? ? ? ? "Good afternoon, Mr. Hooper," said the squire. "I hope I see you well."
? ? ? ? "As well as I expect to be. I'm gettin' to be an old man."
? ? ? ? "We must all grow old," said the squire vaguely.
? ? ? ? "And sometimes a man's latter years are his most sorrowful years."
? ? ? ? "That means that he can't pay the mortgage," thought Squire Sheldon.
? ? ? ? "Well, ahem! Yes, it does sometimes happen so," he said aloud.
? ? ? ? "Still if a man's friends stand by him, that brings him some comfort."
? ? ? ? "I suppose you know what I've come about, Mr. Hooper," said the squire, anxious to bring his business to a conclusion.
? ? ? ? "I suppose it's about the mortgage."
? ? ? ? "Yes, its about the mortgage."
? ? ? ? "Will you be willing to extend it another year?"
? ? ? ? "I thought," said the squire, frowning, "I had given you to understand that I cannot do this. You owe me a large sum in accrued interest."
? ? ? ? "But if I make shift to pay this?"
? ? ? ? "I should say the same.
Pages:
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237