34 TOM’S EXPERIENCE 
ever, kindly rallied to my assistance, and, busy as 
they were, put in forty acres of wheat and about 
thirty of oats for me. But this was less than half 
that I expected to have done, and it being rather late 
when put in, I could hardly expect a full crop. 
And there was that mortgage ! 
TOM’S FOLLY. 
But J need not go more into detail. Mr. Cook 
pushed the work on the house, finished it, got his 
money, and he and his men went back to the village. 
It was a handsome house, no mistake, but as I looked 
at it [named it ** Tom’s Folly.” 
My crops turned out poorly, and the expense of 
harvesting and threshing was unusually heavy. Two 
of those notes were due, and the third would be in 
about a week, but I had heard nothing from Mr. 
Grimsley about them, and concluded that, hearing of 
my accident, he had decided to let them stand until 
it was more convenient for me to pay them. 
A CALL FROM THE SHERIFF. 
I was soon undeceived. About a week after the 
last note was due | had a call from a polite and affa- 
ble stranger, who introduced himself as the sheriff 
of the county, and produced an execution against me 
for over $1,300, and said his instructions. were posi- 
tive to levy on the farm unless the amount was paid 
at once. 
There was that mortgage! 
