The Florida agriculturist., 1889-02-27

said about i'm, an thet want no more'n
other folks says. Even s'pose he want
the hardest hearted, grindin'est old coot
for miles round, should you want our
Myrtle to marry him as could lie an
cheat about this ere money as he's doin'?
You know you paid i'm, don't you, an
you don't s'pose he's forgot it?'
so course l know paid it; he amt
forgot it, neither. He want pleased
when told i'm what I'd cum fur-guess
he hoped couldn't git it.. an then he'd
mebbe git Myrtle. When come away,
says he, Mr.. Pettigrew, s'pose Myrtle
expects to be to home next Sunday
evenin' Mebbe I'll be round, an 1 can
bring the satisfaction piece to the mort
gage the same time. Then he give me
the receipt, an brought it home"
''Yis, you did; twas here fast enough.
I remember SEEM you lay it down on
the stand. must burnt it up, but
deary me, can't contrive how. Twas
dretful busy thet day, finishin' up things
for Joels box. wanted to git it to i'm
in time for his birthday, longs he
thought lie couldn't spare time to come
home. Miss Martin was. here helpin'
on me- tried to make her sense what
It was we'd lost, but she 'peared to be
deafer'n ever. l hollered it to her as
loud as could, but she acted jest as
though l was tellin' on her somethin'
cunnin' the way she nodded an looked
tickled. l hev' suspicioned mebbe she
knew what twas we was huntin' fur, an
! let on to Reed we'd lost the receipt She
knew he wanted Myrtle. She said, lots
O. times, as how she Thought t'would be
good match fur her, but says to my
self, you old sarpint! that's cause you
want Sam Hosmer fur your squint eyed
niece, Malvina Brooks She's been set
tin her cap fur Sam moren year"
Mr.. Pettigrew was farmer in COM
Portable circumstances. Although he
had but little ready money at his dis
| posaI, from the proceeds of his farm he
supported his family we'll and gave to
each of his two children good educa-
ton. Myrtle, the daughter, now taught
the village school. Joel wished to be-
come merchant, rather than to remain
on the farm, and though this was a great
disappointment to his parents, they made
| every effort to crafty him. Two years
| before our story opens Mr.. Pettigrew
mortgaged his farm to Jabez Reed,
neighbor living at distance from them
of some three miles, and on the farther
side of the village where were situated
the nearest postoffice and railway STA
ton, as we'll as the school where Myrtle
taught. The mortgage was for $4,000,
and with the sum thus obtained he
bought partnership for Joel in west
ern town. Before the mortgage fell due
Mr. Pettigrew and his son together had
saved enough money to pay it, and Mr.
Pettigrew himself made the payment
| to Mr.. Reed, who gave him a receipt
| for the amount. After he reached home
the receipt was in some unaccountable
way lost, and Jabez Reed heard of its
loss, as they learned through a letter
from him. In that letter he urged the
immediate payment of the $4,000 due
him on the mortgage which Cyril Pet
tigrew had promised to pay when he had
called on the writer, on the 18th of No
vember, 0he date on which Cyril had
made the payment. In postscript Mr..
Reed said that We're he to become more
closely connected with them he should
not, of course, be SO urgent for the pay
ment, as it would then be al in the fam
lily. Otherwise, he should be forced to
foreclose, as he needed the money badly.