Page:American Boy's Life of William McKinley.djvu/158

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.
128
AMERICAN BOYS' LIFE

much for the collection, for he needed the rent money to live on.

"If that's the case, you need only pay me my expenses," answered McKinley, and footed them up, a total of less than a dollar. The miserly soldier expressed himself as being very thankful and went away chuckling, no doubt, in his sleeve over the way he had outwitted McKinley.

But the incident was not yet finished. Shortly after that time the young lawyer, in looking up some mortgage records, discovered that the old soldier owned considerable property and also several first-class mortgages. It chagrined him greatly to think how he had been deceived, but he kept the matter to himself.

One day the old soldier got into a legal difficulty over one of the mortgages he held. He wanted McKinley' s aid, but hated to go to the young lawyer about it, thinking his seeming poverty would be exposed as a sham. However, at last he went to the young lawyer and stated the case.

"I know you can win this case," said he. "And I suppose you'll do it very reasonably for me."