Page:North Dakota Reports (vol. 1).pdf/170

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146
NORTH DAKOTA REPORTS.

interest from June 7, 1882. And it is further agreed, by the party of the first part that, in consideration of the sum of one dollar to him in hand paid by the party of the second part, the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, said party of the second part shall have the right at any time, upon making tender to the party of the first part, his heirs, executors, or administrators, of the sum of forty-eight hundred dollars, together with legal interest thereon, to be computed from and after one year from the date of the purchase of said eighty acres, to-wit: June 7, 1883, to receive from the party of the first part, his heirs, executors, or administrators, a good and sufficient deed of general warranty of the undivided one-half of said eighty acres of land, * * * * * * * * And it is further agreed that party of the first part, his heirs, executors, or administrators, shall not sell or dispose of said eighty acres of land without the consent in writing of party of the second part first obtained thereto. And it is further agreed that, should an opportunity present itself to sell said eighty acres of land at such an advance as shall be agreed upon, that the rights of party of the second part to become the purchaser thereof shall in no way be prejudiced, but his rights shall be and remain the same as an owner of an undivided one-half of said eighty acres, upon payment to party of the first part, his heirs, executors, or administrators, of the said sum of forty-eight hundred dollars, with interest from June 7, 1883, as aforesaid; this contract to be and remain in force for the period of five years. In witness whereof the party of the first part hath hereunto set his hand and seal this 7th day of October, A. D. 1882.”

On the trial the court charged, as a matter of law, this transaction established a liability against the defendant for the sum of $4,800 and interest. This is assigned as error. Assuming without deciding, that under the original agreement between the parties the defendant was liable to plaintiff for one-half of the purchase price of the property, it is still clear that the parties could, by settlement, extinguish that liability; and this is what defendant insists was done when the deed and contract were executed. The trial court held that the papers conclu-