“Well, mother, isn't it better to be hopeful than despondent?”
“But it won't alter wants.”
“Suppose the worst to happen—suppose we do leave the house—we shall have three hundred or three hundred and fifty dollars in cash, to keep us from starving.”
“And when that is gone?”
“Before that is gone, I shall be earning good wages somewhere. You see, mother, matters are not as bad as they might be, after all.”
In spite of her doubts, Mrs. Carter was cheered by her son's hopeful tone.
“Perhaps you are right,” she said. “Since God orders all things, we ought not to be discouraged.”
“Now you are sensible, mother. How much money have you got left?”
“Twenty-five dollars.”
“Why, that's enough to pay the interest, and a little over.”