"They _cannot_ do that, can they? Why, it was your father's, and
your grandfather's before him."
"And _his_ father's afore _him_!" said the farmer, looking up with a sad
smile on his kindly face. "But that don't make no difference, ye see,
Hildy. Lawyer Clinch is a hard man, a terrible hard man; and he's always
wanted this farm. It's the best piece o' land in the hull township, an'
he wants it for a market farm."
"But _why_ did you mortgage it to him?" cried Hilda.
"I didn't, my gal; I didn't!" said the farmer, sadly. "He'd kep' watch
over it ever sence Simon began to get into trouble,--reckon he knew
pooty well how things would come out; an' bimeby Jason Doble, as held
the mortgage, he up an' died, an' then Lawyer Clinch stepped in an' told
the 'xecutors how Jason owed him a big debt, but he didn't want to do
nothin' onfriendly, so he'd take the mortgage on Hartley's Glen and call
it square. Th' executors was kind o' fool people, both on 'em--_I_ d'no'
what possessed Jason Doble to choose them for 'xecutors, when he might
ha' hed the pick o' the State lunatic asylum an' got some fools as knew
something; but so 'twas, an' I s'pose so 'twas meant to be. They giv'
it to him, an' thanked him for takin' it; and he's waited an' waited,
hopin' to ketch me in a tight place,--an' now he's done it. An' that's
about all there is to it!" added Farmer Hartley, rising and pushing back
his massive gray hair. "An' I sha'n't mend it by sittin' an' mowlin'
over it.
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