{"product_id":"2940013740587","title":"A Cool Million","description":"The home of Mrs. Sarah Pitkin, a widow well on in years, was situated on\u003cbr\u003ean eminence overlooking the Rat River, near the town of Ottsville in the\u003cbr\u003estate of Vermont. It was a humble dwelling much the worse for wear, yet\u003cbr\u003eexceedingly dear to her and her only child, Lemuel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhile the house had not been painted for some time, owing to the\u003cbr\u003estraitened circumstances of the little family, it still had a great deal\u003cbr\u003eof charm. An antique collector, had one chanced to pass it by, would have\u003cbr\u003ebeen greatly interested in its architecture. Having been built about the\u003cbr\u003etime of General Stark's campaign against the British, its lines reflected\u003cbr\u003ethe character of his army, in whose ranks several Pitkins had marched.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne late fall evening, Mrs. Pitkin was sitting quietly in her parlor,\u003cbr\u003ewhen a knock was heard on her humble door.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShe kept no servant, and, as usual, answered the knock in person.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Mr. Slemp!\" she said, as she recognized in her caller the wealthy\u003cbr\u003evillage lawyer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Yes, Mrs. Pitkin, I come upon a little matter of business.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Won't you come in?\" said the widow, not forgetting her politeness in her\u003cbr\u003esurprise.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I believe I will trespass on your hospitality for a brief space,\" said\u003cbr\u003ethe lawyer blandly. \"Are you quite well?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Thank you, sir--quite so,\" said Mrs. Pitkin as she led the way into the\u003cbr\u003esitting room. \"Take the rocking chair, Mr. Slemp,\" she said, pointing to\u003cbr\u003ethe best chair which the simple room contained.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"You are very kind,\" said the lawyer, seating himself gingerly in the\u003cbr\u003echair referred to.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Where is your son, Lemuel?\" continued the lawyer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"He is in school. But it is nearly time for him to be home; he never\u003cbr\u003eloiters.\" And the mother's voice showed something of the pride she felt\u003cbr\u003ein her boy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Still in school!\" exclaimed Mr. Slemp. \"Shouldn't he be helping to\u003cbr\u003esupport you?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"No,\" said the widow proudly. \"I set great store by learning, as does my\u003cbr\u003eson. But you came on business?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Ah, yes, Mrs. Pitkin. I fear that the business may be unpleasant for\u003cbr\u003eyou, but you will remember, I am sure, that I act in this matter as agent\u003cbr\u003efor another.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Unpleasant!\" repeated Mrs. Pitkin apprehensively. \"Yes. Mr. Joshua Bird,\u003cbr\u003eSquire Bird, has placed in my hands for foreclosure the mortgage on your\u003cbr\u003ehouse. That is, he will foreclose,\" he added hastily, \"if you fail to\u003cbr\u003eraise the necessary monies in three months from now, when the obligation\u003cbr\u003ematures.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"How can I hope to pay?\" said the widow brokenly. \"I thought that Squire\u003cbr\u003eBird would be glad to renew, as we pay him twelve per cent interest.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I am sorry, Mrs. Pitkin, sincerely sorry, but he has decided not to\u003cbr\u003erenew. He wants either his money or the property.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe lawyer took his hat and bowed politely, leaving the widow alone with\u003cbr\u003eher tears.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e(It might interest the reader to know that I was right in my surmise. An\u003cbr\u003einterior decorator, on passing the house, had been greatly struck by its\u003cbr\u003eappearance. He had seen Squire Bird about purchasing it, and that is why\u003cbr\u003ethat worthy had decided to foreclose on Mrs. Pitkin. The name of the\u003cbr\u003ecause of this tragedy was Asa Goldstein, his business, \"Colonial\u003cbr\u003eExteriors and Interiors.\" Mr. Goldstein planned to take the house apart\u003cbr\u003eand set it up again in the window of his Fifth Avenue shop.)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs Lawyer Slemp was leaving the humble dwelling, he met the widow's son,\u003cbr\u003eLemuel, on the threshold. Through the open door, the boy caught a glimpse\u003cbr\u003eof his mother in tears, and said to Mr. Slemp:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"What have you been saying to my mother to make her cry?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Stand aside, boy!\" exclaimed the lawyer. He pushed Lem with such great\u003cbr\u003eforce that the poor lad fell off the porch steps into the cellar, the\u003cbr\u003edoor of which was unfortunately open. By the time Lem had extricated\u003cbr\u003ehimself, Mr. Slemp was well on his way down the road.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOur hero, although only seventeen years old, was a strong, spirited lad\u003cbr\u003eand would have followed after the lawyer but for his mother. On hearing\u003cbr\u003eher voice, he dropped the ax which he had snatched up and ran into the\u003cbr\u003ehouse to comfort her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe poor widow told her son all we have recounted and the two of them sat\u003cbr\u003eplunged in gloom. No matter how they racked their brains, they could not\u003cbr\u003ediscover a way to keep the roof over their heads.","brand":"WDS Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47070258790640,"sku":"2940013740587","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013740587_p0.jpg?v=1763589604","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013740587","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}