f
dismissal, and picked up the package of papers.

After the door closed he sat still for some time, looking thoughtfully
at the mortgage; then he made a memorandum in ink, with his signature in
full, and attached it to the document. Rufus opened the door.

"Mr. Darnell and two other gentlemen, suh."

The millionaire set his jaws. "Show them in, Rufus. Damn it," he said
softly,--"damn it, why can't they be honest!"

* * * * *

"Do you mean to tell me, Erastus Burson, that you deeded him this place,
and gave him your note for two hundred and fifty dollars you didn't owe
him?"

"Why, no, mother; didn't I explain to you there'd be a deficiency
judgment?"

"Well, I should say there was. But if anybody's lackin' judgment I'd say
it was you, not him. The idea! Why he's as rich as cream, and you're as
poor"--

"Well, his being rich and me being poor hasn't got anything to do with
it, mother; we're just two men trying to be fair with each other, don't
you see? You and the girls wouldn't want me to be close-fisted and
overreachin', even if I am poor. I think we fixed it up just as near
right as a wrong thing can be fixed. Of course I don't like to feel the
way I do about Edmonson, but Mr. Anthony don't seem to lay up anything
again him, and he's the one that has the right to. Edmonson treated him
worse than anybody ever treated me. I don't know just how I'd feel
toward a man if he'd treated me the way Edmonson treated Mr. Anthony."

Mrs. Burson laid the overalls she was mending across her knee in a
suggestive attitude.

"I don't call it close-fisted or overreachin' to keep a roof over your
family's head," she argued; "if the place isn't ours, I suppose we'll
have to leave it."

"No; Mr. Anthony wants us to stay here, and take care of the place for
the rent. I feel as if I'd ought to keep it up better, but if I'm to
peddle fruit and try to pay off the note, I'll have to hustle. I want to
do the square thing by him. He's certainly treated me white."

Mrs. Burson fitted a patch on the seat of the overalls, and flattened it
down with rather unnecessarily vigorous slaps of her large hand.

"I wouldn't lose any sleep over Mr. Anthony; I guess he's able to take
care of himself," she said, closing her lips suddenly as if to prevent
the escape of less amicable sentiments.

"Well, he doesn't seem to be," urged her husband, "the way Edmonson's
overreached him. My! but I'd hate to be in that