Jehoshaphat didn’t offer to say another word—he just turned around quick and slunk out of the store.
Mark stood right in his tracks for more than a minute, looking after Skip. Then he sighed ’way down deep and blinked and turned around to me.
“Fellers like that,” says he, “ought to be shut up in the pen with the p-p-pigs. They hain’t got any right minglin’ with human beings.”
I was about ready to cry. There was my father in the hospital, and my mother with him. Every single thing in the world they had to support them was this Bazar. If it went I couldn’t see what would happen—and it looked to me like it was gone. Mark saw how I felt, I guess, for he came over and put his big hand on my shoulder, gentle-like. You wouldn’t believe how gentle and sort of comforting it was!
“Plunk,” says he, “it’s a hard b-b-bump, all right. But don’t get downhearted. We’ll pay that note, Plunk, and that hain’t all. Before we’re through with Jehoshaphat P. we’ll tie him into a d-double bow-knot with a pin in the middle of it.... Keep your b-backbone stiff, Plunk. We’ll pull her through.”
“Mark,” says I, and I wasn’t much used to saying things like that, “you’re—you’re all right.” And deep down inside I felt he was all right—and maybe he was a bigger sort of fellow than even we three boys had thought he was. My worry wasn’t all gone, but I did feel better and a little hopeful. But five hundred dollars—and in six weeks! For the life of me I couldn’t see where it was to come from—and father’s expenses and mother’s living, too!
CHAPTER VI
My father always went to Lawyer Sturgis when he needed any law, so we figured he’d be likely to know about that chattel mortgage. Mark went over to see him and found out that every word Jehoshaphat P. had said was true. Father had needed money and borrowed five hundred dollars from Hamilcar Wilkins, who didn’t do anything but lend money. Somehow Skip had found out about it and had bought the note. So there we were.
“Well,” says Mark when he got back, “th-that’s settled. Now all we got to do is dig up that five hundred.”
“Yes,” says I, sarcastic-like, “that’s all.”