She did catch, however, her husband's expression of:
"Twenty thousand dollars! It's a pile of money! A heap!"
"Oh my!" she murmured faintly. "If he's lost that we'll go to the
poorhouse, sure!"
But nothing like that happened. As a matter of fact Uncle Ezra
could have lost that sum several times over, and not have felt it
except in the anguish of his mind.
When the caller had gone, Uncle Ezra seemed rather cheerful, much
to the amazement of Aunt Samantha. She could not understand it.
At the same time her husband appeared to he worried about something.
"But he doesn't act as though he had lost a lot of money," his wife
reasoned. "He certainly acts queer, but not just that way. I
wonder what it can be?"
And during the next week Uncle Ezra acted more queerly than ever.
He received several other visits from the strange man who had given
his name to Aunt Samantha, when first calling, as "Lieutenant
Larson." Also, Mr. Larabee went off on several short trips.
"I wonder whatever's got into him?" mused Aunt Samantha. "I never
knew him to act this way before. I do hope he isn't doing anything
rash!"
If she had only known!
Uncle Ezra became more and more engrossed with his caller who came
several days in succession. They were shut up together in the
parlor, and one window shutter was opened each time, to the horror
of Mrs. Larabee.
"That carpet will be faded all out, and clean ruined," she
complained to her husband.
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