chair.
“The estate won’t be settled for quite a while,” Tom said.
“I understand that. Of course, a place like that isn’t easy to sell, as I’m sure you know. The property needs a lot of work. The house is old-fashioned, and far too big for most people. The taxes are about twenty-two hundred dollars a year, and it would cost about twenty-four hundred a year to heat the place. And of course it couldn’t be run without servants. You won’t find many prospective purchasers for a property like that, and it will be expensive for you to hold for long.”
“You seem to know a lot about it,” Tom said.
“I like the place. I like the view. We might be able to work something out.”
“Do you want to make an offer?”
“My offer would probably sound low to you,” Howard said. “It would be based solely on the value of the land. Although I might live in the house, I’d figure it had almost no market value.”
“How much would you offer?”
“Twenty thousand dollars.”
“I’ll have to consider it,” Tom said. “I won’t be able to give you an answer for a long while.”
“I’m afraid I’d have to know within a week or so,” Howard said. “We’re considering several properties.” He took an engraved card from his pocket and handed it to Tom. “Hearthside Restaurants, Inc.,” it said in large letters, and in smaller letters at the left-hand bottom corner, “Mr. Swanson Howard.” In the right-hand corner was an address on Thirty-third Street in New York and a telephone number.
“Would you be buying the house as a residence for yourself?” Tom asked.
“Of course. If we can get a decision within a week or so.”
“I’ll be in touch with you,” Tom said.
Howard thanked him for the drink, smiled mechanically, and left.A moment later the engine of the Jaguar roared–apparently he had a cutout on the exhaust.
“What do you think?” Betsy asked excitedly. “You’ll hold out for more, won’t you?”
“I don’t know,” Tom said, stretching out exhaustedly on the couch. “By the way, United Broadcasting hired me today. The salary’s nine thousand, and I’m on a temporary basis for six months. I’m supposed to start in a week.”
“That’s wonderful!” Betsy said. “Oh, Tommy, let’s put this damn little house on the market tomorrow! Everything’s going to be wonderful for us–I can just feel it!”
The front door slammed, and Barbara rushed in, followed by Janey and Pete. “Momma!” Janey said excitedly. “There are some boys across the street with knives, and they said they’re going to stick us!”
“They’re probably rubber knives,” Betsy said.
“They’re real knives! ”
“Play upstairs then,” Betsy said. “Your father and I are talking.”
“They said they were going to chop off our hands and our legs and our heads and everything!”
“They were just fooling,” Betsy said. “Upstairs!”
“But they weren’t fooling!”
“ UPSTAIRS , or I’ll call Mrs. Manter!”
The three children immediately went upstairs.
“The name Mrs. Manter still works,” Betsy said gratefully. “I don’t think you ought to sell Grandmother’s house to that man. He’s in too much of a hurry. With a salary of nine thousand we could afford to hold it for a while.”
“I don’t know,” Tom said. Unaccountably, he felt depressed and pessimistic. “Suppose we turn down this offer,” he said, “and suppose that after six months, they tell me I’m through at United Broadcasting. And suppose we can’t sell Grandmother’s place. Then what do we do?”
“Don’t be absurd,” Betsy said. “I’ll bet that at the end of six months you get a big raise at United Broadcasting. Hopkins seemed to like you, didn’t he?”
“Sure, he seemed to like me. Hopkins seems to like everybody. With the money he makes, why shouldn’t he? I tell you, Betsy, I’m uneasy. I don’t like this guy Ogden, and it’s him I’m really going tobe working for. I don’t like
“The estate won’t be settled for quite a while,” Tom said.
“I understand that. Of course, a place like that isn’t easy to sell, as I’m sure you know. The property needs a lot of work. The house is old-fashioned, and far too big for most people. The taxes are about twenty-two hundred dollars a year, and it would cost about twenty-four hundred a year to heat the place. And of course it couldn’t be run without servants. You won’t find many prospective purchasers for a property like that, and it will be expensive for you to hold for long.”
“You seem to know a lot about it,” Tom said.
“I like the place. I like the view. We might be able to work something out.”
“Do you want to make an offer?”
“My offer would probably sound low to you,” Howard said. “It would be based solely on the value of the land. Although I might live in the house, I’d figure it had almost no market value.”
“How much would you offer?”
“Twenty thousand dollars.”
“I’ll have to consider it,” Tom said. “I won’t be able to give you an answer for a long while.”
“I’m afraid I’d have to know within a week or so,” Howard said. “We’re considering several properties.” He took an engraved card from his pocket and handed it to Tom. “Hearthside Restaurants, Inc.,” it said in large letters, and in smaller letters at the left-hand bottom corner, “Mr. Swanson Howard.” In the right-hand corner was an address on Thirty-third Street in New York and a telephone number.
“Would you be buying the house as a residence for yourself?” Tom asked.
“Of course. If we can get a decision within a week or so.”
“I’ll be in touch with you,” Tom said.
Howard thanked him for the drink, smiled mechanically, and left.A moment later the engine of the Jaguar roared–apparently he had a cutout on the exhaust.
“What do you think?” Betsy asked excitedly. “You’ll hold out for more, won’t you?”
“I don’t know,” Tom said, stretching out exhaustedly on the couch. “By the way, United Broadcasting hired me today. The salary’s nine thousand, and I’m on a temporary basis for six months. I’m supposed to start in a week.”
“That’s wonderful!” Betsy said. “Oh, Tommy, let’s put this damn little house on the market tomorrow! Everything’s going to be wonderful for us–I can just feel it!”
The front door slammed, and Barbara rushed in, followed by Janey and Pete. “Momma!” Janey said excitedly. “There are some boys across the street with knives, and they said they’re going to stick us!”
“They’re probably rubber knives,” Betsy said.
“They’re real knives! ”
“Play upstairs then,” Betsy said. “Your father and I are talking.”
“They said they were going to chop off our hands and our legs and our heads and everything!”
“They were just fooling,” Betsy said. “Upstairs!”
“But they weren’t fooling!”
“ UPSTAIRS , or I’ll call Mrs. Manter!”
The three children immediately went upstairs.
“The name Mrs. Manter still works,” Betsy said gratefully. “I don’t think you ought to sell Grandmother’s house to that man. He’s in too much of a hurry. With a salary of nine thousand we could afford to hold it for a while.”
“I don’t know,” Tom said. Unaccountably, he felt depressed and pessimistic. “Suppose we turn down this offer,” he said, “and suppose that after six months, they tell me I’m through at United Broadcasting. And suppose we can’t sell Grandmother’s place. Then what do we do?”
“Don’t be absurd,” Betsy said. “I’ll bet that at the end of six months you get a big raise at United Broadcasting. Hopkins seemed to like you, didn’t he?”
“Sure, he seemed to like me. Hopkins seems to like everybody. With the money he makes, why shouldn’t he? I tell you, Betsy, I’m uneasy. I don’t like this guy Ogden, and it’s him I’m really going tobe working for. I don’t like
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