CHAPTER VIII

NIPPED IN THE BUD


Frank had traveled some in his young career, had read considerable, and had
thought a good deal. The talk of the melancholy man in the white choker had
led up to a point where Frank felt pretty sure he was up to some trick or
other. While pretending to be interested in the newspaper he had read over
and over, our hero kept eyes and ears wide open.

The stranger talked of things in general now. He asked the farmer
concerning his crops, and particularly about the wife who must be a distant
relative of his. Finally he observed:

"It's a pretty bad prospect for the family of my dead brother."

"How's that, neighbor?" asked the farmer.

"Left them without much of anything--that is, in the way of ready money. In
fact, I must bear all the burden of the funeral expenses. I'm short myself,
and it's going to cramp me to get hold of ready cash. I've got to make
something of a sacrifice, and it's worrying me."

"Hope you don't have to sacrifice your homestead, or anything like that,"
observed the farmer sympathetically.