age butcher, himself a conspicuous star in that department of
business activity, "He was not worth a tinker's curse." His accounts
were sent out punctually twice a year. His wife saw to that. At times
of desperation when pressure from the wholesale houses became urgent,
special statements were sent out by Mr. Gwynne himself. But in such
cases the apology accompanying these statements was frequently such as
to make immediate payment seem almost an insult. His customers held him
in high esteem, respected his intellectual ability--for he was a Trinity
man--were fascinated by his charm of manner, loved him for his kindly
qualities, but would not pay their bills.

Many years ago, having failed to work harmoniously with his business
partner, a shrewd, hard-headed, Belfast draper--hard-hearted Mr. Gwynne
considered him--Mr. Gwynne had decided to emigrate to Canada with the
remnant of a small fortune which was found to be just sufficient to
purchase the Mapleton general store, and with it a small farm of fifty
acres on the corner of which the store stood. It was the farm that
decided the investment; for Mr. Gwynne was possessed of the town man's
infatuation for farm life and of the optimistic conviction that on
the farm a living at least for himself and his small family would be
assured.

But his years of business in Mapleton had gradually exhausted his
fortune and accumulated a staggering load of debt which was the occasion
of moments of anxiety, even of fear, to the storekeeper. There was
always the thought in his mind that against his indebtedness on the
credit side there were his book accounts which ran up into big figures.
There was always, if the worst came to the worst, the farm. But if Mr.
Gwynne was no business man still less was he a farmer. Tied to his store
by reason of his inability to afford a competent assistant, the farming
operations were carried on in haphazard fashion by neighbours who were
willing to liquidate their store debts with odd days' work at times most
convenient to themselves, but not always most seasonable for the crops.
Hence in good years, none too good with such haphazard farming, the farm
was called upon to make up the deficiency in the financial returns
of the store. In bad years notes had to be renewed with formidable
accumulations of interest. But such was Mr. Gwynne's invincible optimism
that he met every new embarrassment with some new project giving new
promise of success.

Meanwhile