for his part had encumbered not only the lands themselves, but these
lands of Cowles' Farms to secure the payment. The holder of these
mortgages was a banking firm in Fredericksburg. The interest was one
which in these times would be considered a cruel one, and indeed the
whole enterprise was one which required a sanguine courage, precisely as
his; for I have said that risk he always held as challenge and
invitation.

"Does thee think that in these times thee should go so deeply in debt,"
asked my mother of him.

"Elizabeth," he said, "that is why I have gone in debt. Two years from
now, and the value of these lands here may have been cut in half. Ten
years from now the coal lands yonder will be worth ten times what they
are to-day."

"John," she said to him suddenly, "sell those coal lands, or a part of
them."

"Now, that I could not do," he answered, "for half their value. The
country now is fuller of war than of investment. But come peace, come
war, there lies a fortune for us all. For my share there remains but one
heavy payment; and to-morrow I ride to raise funds for that among our
tenants and elsewhere. I admit that my bankers are shrewd and severe--in
fact, I think they would rather see the payments forfeited than not. As
Meriwether is away, it is with me to attend to this business now."

And so, with this prelude, I may as well tell without more delay what
evil fortune was in store for us.