a power of Attorney here in Dixy, but that matter can be arranged some way,  Tell him to arrange it so that the person he sells to canot cut but little timber until the second payment is made.  I have been out on Picket in company with Tom Saylor & we talked the matter over some.  He told me that if it is the same old man Coons that has lived there the longest, or the one that Austin used to know in early times that he is a hard case. & will be hard to manage.  The other one, his brother, the one that moved out from Indiana last, is a better man.  Tell him to look out for sharps.  But to go ahead & not to fear but what I will be satisfied, for his Judgement is as good as mine on business of that kind.  Saylor tells me of two 80 acre lots of Prairie land adjoining him, with two 20 acres lots of timber making in all 200 acres. that he thinks can be had for 7 or 8 dollars per acre.  It belongs to Williams the Williams that owns the water mill at Des Moines  Tom wants me to try & get it.  We thought that it might be that we could get a deed from Williams & let him take a mortgage on our old place, I would be verry glad to do this if it can be done. for I want to have a farm & now is the time to invest, the dificuly in this arangement will be this,that I could not pay the boys as I could wish. & probably, Williams would want more down than we could spare him.  You will want considerable to start on if you should go into business. From what Saylor says about that land I should like to own it, if I should get back. The lot in town had better be sold any how. it is too much expense, sell it.  If I could only see you & talk instead of writing we could arrange things so much better, but I have been thinking that if this arrangement could be made with Williams & you could rent a room & go on a small scale it might be better.  But I know that if you go into it you will wish to do it on a respectable scale & I would prefer it so.  All the advantage there would be in investing in land now would be that Real estate near Des Moines will soon bear a high price.  I will go out & see whether there will be an opportunity to send this out in the morning or not if not I will write some more, if there is a chance I will send it as it is
