even if your father does hold the mortgage, it won't be foreclosed. Gil
Jones has worked too hard...."

"Dad's awfully hard about holding to a bargain," Angela reminded him. "He's
all business. He wasn't that way until after Ma died. I do wish he'd be
more human. I've talked to him and talked to him, until I'm tired; but he's
getting harder all the time. This is the last day, isn't it?"

"Yes. Jones is awful blue. That's one reason I ought to get back. Maybe he
needs some cheerin' up. God knows his Uncle Henry don't give him much."

The sun was now high in the heavens. It was almost noon. "Red" said he
would walk. No trouble at all; and what did he care how hot it was? He was
used to it. But how he did hate to leave his Angela!

He played his harmonica most of the way home, and he was still running his
lips along the instrument when he entered the adobe door, just as Uncle
Henry wheeled out of it.




CHAPTER V

WHEREIN GILBERT JONES IS WORRIED, AND LUCIA PELL IS ASKED TO DO AN
IMPOSSIBLE THING


Poor "Red" couldn't have encountered the invalid at a less propitious
moment; for he was almost knocked down by that crabbed gentleman.