"Fifty cents a head."
"That include hay and water?"
"Yup."
"I looked from the top of a knoll," said Mr. Simpson. "I thought that town sites could be no more than three hundred and twenty acres. Plains City seems almost three times that."
"Plains City," the livery man said, "is igzactly three hun'ert an' twenty acres."
Mr. Simpson grinned. "Who do you think you're fooling?"
"Nobody," the livery man said. He waved a hand southward. "Down thar is South Plains City, an' that's igzactly three hun'ert and twenty acres too." In turn, the man waved his hand toward where East, West, and North Plains City were locating or would be located.
"That land should have been homesteaded," said Mr. Simpson.
"'Twas," the man said.
"Then how did you get it?"