They thought that spring would be the best time to offer the
property for sale; but Dewey urged the fall as more consonant with
their views, and so the sale was fixed for the first day of
November. Notice was given in the country papers, and Dewey engaged
to see that the proposed sale was duly advertised in Boston and New
York. He managed, however, to omit that part of his duty.
On the day of sale, quite a company of curious people assembled at
the Allen House, but when the property was offered, only a single
bid was offered. That came from Dewey, as the representative of
Floyd, Lawson, Lee & Co., and it was awarded to them for the sum of
thirty-five thousand dollars, a little more than half its real
value.
From that time until spring opened, all remained quiet. Then began
the busy hum of preparation, and great things for our town
foreshadowed themselves. A hundred men went to work on the site
chosen for a new mill, digging, blasting, and hauling; while
carpenters and masons were busy in and around the old mansion, with
a view to its thorough renovation, as the future residence of Mr.
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