"Yes," Angus told him grimly.
"How much have you got here?" the second stranger asked. Angus told him. "En bloc?"
"Yes."
"What do you hold it at?"
"I don't hold it at anything. It will be sold to-morrow by public sale under a mortgage."
The two men exchanged glances and eyed Angus with curiosity.
"Who holds the mortgage?" the younger man asked.
"Isaac J. Braden."
"Braden, hey! Isn't that the fellow—" He spoke swiftly in an undertone to his companion, who nodded. "We've heard of him. Local big bug, isn't he? What's the amount against the property?" He whistled when Angus told him. "Why didn't you get a loan somewhere and pay him off?"
"Because I couldn't. Nobody would lend. The loan companies' appraisers—well, they shied off."