"I wish I had had it sooner," said the lawyer. "It will be best to have our judgment recorded in that county to-morrow," he continued. "Could you go down to Port William?" "Yes, sir," said Jack, a little reluctant to go back. "I could if I must." "I don't think the mail will do," added Mr. Beal. "This thing came just in time. We should have sold the claim to-night. This land ought to fetch five hundred dollars." Mr. Tinkham, agent for Francis Gray, was much disappointed that night when Mrs. Dudley refused to sell her claim against Gray. "You'll never get anything any other way," he said. "Perhaps not, but we've concluded to wait," said Mrs. Dudley. "We can't do much worse if we get nothing at all." After a moment's reflection, Mr. Tinkham said: "I'll do a little better by _you_, Mrs. Dudley. I'll give you a hundred and fifty. That's the very best I _can_ do." "I will not sell the claim at present," said Mrs. Dudley. "It is of no use to offer." It would have been better if Mrs. Dudley had not spoken so positively. Mr. Tinkham was set a-thinking. Why wouldn't the widow sell? Why had she changed her mind since yesterday? Why did Mr. Beal, the lawyer, not appear at the consultation? All these questions the shrewd little Tinkham asked himself, and all these questions he asked of Francis Gray that evening. CHAPTER XX A FOOT-RACE FOR MONEY "They've got wind of something," said Mr. Tinkham to Mr. Gray, "or else they are waiting for you to resume payment,--or else the widow's got money from somewhere for her present necessities." "I don't know what hope they can have of getting money out of me," said Gray, with a laugh. "I've tangled everything up, so that Beal can't find a thing to levy on. I have but one piece of property exposed, and that's not in this State." "Where is it?" asked Tinkham. "It's in Kentucky, five miles back of Port William. I took it last week in a trade, and I haven't yet made up my mind what to do with it." "That's the very thing," said Tinkham, with his little face drawn to a point,--"the very thing. Mrs. Dudley's son came home from Port William yesterday, where he has been at school. They've heard of that land, I'm afraid; for Mrs. Dudley is very positive that she will not sell the claim at any price." "I'll make a mortgage to my brother on that land, and send it off from the mail-boat as I go down to-morrow," said Gray. "That'll be too late," said Tinkham. "Beal will have his judgment recorded as soon as the packet gets there. You'd better go by the packet, get off, and see the mortgage recorded yourself, and then take the mail-boat."