n of the household goods of the
party in debt. It was also held to be a criminal offense punishable by a
term in the penitentiary for a person to borrow money from more than one
company on the same items of furniture.

Little Henry had always asserted that he was going to be a merchant when
he became a man, and made it a custom to pick up and preserve such
business cards as were thrown into his yard. From his pile of cards
stacked in a corner Mrs. Crump learned the location of these loan
companies and decided to resort to them for the money needed. Getting a
small sum from each, she had borrowed from fifteen companies when she at
last got the amount demanded by the undertaker.

Arthur Daleman, Jr., was not making money as fast as he desired in the
business turned over to him by his father, so he had resorted to the
loan business. Knowing that people would often borrow from more than one
loan company in spite of the regulations forbidding it, and reasoning
that such borrowers would be even more sure than others to pay, because
of fear of the penitentiary, he had ten loan companies of his own
operating in different buildings under various names.

It happened that on the evening that Foresta and her mother made the
rounds borrowing money, he was on an inspecting tour of his loan
companies. Mrs. Crump borrowed money from five of Arthur Daleman's
companies without, of course, knowing it. Arthur Daleman, Jr., himself
was present in two places when she was borrowing the money. On each of
these occasions he had taken more than a passing interest in Foresta.
Her beauty was by no means diminished by the mourning attire, and Arthur
Daleman, Jr., found himself admiring her, notwithstanding his hatred of
her race. When the papers were signed in the second loan transaction
which he witnessed, he said to himself with a feeling of satisfaction:
"My way is tolerably clear."

With the money procured from the various loan companies little Henry and
his father were given what the people called a nice burial. Within a
week after the interment Arthur Daleman, Jr., made his appearance at
Mrs. Crump's home. Foresta was at school when he called, and when she
reached home she found her mother standing, facing him, with an angry
and excited look in her eyes. Foresta read in her mother's countenance
that she was angry and that the advantage in whatever matter it was, was
not altogether on her side.

"What is it, mama?" asked Foresta.

"This