situated. He was an honest, upright mechanic, but he was poor. It
was with difficulty he had raised the fifty dollars on the day
previous. Although he had never once failed in returning money at
the time promised, still, for some reason or other, everybody
appeared unwilling to lend him. It was nearly two O'clock and he was
still a hundred dollars short.

"Well," said he to himself, "I have done all I could, and if Hall
won't renew the note for the balance, it will have to be protested.
I'll go and ask him, though I have not much hope that he will do
it."

As he was about leaving his shop for that purpose, a gentleman
entered who wished to buy a second-hand carriage. Mr. Allison had
but one, and that almost new, for which he asked a hundred and forty
dollars.

"It is higher than I wished to go," remarked the gentleman. "I ought
to get a new one for that price."

"So you can, but not like this. I can sell you a new one for a
hundred and twenty-five dollars. But what did you expect to pay for
one?"

"I was offered one at Holton's for seventy-five; but I did not like
it. I will give you a hundred for yours."

"It is too little, indeed, sir: that carriage cost three hundred
dollars when it was new. It was in use a very short time. I allowed
a hundred and forty dollars for it myself."