e apples would bear the
voyage and arrive in sound condition, but he had no trouble when the
fruit was carefully selected and well put up. That led him to inquire
about our apple crop and to explain that that was perhaps one of the
reasons--not the only one--for his visit.

"I know you raise good apples," he said. "I like to buy them."

We told him how many we had, and he asked what price we expected to get.
We answered that the local dealers had already fixed the price that fall
at two dollars a barrel.

"I will pay you two dollars and a half," Emilio said without a moment's
hesitation.

"But, Emilio," the old Squire put in, "we couldn't ask more than the
market price."

"Ah, but you have good apples!" he replied. "I know how dose apples
taste, and I know dey will be well barreled. No wormy apples, no bruised
apples. Dey worf more because good honest man put dem up. I pay you two
fifty."

We shipped the entire lot to him the following week and received prompt
payment. Incidentally, we learned that Foresi's rating as a business man
was high, and that he enjoyed the reputation of being an honorable
dealer. For many years--as long as he was in the business, in fact--we
sent him choice lots of winter fruit, for which he always insisted on
paying a price considerably in advance of the market quotations.

CHAPTER XXXV

A JANUARY THAW

Just before school closed a disagreeable incident occurred.

It was one of the few times that the old Squire really reproved us
sternly. Often, of course, he had to caution us a little, or speak to us
about our conduct; but he usually did it in an easy, tolerant way,
ending with a laugh or a joke. But that time he was in earnest.

He had come home that night just at dark from Three Rivers, in Canada,
where he was engaged in a lumbering enterprise. He had been gone a
fortnight, and during his absence Addison, Halstead and I had been doing
the farm chores. The drive from the railway stations, on that bleak
January afternoon had chilled the old gentleman, and he went directly
into the sitting-room to get warm. So it was not until he came out to
sit down to supper with us that he noticed a vacant chair at table.

"Where is Halstead?" he asked. "Isn't Halstead at home?"

No one answered at first; none of us liked to tell him what had
happened. We had always found our cousin Halstead hard to get on with.
Lately he had been complaining to us that he ought to be paid wages for