“I’ll give you one thousand dol
lars in cash. It’ll git you out o’ debt
at once.”
“Yes, an’ leave me noth’n ’tall to
go on,” answered Jackson. “No, I’m
gitt’n too old to shift about. What
kin I do with five hundred dollars?
An’ what’ll the chil’un do?”
He looked with his honest eyes at
his neighbor, who was keenly regard
ing him with the “foxy” expression
which is habitual with most "sharp
men.” The old man rubbed his
stubby beard with a rasping sound,
and went on:
“No, no. Es I caint git more’n
that I’ll stick to the ol’ place, and
try an’ work out. I won’t live many
year no how, an’ es I caint pay more’n
the intrust with a few dollars on the
principul, we’ll git a livin’, an’ that’s
fcetter’n sellin’. Lan’s ain’t never
<6m**to be wuth much in these parts,
but they do to git a livin’ out’n.”
They had now reached the horse
rack in the village, and were hitching
their horses.
“The fact is, Uncle Jimmy,” said
Snapmup in the oily tone that never
failed of magnetic effect, “I would
like to help you out of your troubles
if I could. I’d like the best in the
world to own your track as an outlet
to the big road, but besides that I’d
like to do you a favor. Your lan’
ought re’ly to be wuth more’n what
I named for it. Mebbe I’ll see you
again, an’ make you a better offer.”
And the two men went each about
his errand.
After nightfall of the same day
Snapmup was closeted with three
strangers at the village hotel.
