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Durham, Andrew Everett, 1882-1954

"Epistles from Pap: Letters from the man known as 'The Will Rogers of Indiana'"

Absolutely."
"I made up my mind I'd just take his owner off his feet the first
shot. I'd paralyze him with an offer he'd not refuse. I didn't
want to take a long wild goose chase for nothing away up there in
Dakota. If he wasn't for sale at any price I'd soon know it. So I
wrote a short letter to his owner. I wrote, 'I know there is no
use sending bird shot after big game. If I come up and look at
Richard Fairfax and like him, and find him to be everything I've
heard about him, will you take $25,000 cash for him?' I figured
that would bring him to his milk."
"Very much to my surprise a prompt letter informed me that my
offer did not interest his owner in the least. Richard Fairfax
was not for sale at any price."
"So I looked elsewhere and forgot Richard. That was along, say in
November. The following February, Johnny --, from Minnesota, came
down to see me. He was a young breeder who had great faith in me
and my judgment of Herefords, and had bought quite a bit of my
stuff. Johnny was to stay all night and go home next morning on
the 7 o'clock train. I noticed Johnny was listless as he looked
over my herd, and I knew something was wrong--he wasn't there to
buy."
"After supper we went into the library and talked Herefords and
everything else from the weather to politics.


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