Frank Heath immediately left his seat and took up his position beside the professor.
"Now, sir," said the professor, "I want to ask you a question or two.
Will you answer me truly?"
A gruff voice appeared to proceed from Frank"s mouth, saying: "Yes, sir."
"Are you married, sir?"
Again the same gruff voice answered: "Yes, sir; I wish I wasn"t;" to the great delight of the small boys.
"Indeed, sir! I hope your wife doesn"t make it uncomfortable for you."
"She licks me," Frank appeared to answer.
"I am sorry. What does she lick you with?"
"With a broomstick."
Frank looked foolish and there was a general laugh.
"I hope she doesn"t treat you so badly very often, sir."
"Yes, she does, every day," was the answer. "If she knowed I was up here telling you, she"d beat me awful."
"In that case, sir, I won"t be cruel enough to keep you here any longer.
Take my advice, sir, and get a divorce."
"So I will, by hokey!"
And Frank, amid hearty laughter, resumed his seat, not having uttered a word, the professor being responsible for the whole conversation.
CHAPTER XXIV. HARRY"S LETTER
During Harry"s absence, the little household at Granton had got along about as usual. They lived from hand to mouth. It required sharp financiering to provide food and clothes for the little family.
There was one neighbor who watched their progress sharply and this was Squire Green. It will be remembered that he had bound Mr. Walton to forfeit ten dollars, if, at the end of six months, he was not prepared to pay the forty dollars and interest which he had agreed to pay for the cow. It is a proof of the man"s intense meanness that, though rich while his neighbor was poor, he was strongly in hopes that the latter would incur the forfeit and be compelled to pay it.
One morning Squire Green accosted Mr. Walton, the squire being at work in his own front yard.
"Good morning, neighbor Walton," he said.
"Good morning, squire."
"How is that cow a-doin"?"
"Pretty well."
"She"s a good cow."
"Not so good as the one I lost."
"You"re jokin" now, neighbor. It was my best cow. I wouldn"t have sold her except to obleege."
"She doesn"t give as much milk as my old one."
"Sho! I guess you don"t feed her as well as I did."
"She fares just as well as the other one did. Of course, I don"t know how you fed her."
"She allers had her fill when she was with me. Le" me see, how long is it since I sold her to ye?"
Though the squire apparently asked for information, he knew the time to a day and was not likely to forget.
"It"s between four and five months, I believe."
"Jus"so. You was to be ready to pay up at the end of six months."
"That was the agreement."
"You"d better be a-savin" up for it."
"There isn"t much chance of my saving. It"s all I can do to make both ends meet."
"You don"t say so," said the squire, secretly pleased.
"My farm is small and poor, and doesn"t yield much."
"But you work out, don"t you?"
"When I get a chance. You don"t want any help, do you, squire? I might work off part of the debt that way."
"Mebbe next spring I"d like some help."
"That will be too late to meet my note, unless you"ll renew."
"I"ll see about it," said the squire, evasively. "What do you hear from that boy of yours? Is he doin" well?"
"He"s at work in a shoe shop."
"Does it pay well?"
"He doesn"t get much just at first."