he automobile that stopped in front
of Aaron Hacker's real-estate office had a
New York license plate. Aaron didn't need
to see the license plate to know that its
owner was new to the elm-shaded town of
Ivy Corners. The car was a red convertible.
There was nothing else like it in town.
The man got out of the car and headed
straight for the door.
"It seems to be a customer," said Mr.
Hacker to the young lady at the other
desk "Let's look busy."
It was a customer, all right.
The man had a folded newspaper
in his right hand. He was
a bit on the heavy
side and wore a light
gray suit. He was
about fifty with dark,
curly hair. The skin
of his face was flushed
and hot, but his narrow
eyes were frosty-clear.
He came through
the doorway and nodded at Aaron.
"Are you Mr. Hacker?"
"Yes, sir," Aaron smiled. "What can I do
for you?"
The man waved the newspaper. "I saw
the name of your agency in the real-estate
section of the newspaper."
"Yep. I take an ad every week. Lots of city
people are interested in a town like ours,
Mr—"
"Waterbury," the man said. He pulled a
white handkerchief out of his pocket and
mopped his face. "Hot today."
"Unusually hot," Aaron answered.
"Doesn't often get so hot in our town. We're
near the lake, you know. Well. Won't you
sit down, Mr. Waterbury?"
"Thank you." The man took the chair,
and sighed. "I've been driving around.
Thought I'd look the town over before I
came here. Very nice little place."
"Yes, we like it," said Aaron.
"Now I really don't have much time,
Mr. Hacker. Suppose we get right down to
business."
"Suits me, Mr. Waterbury. Well, then, was
there any place in particular you were
interested in?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. I saw a house
at the edge of town, across the way from an
old deserted building."
"Was it an old yellow house with pillars?"
asked Aaron.
"Yes. That's the place. I thought I saw a
Tor Sale' sign, but I wasn't sure. Do you have
that house listed?"
Aaron chuckled softly. "Yep, we got it
listed all right." He flipped through a looseleaf
book, and pointed to a typewritten sheet.
"But you won't be interested for long."
"Why not?"
Aaron turned the book around. "Read
it for yourself."
The man did so:
AUTHENTIC COLONIAL: Eight
rooms, two baths, large porches,
trees and shrubbery. Near shopping
and schools. $75,000.
"Still interested?"
The man stirred uncomfortably. "Why
not? Something wrong with it?"
"Well." Aaron scratched his temple. "If
you really like this town, Mr. Waterbury—
I mean if you really want to settle here,
I have any number of places that'd suit
you better."
"Now, just a minute!" The man looked
indignant. I'm asking you about this colonial
house. You want to sell it or not?"
"Do I?" Aaron chuckled. "Mister, I've
had that property on my hands for five
years. There's no house I'd rather collect
a commission on. Only my luck ain't that
good."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you won't buy. That's what I
mean. I keep the listing on my books just
for the sake of old Sadie Grimes. Otherwise,
I wouldn't waste the space. Believe me."
"I don't get you."
"Then let me explain. Mrs. Grimes put
her place up for sale five years ago, when
her son died. She gave me the job of selling
it. I didn't want the job—no sir! I told her
that to her face. I mean the old place ain't
even worth $10,000!"
The man swallowed. "Ten? And she wants
$75,000?"
"That's right. It's a real old house. I mean
old. Some of the beams will be going in the
next couple of years. Basement's full of water
half the time. Upper floor leans to the right
about nine inches. And the grounds are a
mess."
"Then why does she ask so much?"
Aaron shrugged. "Don't ask me. Sentiment,
maybe. The house has been in her family
since the Revolution. Something like that."
The man looked at the floor. "That's too
bad," he said. "Too bad!" He looked up at
Aaron and smiled sheepishly. "And I kinda
liked the place. It was—I don't know how
to explain it—the right kind of house."
"I know what you mean. It's a friendly old
place. A good buy at $10,000. But $75,000?"
