!" exclaimed Sue, she being the first to get what she
was after in her pocket. "Here's two cents I was going to spend for
candy. You can have it to give to the man!"

"Bless your heart, dearie!" murmured Mrs. Golden, "I can't take your
money."

"And here's my two cents!" exclaimed Bunny. "You can keep it. And you
don't need to give us any candy either."

"No!" added Sue, though she had a catch in her breath as she said it,
for she really wanted a bit of sweet stuff that day.

"No, no, my dear," said Mrs. Golden, trying to smile, though there were
tears in her eyes. "Keep your money. I'll sell you some candy if you
want it, but you mustn't give your pennies away. Anyhow, I must pay Mr.
Flynt a great deal more than that."

"I should say so!" exclaimed the black-bearded man, though, somehow or
other, his voice was not quite so cross as before. "Four cents wouldn't
pay postage on the bills we have sent you!

"But now, Mrs. Golden," he went on, "I don't want to be any harder on
you than I have to. If you're going to get some money in, or your son
is, and you can pay us what you owe we won't sell you out."

"Sell me out!" cried the old lady. "Were you thinking of doing that?"

"We'll have to if you don't pay," was the answer. "You bought a lot of
goods of us, and you must pay for them. If you don't we'll have to take
these things away," and he looked around at the shelves of the store.

"If you take things away from her how can she sell them?" asked Bunny
Brown.

"She can't," said Mr. Flynt. "But she must pay. Everybody must pay what
they owe or be sold out. Now I'll give you a little more time," he went
on. "I'll tell them, back at the office, that you expect a legacy, and
when that comes you must pay."

"Yes, yes! I'll pay!" promised Mrs. Golden. "Only give me a little more
time and I'll pay."

"Well, see that you do!" grumbled the black-bearded man, who appeared to
be crosser than ever now. "When I come again I want money!"

He stalked out of the store with a scowl on his face, and Bunny and Sue
looked first at each other and then at poor Mrs. Golden.

"I don't like that man!" declared Sue, as she picked up the broom.

"I don't, either!" said Bunny. "What makes him so cross, Mrs. Golden?"

"Maybe he can't help it, dearie. Going around making people pay up is a
cross sort of work, I guess."

"But what makes him want you to give him money?" asked Sue. "I thought a
store was a place where people paid you m