end."
"Hitch? Whaddya mean?" Gowney got up and stalked over to the desk where the agent sat, and scowled down at him.
"Well, you see, the owner was here himself yestiday. I found he wasn't just ready to fall in with our plans, not to say ready , not as ready as I had been led to expect by his letters."
"You mean, he wasn't willin' ta take the offer? You mean, he wanted more money?"
"Well, I s'pose that's about what it amounted to," said the agent cautiously. "He didn't exactly say so in so many words, but he wasn't impressed with the figures offered. Not as impressed as I expected him to be. You see, he's been away in New York and Europe and other places, and I suppose he's got pretty big ideas."
"Well, why didn't ya offer him more?"
"Well, I did suggest that you might be willing to raise the figure a little, but I didn't get anywhere. You see, you have to have a definite offer to get anywhere with a young man like that."
Gowney strode to the window and stared out into the dark a minute, and then he whirled around.
"Well, offer him another ten thousand," he said, biting his words off shortly. "Things have gone too fur for me to go back, an' I gotta get this settled right away. Time's a big object with me. When's he gonta let ya know?"
"Well, he didn't exactly say."
"Know his telephone number?"
"I have his New York address," said Knox. "I could get him on the phone, I s'pose. But there ain't any hurry like that, is there? Long-distance phone calls mount up quick, ya know."
"Get him on the phone, I tell ya. I gotta get this settled right away. Several things have come up an' I wantta be able to tell somebuddy I'm taking possession tanight."
The agent looked startled at the haste.
"I cud get him in a letter by airmail," he suggested.
"I gotta know right away , I tell ya. Call up right now! Whadd' I give ya that retainer for ef I ain't got no rights? Get busy there an' call 'im!"
The buyer was ominously still while the call was put in, and while they were waiting Knox tried to be affable.
"Nice day it's been," he remarked, dropping into a chair by the telephone.
But the buyer only grunted, and then after a second he whirled around with stormy eyes and asked: "You think ten thousand more'll satisfy him?"
"Well, I should think it would," said the agent blandly, seeing his commission rise. "Of course, I wouldn't want to guarantee it would. But I can't see why he wouldn't be satisfied with that. It's really more than I would expect ta get myself if the property was mine, but young folks have ideas, ya know."
The buyer sat down stiffly in a straight chair and stared at the agent.
But presently the ring came, with the message that Mr. Morrell was out of town and was not expected back till late that night, or even tomorrow morning.
Gowney made some strong remarks, then, and the agent looked anxiously toward the hall door hoping Martha hadn't heard them. Martha had a way of appearing and speaking her mind at times, and this was too momentous a matter to run any risks. What if it should be all off and he should lose that commission? He would have missed the chance of his lifetime.
"Tell you what," he said mildly. "I don't see any harm in your tellin' your friends you've taken possession taday. Of course, it is a little irregular, but ef you saw fit ta pay a small down-payment, ya know, I should think it would work out all right. I should think he might feel a moral obligation ta let it go at that!"
Gowney's sharp little eyes twinkled as he studied the mild face of the agent.
"Okay by me!" he said and flung down a roll of bills. "You'll stand by me if I take possession tanight, so ta speak?"
"Well, I'll do my best--" said Knox, with an uneasy memory of the young owner's face as he left him the night before. Perhaps he might be getting himself into a jam by making these tentative promises. But then, surely --all that money! No young man in his senses would hold out for more, and he had never heard that the Morrells
"Hitch? Whaddya mean?" Gowney got up and stalked over to the desk where the agent sat, and scowled down at him.
"Well, you see, the owner was here himself yestiday. I found he wasn't just ready to fall in with our plans, not to say ready , not as ready as I had been led to expect by his letters."
"You mean, he wasn't willin' ta take the offer? You mean, he wanted more money?"
"Well, I s'pose that's about what it amounted to," said the agent cautiously. "He didn't exactly say so in so many words, but he wasn't impressed with the figures offered. Not as impressed as I expected him to be. You see, he's been away in New York and Europe and other places, and I suppose he's got pretty big ideas."
"Well, why didn't ya offer him more?"
"Well, I did suggest that you might be willing to raise the figure a little, but I didn't get anywhere. You see, you have to have a definite offer to get anywhere with a young man like that."
Gowney strode to the window and stared out into the dark a minute, and then he whirled around.
"Well, offer him another ten thousand," he said, biting his words off shortly. "Things have gone too fur for me to go back, an' I gotta get this settled right away. Time's a big object with me. When's he gonta let ya know?"
"Well, he didn't exactly say."
"Know his telephone number?"
"I have his New York address," said Knox. "I could get him on the phone, I s'pose. But there ain't any hurry like that, is there? Long-distance phone calls mount up quick, ya know."
"Get him on the phone, I tell ya. I gotta get this settled right away. Several things have come up an' I wantta be able to tell somebuddy I'm taking possession tanight."
The agent looked startled at the haste.
"I cud get him in a letter by airmail," he suggested.
"I gotta know right away , I tell ya. Call up right now! Whadd' I give ya that retainer for ef I ain't got no rights? Get busy there an' call 'im!"
The buyer was ominously still while the call was put in, and while they were waiting Knox tried to be affable.
"Nice day it's been," he remarked, dropping into a chair by the telephone.
But the buyer only grunted, and then after a second he whirled around with stormy eyes and asked: "You think ten thousand more'll satisfy him?"
"Well, I should think it would," said the agent blandly, seeing his commission rise. "Of course, I wouldn't want to guarantee it would. But I can't see why he wouldn't be satisfied with that. It's really more than I would expect ta get myself if the property was mine, but young folks have ideas, ya know."
The buyer sat down stiffly in a straight chair and stared at the agent.
But presently the ring came, with the message that Mr. Morrell was out of town and was not expected back till late that night, or even tomorrow morning.
Gowney made some strong remarks, then, and the agent looked anxiously toward the hall door hoping Martha hadn't heard them. Martha had a way of appearing and speaking her mind at times, and this was too momentous a matter to run any risks. What if it should be all off and he should lose that commission? He would have missed the chance of his lifetime.
"Tell you what," he said mildly. "I don't see any harm in your tellin' your friends you've taken possession taday. Of course, it is a little irregular, but ef you saw fit ta pay a small down-payment, ya know, I should think it would work out all right. I should think he might feel a moral obligation ta let it go at that!"
Gowney's sharp little eyes twinkled as he studied the mild face of the agent.
"Okay by me!" he said and flung down a roll of bills. "You'll stand by me if I take possession tanight, so ta speak?"
"Well, I'll do my best--" said Knox, with an uneasy memory of the young owner's face as he left him the night before. Perhaps he might be getting himself into a jam by making these tentative promises. But then, surely --all that money! No young man in his senses would hold out for more, and he had never heard that the Morrells
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