mentioned his house and eleven acres, and eagerly inquired if I did not know of some one who would buy.

With as much indifference as I could assume, I asked the owner his terms. He told me with great frankness that he was compelled to sell, and that his need of money was so great, that he might possibly do so whether the debtor got anything or not. He urged me to find him a purchaser, and finally gave me the refusal of the place for a few days.

Now, the plain truth was, that my anxiety to buy was quite as great as his. was to sell. During the next week we met several times, when he invariably inquired as to the prospect of a purchaser. But I had no encouragement to offer.

When I thought I had fought shy long enough, I surprised the owner by saying that I knew of a purchaser who was ready to take the property at a thousand dollars. He sat down and indulged in some figuring, then for a few moments was silent, then inquired if the offer was 'a cash one, and when the money could be had. I replied, the moment his deed was ready for delivery.

It was evident that the offer of instant payment determined him to sell at so low a price: cash was everything. Opening his desk, he took out a deed for the property, ready to execute whenever the grantee's name, the date and the consideration should have been inserted, handed it to me, and said he accepted the offer if he could have the money as quickly as possible.

I confess to both exultation and surprise. I had secured an unmistakable bargain, The ready made deed surprised me, but it showed the owner's necessities, and that he had been prepared to let the property go at the first decent offer. The natural selfishness of human nature has since induced me to believe that I could have bought for even less, had I not been so precipitate. His searches and brief of title were also ready: a single. day or two was enough to bring them up. He had been determined to sell.

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