So they talked on
until the afternoon grew old.

And while they were talking, John and General Hendricks were in
Barclay's office going over matters, and seeing where they stood.

"So he says seventy thousand is too much for the company and me to
owe?" said John, at the end of half an hour's conference.

The general was drumming his fingers on the table nervously. "Yes--he
says we've got to reduce that in thirty days, or he'll close us up.
Haven't you got any political influence, somewhere in the East,
John,--some of those stockholders,--that will hold this matter up
till you can harvest your crop next June?"

Barclay thought a moment, with his hand in his chin, and then slowly
shook his head. A bank inspector from Washington was several degrees
higher in the work of politics than Barclay had gone.

"Let me see--" droned Barclay; "let me see. We can at least try
scattering it out a little; cut off, say, fifty thousand from me and
the company and put it in the name of Lige--"

"He's on to Lige, we've got a hat full of Lige's notes in there,"
interrupted the general.

"All right, then, drop Lige and put in the colonel--he'll do that for
me, and I'll see if I can't get the colonel to get Brownwell to
accommodate us. He's burning a good bit of the colonel's stove wood
these nights." Barclay smiled, and added, "And I'll just put Bob in
for a few thousand."

"But what'll we do about those taxes?" asked the general, anxiously.
"You know they've got to be paid before the first of the year, and
that's only six weeks off."

Barclay rose and paced the rug, and replied: "Yes, that's so. I was
going to make another note for them. But I suppose we oughtn't to do
it even under cover; for if he found out you had exceeded our loan
right now--you know those fellows get ugly sometimes." The young man
screwed up his face and stood looking out of the window in silence for
a long minute. Then he limped over to his chair and sat down as one
who has a plan. "Say now, General; you know Gabe Carnine's coming in
as county treasurer right after the first of the year, and we will
make him help us. You make your personal check for the nine thousand,
and give it to the old cuss who's in the county treasurer's office
now, with the descriptions of the land, and get the tax receipts;
he'll bring the check back to the bank; you give him credit on his
pass-book with the other checks, and just hold your own check out in
the drawer as cash. If