"I hope you'll soon be back."
"I hope so, too; good-by."
Crack went the whip, round went the wheels. The horses started,
and the stage rumbled off, swaying this way and that, as if
top-heavy.
Frank went slowly back to the house, feeling quite lonely. He had
become so accustomed to Mr. Morton's companionship that his
departure left a void which he hardly knew how to fill.
As he reflected upon Mr. Morton's story he began to feel an
increased uneasiness at the mortgage held by Squire Haynes upon
his father's farm. The time was very near at hand--only ten days
off--when the mortgage might be foreclosed, and but half the
money was in readiness.
Perhaps, however, Squire Haynes had no intention of foreclosing.
If so, there was no occasion for apprehension. But about this he
felt by no means certain.
He finally determined, without consulting his mother, to make the
squire a visit and inquire frankly what he intended to do. The
squire's answer would regulate his future proceedings.
It was Frank's rule--and a very good one, too --to do at once
whatever needed to be done.
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