But I did not see how he could
raise $1,950 by the next day. All the way home I wanted to ask him what
he planned to do. However, I did not like to question him before Willis
and two other boys who were with us. All the way home Addison seemed
rather excited.
The family were at supper when we went in. The old Squire was back from
Portland; grandmother and the girls had told him that we had gone to the
auction. The first thing he did was to ask us whether the farm had been
sold, and how much it had brought.
"Two thousand and fifty," said I, with a glance at Addison.
"That's all it's worth," the old Squire said. "Who bought it?"
Addison looked embarrassed; and to help him out I said jocosely, "Oh, it
was bid off by a young fellow we saw there."
"What was his name?" the old Squire asked in surprise.
"He spells it A-d-d-i-s-o-n," said I.
There was a sudden pause round the table.
"Yes," I continued, laughing, for I thought the best thing for Ad was to
have the old Squire know the facts at once. "He paid $100 of it down,
and he has to get round with nineteen hundred and fifty more by
to-morrow noon."
Food was quite forgotten by this time.
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