Beadle's Dime Novels No. 35: East and West — page 74: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

74 THE BEAUTY OF WILLARD’S MILL. “Oh, we are just going up to buy a few shares in the new city ’ said Constance, laughing. , « “If you do, I hope you'll learn the other shareholders some sense,” replied her uncle. But, though he smiled, Minnie thought she detected a certain gravity in his manner, which betokened some new trouble. . : “ Why, father ?” she asked, as she gathered up her pony’s reins. “There's some of them fellows been down here to-day, wanting to buy out my mill. I told them I was not done with it yet, myself. Then they let out the fact that they had resolved to get rid of it, some way; and so offered to buy it, at a price which would not cover its cost—without talking of any profit. Blast them, for a set of rascals!” “ But what do they want to do with it?” cried Minnie. “Qh, they say it makes their town-site wet, by back-water from my dam. There never was a bigger falsehood—for the dam can’t back the water more than two miles, to the upper bridge—and it’s four to their cursed town. I guess they'll find water enough coming onto it from the bluffs, in a rainy season, before that water gets to my dam, as it does by nat- ural drainage. But never mind—go along, girls, and buy out the city, if you can !” “ There’s more trouble for father,” said Minnie, anxiously, as they started off. “ And it goes hard with him—as I always know, when he uses rough words.” “But they can not do any thing, I suppose, if he will not sell out ?” | “J don’t know ;—I'm afraid they can give him both trouble and expense ; and he is not able to bear either. Oh, when will this business ever cease to produce both, for him! If father had taken to farming, or to Cattle-raising, we might have been well off;—I might have been sent to school somewhere in the East, and mother might have had some enjoyment of her life. She is fond of gardening, and of agri- cultural pursuits; and would take delight in having a fine farm :—while now we have nothing raised on our own land— no fences or garden—but my poor little island !—in fact, no improvements at all. Nor can we ever have, until this mill- property has been made to pay its own debts !” comiicbooks.com