The man went and found the price to be fourteen cents a pound. The old man turned his languid and dying eyes towards the nurse and said, that was too dear, he could not afford it! He soon died, leaving behind him about seventy-five thousand dollars, which he had scraped together by driblets and privation, much of which after his death went to the four winds. Truly " man heapeth up riches not knowing who shall gather them." I called the next day to see how the lot looked, now it was mine. I found that the fence had been taken away and on enquiring, was told that my kind intercessor had taken it, which he claimed as his perquisite.
I said nothing more about it, as it was too small a matter to make a fuss about. The next business in order was to contract with a builder; and in this I was entirely green. I knew what kind of a house I wanted, and how to plan and build it, but to make specifications, and such a contract as that I should not be cheated, was more than I felt willing to undertake. As for what enquiries I had made among house builders, I found that prices varied in size very much like a basket of potatoes, some mighty large and some mighty small, so my chance of being cheated was in the ratio of the disparity.
One of my brethren in the church and with whom I had been on intimate terms since our first acquaintance, was a house builder. I had requested him to give me his estimate, which he promised to. He said to me one day: " Now, brother, you want to build a house. You have a little money which you want to lay out in the most economical manner. I will build your house by the day, and charge you two dollars a day for my own time; and hire the men as cheap as I can, charging you with just what I pay them. I will purchase the lumber at the lowest cash price, and in building the house will save you a great deal of money." Now what could be fairer than this.
I replied to him immediately, " go ahead." Not many days after, I happened to mention to one of the brethren that Brother was building a house for me. He took me by the button-hole, and with a low, but significant voice, enquired, if I had everything in writing. I replied: " No; we have nothing but a verbal agreement." " Ah!" said he, " he'll cheat you, as sure as the world." " Why, how do you mean?" I asked. " I mean just this, that he will decieve you." This completely upset me. I had paid him money when he asked for it, had made no enquiries about the expense already incurred, leaving it all with my good honest brother, who had pledged himself to be faithful and look after my interests.
Next day I went over to the building, but he was not there. I began to look round, feeling somewhat alarmed at what had been told me, and under the work bench, there lay a man drunk! one of his smart carpenters. I soon roused the fellow out, and forbade him doing anything more to the house. I found my builder and expressed my dissatisfaction at what I had seen, and the condition of things about the house. I requested him to furnish me with my account up to the present time, which he promised to do. It was several days before I got it, but I found that he had charged me twenty-five cents a day profit on each man, which was contrary to our agreement; nevertheless I let it go without any complaint.
On the following day I went over very early, before the time at which lie usually came. I took a young man who was a good workman, and had been at work on the house three weeks, and asked him to go all over the building, and make an estimate of what he would finish it up for, and have the estimate ready for me by to-morrow, desiring him to keep the matter entirely to himself. I requested my builder to do the same, which he did. And I believe there was a difference of about eighty dollars between the two. I now said to my good brother, that as the bills had run up w much faster than I had expected, I should pay him off, and let the young man finish it at his leisure.
He then, as the Western men say, " rared right uj>," declaring he would not he put off so hy friend or foe. I thought it was time for my " dander to rise a little," so I just recapitulated our first agreement, and compared it with the result, also reminding him that he had completely come the brother over me, and the quicker we dissolved, the better, and after many hard words on both sides, he quit. 1 settled his bill as I thought, in full, but in a few days he brought me another, additional of twenty dollars, saying he had omitted certain charges. 1 paid him that also, and we parted, apparently good friends.