"No; but I thought mebbe----"
"I will pay for the articles," said Chester, briefly.
When he tendered the five-dollar bill Silas Tripp looked amazed.
"Where did you get so much money?" he gasped.
"Isn"t it a good bill?" asked Chester.
"Why, yes, but----"
"I think that is all you have a right to ask," said Chester, firmly.
"It can"t make any difference to you where it came from."
"I thought you were poor," said Mr. Tripp.
"So we are."
"But it seems strange that you should have so much money."
"Five dollars isn"t much money, Mr. Tripp."
Then a sudden idea came to Silas Tripp, and he paused in weighing out the b.u.t.ter.
"Did my nephew leave any money?" he asked, sharply.
"Yes, sir."
"Then I lay claim to it. I"m his only relation, and it is right that I should have it."
"You shall have it if you will pay the expense of his illness."
"Humph! how much did he leave?"
"Thirty-seven cents."
Mr. Tripp looked discomfited.
"You can keep it," he said, magnanimously. "I don"t lay no claim to it."
"Thank you," returned Chester, gravely.
"Then this five-dollar bill didn"t come from him?"
"How could it? he hadn"t as much money in the world."
"He was a shif"less man. "A rolling stone gathers no moss,"" observed Mr. Tripp, in a moralizing tone.
"You haven"t been a rolling stone, Mr. Tripp."
"No; I"ve stuck to the store year in and year out for thirty-five years. I ain"t had more"n three days off in that time."
"If I had your money, Mr. Tripp, I"d go off and enjoy myself."
"What, and leave the store?" said Silas, aghast at the thought.
"You could hire some one to run it."
"I wouldn"t find much left when I came back; No, I must stay at home and attend to business. Do your folks go to bed early, Chester?"
"Not before ten," answered Chester, in some surprise.
"Then I"ll call this evenin" after the store is closed."
"Very well, sir. You"ll find us up."
The idea had occurred to Mr. Tripp that Mrs. Rand must be very short of money, and might be induced to dispose of her place at a largely reduced figure. It would be a good-paying investment for him, and he was not above taking advantage of a poor widow"s necessities. Of course neither Mrs. Rand nor Chester had any idea of his motives or intentions, and they awaited his visit with considerable curiosity.
About fifteen minutes after nine a shuffling was heard at the door, there was a knock, and a minute later Chester admitted the thin and shriveled figure of Silas Tripp.
"Good-evening, Mr. Tripp," said Mrs. Rand, politely.
"Good-evenin", ma"am, I thought I"d call in and inquire how you were gettin" along."
"Thank you, Mr. Tripp, for the interest you show in our affairs. We are not doing very well, as you may imagine."
"So I surmised, ma"am. So I surmised."
"It can"t be possible he is going to offer us a loan," thought Chester.
"You"ve got a tidy little place here, ma"am. It isn"t mortgaged, I rec"on."
"No, Sir."
"Why don"t you sell it? You need the money, and you might hire another house, or pay rent for this."
"Do you know of anyone that wants to buy it, Mr. Tripp?"
"Mebbe I"d buy it myself, jest to help you along," answered Silas, cautiously.
"How much would you be willing to give?" put in Chester.
"Well, I calculate--real estate"s very low at present--three hundred and fifty dollars would be a fair price."
Mrs. Rand looked amazed.
"Three hundred and fifty dollars!" she e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed. "Why, it is worth at least seven hundred."