fered a
hundred and twenty dollars for her claim against Gray.

"Who offered it?" asked Jack.

"Mr. Tinkham, Gray's agent. Maybe Gray is buying up his own debts,
feeling tired of holding property in somebody else's name."

"A hundred and twenty dollars for a thousand! The rascal! I wouldn't
take it," broke out Jack, impetuously.

"That's just the way I feel, Jack. I'd rather wait forever, if it
wasn't for your education. I can't afford to have you lose that. I'm to
give an answer this evening."

"We won't do it," said Jack. "I've got a memorandum here," and he took
the slip of paper from his pocket and unfolded it, "that'll bring more
money out of him than that. I'm going to see Mr. Beal at once."

Mrs. Dudley looked at the paper without understanding just what it was,
and, without giving her any further explanation, but only a warning to
secrecy, Jack made off to the lawyer's office.

"Where did you get this?" asked Mr. Beal.

"I promised not to mention his name--I mean the name of the one who gave
me that. I went to the clerk's office with the description, and the
clerk wrote the words: 'Francis Gray, owner, no incumbrance.'"

"I wish I had had it sooner," said the lawyer. "It will be best to have
our judgment recorded in that county to-morrow," he continued. "Could
you go down to Port William?"

"Yes, sir," said Jack, a little reluctant to go back. "I could if I
must."

"I don't think the mail will do," added Mr. Beal. "This thing came just
in time. We should have sold the claim to-night. This land ought to
fetch five hundred dollars."

Mr. Tinkham, agent for Francis Gray, was much disappointed that night
when Mrs. Dudley refused to sell her claim against Gray.

"You'll never get anything any other way," he said.

"Perhaps not, but we've concluded to wait," said Mrs. Dudley. "We can't
do much worse if we get nothing at all."

After a moment's reflection, Mr. Tinkham said:

"I'll do a little better by _you_, Mrs. Dudley. I'll give you a hundred
and fifty. That's the very best I _can_ do."

"I will not sell the claim at present," said Mrs. Dudley. "It is of no
use to offer."

It would have been better if Mrs. Dudley had not spoken so positively.
Mr. Tinkham was set a-thinking. Why wouldn't the widow sell? Why had she
changed her mind since yesterday? Why did Mr. Beal, the lawyer, not
appear at the consultation? All these questions the shrewd little
Tinkham asked himself, and all these questions h