He laughed. "I think I know Sadie's
reasoning, though. You see, she doesn't have
much money. Her son was supporting her,
doing well in the city. Then he died, and she
knew that it was sensible to sell. But she
couldn't bring herself to part with the old
place. So she set a price tag so high that
nobody would buy it. That eased her
conscience." Mr. Hacker shook his head
sadly. "It's a strange world, ain't it?"
"Yes," Waterbury said thoughtfully.
"Then he stood up. "Tell you what, Mr.
Hacker. Suppose I drive out to see Mrs.
Grimes? Suppose I talk to her about it, get
her to change her price."
"You're fooling yourself, Mr. Waterbury.
I've been trying for five years."
"Who knows? Maybe if somebody else
tried—"
Aaron Hacker shrugged his shoulders.
"Who knows, is right. It's a strange world, Mr.
Waterbury. If you're willing to go to the
trouble, I'll be only too happy to lend a hand."
"Good. Then I'll leave now . . ."
"Fine! You just let me ring Sadie Grimes.
I'll tell her you're on your way."
Waterbury drove slowly through the quiet
streets. The trees that lined the avenues cast
peaceful shadows on the hood of the car.
He reached the home of Sadie Grimes
without once passing another moving vehicle.
He parked his car beside the rotted picket
fence that faced the house.
The lawn was a jungle of weeds and
crabgrass, and the columns that rose from
the front porch were covered with flaking
paint.
There was a hand knocker on the door.
He banged it twice.
The woman who came to the door was
short and plump. Her hair was white and her
face was lined. She wore a heavy wool sweater,
despite the heat.
"You must be Mr. Waterbury," she said.
"Aaron Hacker said you were coming."
"Yes." The man smiled. "How do you do,
Mrs. Grimes?"
"About as well as I can expect. I suppose
you want to come in?"
"It's awfully hot out here." He chuckled.
"Hm. Well, come in then. I've put some
lemonade in the ice-box. Only don't expect
me to bargain with you, Mr. Waterbury. I'm
not that kind of person."
"Of course not," the man said, and followed
her inside.
They entered a square parlor with heavy
furniture. The only color in the room was
in the faded hues of the worn rug in the
center of the bare floor.
The old woman headed straight for a
rocker, and sat motionless, her wrinkled
hands folded sternly.
"Well?" she said. "If you have anything
to say, Mr. Waterbury, I suggest you say it."
The man cleared his throat "Mrs. Grimes,
I've just spoken with your real-estate
agent—"
"I know all that," she snapped. "Aaron's
a fool. All the more for letting you come here
with the notion of changing my mind. I'm
too old for changing my mind, Mr.
Waterbury."
"Er—well, I don't know if that was my
intention, Mrs. Grimes. I thought we'd just—
talk a little."
She leaned back, and the rocker squeaked.
"Talk's free. Say what you like."
"Yes." He mopped his face again, and
shoved the handkerchief back into his
pocket. "Well, let me put it this way, Mrs.
Grimes. I'm a business man—a bachelor—
never married, I live alone. I've worked for
a long time, and I've made a fair amount
of money. Now I'm ready to retire—to
somewhere quiet. I like Ivy Corners. I passed
through here some years ago on my way toer,
Albany. I thought one day I might like
to settle here."
"So?"
"So, when I drove through your town
today, and saw this house, it just seemed—
right for me."
"I like it too, Mr. Waterbury. That's why
I'm asking a fair price for it."
Waterbury blinked. "Fair price? You'll have
to admit, Mrs. Grimes, these days
a house like this shouldn't cost more
than—"
"That's enough!" the woman cried. "I told
you, Mr. Waterbury, I don't want to sit here
all day and argue with you. If you won't pay
my price, then we can forget all about it."
"But, Mrs. Grimes—"
"Good day, Mr. Waterbury!"
She stood up, indicating that he was
expected to leave.
But he didn't. "Wait a minute, Mrs.
Grimes," he said. "Just a moment. I know
it's crazy, but—all right. I'll pay what you
want"
She looked at him for a long moment. "Are
you sure, Mr. Waterbury?"
