Page:Stewart Edward White--The Rose Dawn.djvu/270

258 the lines often commanded a high price. Buyers hired representatives to hold places for them: often one man would have two or three such proxies. They had to be visited often to see that they did not sell out to a rival. It often happened that a place near the head would sell out to a place near the foot at a price representing what would have been a good profit had a lot been bought.

Twenty-five foot lots were sold. Nothing could be built on a twenty-five foot lot: it needed at least one more of its own kind alongside before it could be of any practical good. But some genius discovered that the public did not think in terms of dimensions but of units; and would buy a twenty-five foot lot as quickly and at nearly the same price as one twice as wide.

New additions adopted all sorts of methods to get hold of their first clientele. Elephants and other menagerie animals were used in processions. Often a mass meeting for some worthy or patriotic cause was called, and the business seriously transacted, merely to get the crowd for an after meeting in favour of some new real estate scheme. Here originated the old, old story of the funeral, when the clergyman asked if any one would like to make a few remarks in eulogy of the deceased. As usual everybody was bashful. After a short pause a stranger arose. "As no one seems inclined to say anything," said he, "I'll just fill in the time by telling you of a new addition." Or a sort of lottery idea was used: as for example that all buyers should pay the same price, and then should draw for their land. There were few sales that called for complete payment, though all demanded cash down. Contracts were given with a third paid. Unless a purchaser were known he had to pay in hard dollars. There was no time to cash checks, when the lot might be resold at an advance before the ink dried. For the same reason deeds were rarely recorded.

At first, at the time of Boyd's visit, these town lots were staked out in the suburbs of actual towns. It was conceivable, if not possible, that some day or another they might be occupied. At any rate some sort of a city would always exist near there. But very shortly such foolish conservatism was abandoned. Two things only were necessary to a city—climate and scenery.