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284 WILLIAM BARLOW "Well, I will talk with my young 'shell'," I replied, "and let you know in the morning." I intended to take it, as I knew ready cash was the stuff for the times. Everybody was fixing for the mines next spring and they would pay anything to get money to pay their passage on the old brig Henry. So I sold and went right down to Oregon City and went into anything and everything. Double invested sometimes in one day. Among other things, I bought 7000 bushels of wheat at 50 cents a bushel delivered in Abernethy's mill on the island. I had it ground at the Island mill, put it in wooden barrels, stored it away and let it wait for development. I was satisfied that flour was bound to have a boom sooner or later. Oregonians were running off and leaving their families and people were pouring into California from all parts of the world. Flour had to come around the Horn to supply the demand in California. I had 600 barrels and Uncle Walter Pomeroy had about the same amount. We had it stored together in one of his buildings. I said to the old gent one day, "We would better look after our flour as wooden barrels need re-coopering occa- sionally." "Well, Billy, I will tell you what I have been thinking about. One of us had better own all that flour." I replied, "I have no money to buy your flour and I don't wish to sell at the price it is going at now." "We need no money in this deal, as I will take your note without interest for six months or I will give you mine on the same terms. Say what you will give or take, and I will take you up one way or the other." "Well," he said, "Put it at $7.00." "Draw up the note," I said, "And I will sign it as soon as we find out how many barrels there are of it." The next day we got a cooper and a man to help him over- haul it all ; my own and what I had bought of him. It all came out right. Besides he had about 50 barrels of middlings, that I gave him $4.00 a barrel for, making in all $4,400.00. In less