"It's like this," he said.

"You see, if your father decided to keep his works going over yonder, I don't say but he might give us some little competition for a time, 'specially as he's got the start on us and about ready for the market.

Then I was figuring we could use his plant--it's small, but it'd be to our benefit to have the use of it--and he's got a lease on that big lot; it may come in handy for us if we want to expand some.

Well, I'd prefer to make a deal with him as quietly as possible---no good in every Tom, Dick and Harry hearing about things like this--but I figured he could sell out to me for a little something more'n enough to cover the mortgage he put on this house, and Walter's deficit, too--THAT don't amount to much in dollars and cents.

The way I figure it, I could offer him about ninety-three hundred dollars as a total--or say ninety-three hundred and fifty--and if he feels like accepting, why, I'll send a confidential man up here with the papers soon's your father's able to look 'em over.