A Queer Transaction.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 102, 1 May 1909, Page 10

A Queer Transaction.

"Yes," said the drummer, dreamily, "I will take another beer," and as he said this he drummed upon the taWe and gazed out into the smoke-filled room, with far-away eyes. "It was a curious story," said he. "The way I happened to be in Mexico was this : I was travelling for the house of Guggenheimer and Co., who were interested in California wines. Guggenheimer has gone under, I am sorry to say. He was forced to suspend payment when there came that crash in 1893. Well, Guggenheimer wanted to start a branch establishment in Nogales, right across the Arizona line. Our firm had told me to purchase a cheap building for an office anywhere in the town. I was young then, hadn't been travelling long, and my inexperience was enormous. There were a great many things I didn't know. When I arrived in the town, I was struck by the shabby shanties of which ifc was composed. A good wind looked as if ifc would bJow the whole town down. However, as I was walking around the place, I saw near the barracks a little shanty with a roughly scrawled sign on it lin Spanish which meant : 'This building to let or for sale.' I The architecture of this edifice was extremely simple. In fact, it was nothing but four walls and a roof. I said to myself : 'This will do well enough for our temporary office,' and, approaching the building, I noticed that it had a barred window, behind which I saw a Head. The Head saw me as soon as I saw the Head, and it smiled & frank and kindly smile. Then the | Head opened its mouth and cried :—: — ( "'How are you? Better off than I j am, I'll swear.' ! "I was struck with the frank smile of j the Head, and particularly as it afforded me an opportunity to talk business. _ " 'As for that,' said I, 'it rests entirely with you to^change our places.' "The Head looked at me without replying. " 'I have jusfc noticed,' said I, 'that this buildiifg is to let or for sale.' I "The Head burst into a roar of laughter. " 'Well, sir,' said I, somewhat nettled, 'I don't see anything to laugh at. If this building suits me, I would like to buy it.' | " 'You would like to buy it?' j '"yes. Is it possible, for me to inspect it?' " 'Oh, nothing is easier. All you have to do is to push back the bolt and come in.' "It seemed singular, bufc the door was fastened' by a bolt on the outside. I pushed back the bolt and entered. Another thing struck me strangely — the building was remarkable for a complete absence of furniture, but inasmuch as all I intended to do with ifc was to use it for storing wine, of course I didn't need any furniture. "The Head noticed my astonishment, and said again, with its open smile : 'The furniture is being upholstered.' " 'Ah,' I replied, 'and let me ask whether you are willing to sell, and if so whether your price is high?' " 'Oh, I think not. I would be willing to ijel) at a reasonable figure.' ' 'Suppose I were to give you a hundred dollars, would you take it?' The Head again laughed. 'I should smile I would.' ('Creo que so !') " 'The deuce !' said Ito myself, 'perhaps there is something wrong with this building,' and then aloud I added, 'Will you guarantee that the building is solidly constructed?' "'Solid? My dear sir, if you had spent as much time in it as I have, you would never dream of trying to break out — I mean, to break it down.' " 'Very well, then, I will give you a 1 hundred dollars for it.' The Head regarded me with the same open smile. " 'Are you in earnest?' said he. "Ifc was evident that he doubted my financial responsibility. So I took out my purse, and from it extracted five twentydollar pieces. 'There is your hundred dollars,' said I. "He extended his hand, took the gold pieces, looked at me, and as he apparently hesitated, I said to him : " 'I wish to enter into possession soon, so you must sign the usual documents.' " 'Very well,' he said, 'I'm sorry I can not offer you any refreshments, but my servant has just gone out and taken me keys of the cellar with her.' "I thanked him, assuring him that I was much obliged, but that I was not in the habit of drinking between meals. I took out of my pocket-book a sheet of paper, and drew up a contract of sale, and when he had signed it, I bade him farewell. "A few days afterwards I appeared before my newly purchased bunding, with two big trucks filled with casks of wine. But what was my astonishment when I found eight men in my house. I ordered them to go away. But as they stared at me without replying, I informed them that I had bought the building some days before from a man who was in the house, and to whom I had paid a hundred dollars. "At these words the eight inmates laughed like lunatics. At first I believed they were jeering at my foreign accent; but, as they would not leave my building, I at once went and complained to a police officer, to who I related my story. "He looked at me scrutinisingly while I was talking, and by his looks I could have sworn that the man was laughing internally. When I had finished, he told me to wait for him, and he entered the barracks near my building. I thougiit he had gone for reinforcements, but he returned alone after some minutes. " 'Sir,' said he, 'I'm sorry, but you have lost your hundred dollars. The man whom you negotiated with was ono of this regiment, and had bean placed under arrest for five days. When his time was up and he was released, he seemed to be unusually flush with money. No one know how, and after treating his companions, he suddenly fled. He is now a deserter.' " 'But,' said I, 'what is this building which I bought— or, rather, which I thought I bought?' " 'Oh, senor,' said he, shrugging his shoulders, 'ha comprado usted el carcel. It is the calaboose — what you call?— military prison.' "Great heavens! My friend, the deserter, before he had skipped, had sold me the jail!" — The Argonaut.

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