The Unlucky Stable in the Middle of the Street

Mr. Paul Schulze, land agent of the Northern Pacific Railroad, who has recently located here, built a stable, and a good one, too, facing A street, just south of the city jail and almost adjoining it. He had the floor made of good clay and the stalls neatly fitted with all modern conveniences; had water and gas put in, and concluded with a pretty little ventilating cupola on the top. The residents of the neighborhood watched the work proceed. As it stood there complete, ready for occupancy by Mr. Schulze’s carriages, one of these interested lookers-on walked over to Mr. Schulze, who stood looking at the work with the utmost satisfaction. 'Nice, convenient stable, eh, Schulze?' the neighbor asked. 'Yes, rather; nothing to boast about, however,' said the land agent modestly. 'But I can’t see why you would take such chances in building it just here when you might just as well have built it over there—a few feet further back.' Mr. Schulze looked at the man with some impatience. 'Perhaps you will tell me where I ought, in your opinion, to have built it over there instead of just here.' 'Well, of course, you know that you have it planted now exactly in the middle of the street.' 'What?' exclaimed Mr. Schulze. 'Ah,' said the kindly neighbor, 'I see you do not know it, but it is true. Your stable is fairly in the line of Cliff street, soon to be opened and improved.' 'Great Scott! man, why did you not tell me this before? Not wait till I was ready to put my horse in.' Whether the details of this story are absolutely true or not, such is the way it is told now. The stable has been moved back on the property belonging to the railroad company.