house taken from us."

"How is that?"

"A rich man in our village, Squire Davenport, has a mortgage of seven
hundred dollars upon it. He wants the house for a relative of his
wife, and threatens to foreclose at the end of three months."

"The house must be worth a good deal more than the mortgage."

"It is worth twice as much; but if it is put up at auction I doubt if
it will fetch over a thousand dollars."

"This would leave your mother but three hundred?"

"Yes," answered Ben despondingly.

"Have you thought of any way of raising the money?"

"Yes; I came up to the city to-day to see a cousin of mother's, a Mr.
Absalom Peters, who lives on Lexington Avenue, and I had just come
from there when I got into the stage with you."

"Won't he help you?"

"Perhaps he might if he was in the city; though mother has seen
nothing of him for twenty years; but, unfortunately, he just sailed
for Europe."

"That is indeed a pity. I suppose you haven't much hope now?"