Part 42 (1/2)
Mr. Dale's jaw dropped. ”I--I never even told 'em where the five thousand went.”
”Huh? I thought you said they knew about the mortgage--after Molly found it out.”
”They knew about the mortgage all right enough, but they dunno where the money went. Yuh see, Racey, I--I done told 'em I lost it in a land deal.”
”You did! Aw right, you go right in and tell 'em the truth, all of it, every last smidgen.”
”I cuc-can't!” protested Mr. Dale. ”I ain't got the heart!”
”You ain't got the nerve, you mean. You go on and tell 'em, Dale, an'
I'll fix it up for you, but I won't fix up anything for you if you ain't gonna play square with those women from now on. And you can't play square with 'em without you begin by telling 'em the truth.”
”How you gonna help me out?” temporized Mr. Dale.
”I'm goin' to Old Salt, that's what I'm going to do. I'll fix it up with him to lend you the money.”
Mr. Dale shook his head. ”He won't do it.”
”Sh.o.r.e he'll do it. You don't think he's gonna have somebody else come in here in yore place, do you? Not much he ain't. He'll lend you the money and glad to.”
”I done already asked him, an' he wouldn't.”
”'You asked him, and he wouldn't?'” repeated Racey, stupidly. ”When did you ask him?”
”About two months ago--soon as ever I found out I wouldn't be able to pay off the mortgage.”
”And he wouldn't lend it to you? I don't understand it, damfi do. It ain't reasonable. Lookit here, did you tell him what you wanted it for? Did you tell him about the mortgage?”
”Non-no,” said Mr. Dale in a still, small voice. ”I didn't.”
”Why didn't you?”
”Because I was afraid he'd take advantage of me. I was afraid he'd fix it so as to take my ranch away from me if he knowed how bad and what for I needed it.”
”But ain't that exactly what the Marysville bank could 'a' done if it wanted?” demanded Racey, aghast at the Dale obtuseness.
”Yeah, but I had hopes of standing off the bank, and--”
”But you ain't got any hope of standing off Lanpher and Tweezy. Nary a hope. Now lookit, Old Salt is yore only chance round here. Of course, he'd fix it to take away yore ranch if he could. That's his business.
And it's yore business to see he don't. An' it's my business to help you see he don't. Suppose now I go to Old Salt and get him to lend you the money on a mortgage, say a ten-year mortgage?”
”But I got one mortgage on the place now. He'd never take a second mortgage.”
”Naw, naw, that ain't gonna be the way of it a-tall. It will be fixed so's Old Salt's mortgage won't go into effect till the first one's paid off.”
”But then till the first one is paid off--maybe it will be three-four days--Old Salt's five thousand will be unsecured.”
”It won't be unsecured. It won't go out of Saltoun's hands. He'll pay off the mortgage himself.”