I try to be,
and that'll be paid reg'lar if I live."

"Ya'as. Well, fur's honesty goes, I could run a seine through Ostable
County any day in the week and load a schooner with honest folks; and
there wouldn't nary one of 'em have cash enough to pay for the wear and
tear on the net. Honesty's good policy, maybe, but it takes hard money
to pay bills."

Thankful stood up.

"All right," she said, decidedly, "then I'll go where they play the
honest game. And you needn't set there and weed your face any more on my
account."

Mr. Cobb rose also. "There! there!" he protested. "Don't get het up. I
don't say I won't take your mortgage, do I?"

"You've said a good deal. If you say any more of the same kind you can
say it to yourself. I tell you, honest, I don't like the way you say
it."

The owner of the "hen-house" looked as if he wished very much to retort
in kind. The glare he gave his visitor prophesied direful things. But
he did not retort; nor, to her surprise, did he raise his voice or order
her off the premises. Instead his tone, when he spoke again, was quiet,
even conciliatory.

"I--I'm sorry if I've said anything I shouldn't," he stammered. "I'm
gettin' old and--and sort of short in my talk, maybe. I--I--there's
a good many folks round here that don't like me, 'count of my doin'
business in a business way, 'stead of doin' it like the average poor
fool. I suppose they've been talkin' to you and you've got sort of
prejudiced. Well, I don't know's I blame you for that. I shan't hold
no grudge. How much of a mortgage do you cal'late to want on Abner's
place?"

"Two thousand dollars."

"Two thousand! . . . There, there! Hold on, hold on! Two thousand
dollars is a whole lot of money. It don't grow on every bush."

"I know that as well as you do. If I did I'd have picked it afore this."

"Um--hm. How long a time do you want?"

"I don't know. Three years, perhaps."

Solomon shook his head.

"Too long," he said. "I couldn't give as long a mortgage as that to
anybody. No, I couldn't do it. . . . Tell you what I will do," he added.
"I--I don't want to act mean to a relation. I think as much of relations
as anybody does. I'd like to favor you and I will if I can. You give me
a week to think this over in and then I'll let you know what I'll do.
That's fair, ain't it?"

Mrs. Barnes declined the offer.

"It may be fair to you," she said, "but I can't wait so long. I want
to settle this afore I go back to South