"Positive! I've enough money. If that's the
only way you'll have it, that's the way it'll be."
She smiled. "I think that lemonade'll be
cold enough. I'll bring you some—and then
I'll tell you something about this house."
He was mopping his brow when she
returned with the tray. He gulped at the frosty
yellow beverage greedily.
"This house," she said, easing back in her
rocker, "has been in my family since 1802.
It was built fifteen years before that. Every
member of the family, except my son,
Michael, was born in the bedroom upstairs.
"I know it's not the most solid house in
Ivy Corners. After Michael was born, there
was a flood in the basement, and we never
seemed to get it dry since. I love the old
place, though, you understand."
"Of course," Waterbury said.
"Michael's father died when Michael was
nine. There were hard times then. I did some
needlework, and my own father had left me
some money which supports me today. Not
in very grand style, but I manage. Michael
missed his father, perhaps even more than
I. He grew up to be, well, wild is the only
word that comes to mind."
The man nodded with understanding.
"When he graduated from high school,
Michael left Ivy Corners and went to the city.
He went there against my wishes, make no
mistake. But he was like so many young
men—full of ambition, wild ambition. I didn't
know what he did in the city. But he must
have been successful—he sent me money
regularly. However, I didn't see him for nine
years."
"Ah," the man sighed, sadly.
"Yes, it wasn't easy for me. But it was even
worse when Michael came home. Because,
when he did, he was in trouble."
"Oh?"
"I didn't know how bad the trouble was.
He showed up in the middle of the night,
looking thinner and older than I could have
believed possible. He had no luggage with
him, only a small black suitcase. When I tried
to take it from him, he almost struck me.
Struck me—his own mother!
"I put him to bed myself, as if he was a
little boy again. I could hear him crying out
during the night.
"The next day, he told me to leave the
house. Just for a few hours. He wanted to do
something, he said. He didn't explain what.
But when I returned that evening, I noticed
that the little black suitcase was gone."
The man's eyes widened over the lemonade
glass.
"What did it mean?" he asked.
"I didn't know then. But I found out
soon—too terribly soon. That night, a man
came to our house. I don't even know how
he got in. I first knew when I heard voices
in Michael's room. I went to the door, and
tried to listen, tried to find out what sort of
trouble my boy was in. But I heard only
shouts and threats, and then . . ."
She paused, and her shoulders sagged.
"And a shot," she continued, "a gunshot.
When I went into the room, I found the
bedroom window open, and the stranger
gone. And Michael—he was on the floor.
He was dead!"
The chair creaked.
"That was five years ago," she said. "Five
long years. It was a while before I realized
what had happened. The police told me the
story. Michael and this other man had been
involved in a crime, a serious crime. They
had stolen many, many thousands of dollars.
"Michael had taken that money, and run
off with it. He wanted to keep it all for
himself. He hid it somewhere in this
house—to this very day I don't know where.
The other man had come looking for my
son, looking to collect his share. When
he found the money gone, he—he killed
my boy."
She looked up. "That's when I put this
house up for sale—at $75,000. I knew that,
someday, my son's killer would return to
look for the money. Someday, he would want
this house at any price. All I had to do was
wait until I found the man willing to pay
much too much for an old lady's house."
She rocked gently in the chair.
Waterbury put down the empty glass and
licked his lips. He was having trouble
keeping his eyes open, and his head was
growing very very dizzy.
"Ugh!" he said. "This lemonade is bitter."
of Aaron Hacker's real-estate office had a
New York license plate. Aaron didn't need
to see the license plate to know that its
owner was new to the elm-shaded town of
Ivy Corners. The car was a red convertible.
There was nothing else like it in town.
The man got out of the car and headed
straight for the door.
"It seems to be a customer," said Mr.
Hacker to the young lady at the other
desk "Let's look busy."
It was a customer, all right.
The man had a folded newspaper
in his right hand. He was
a bit on the heavy
side and wore a light
gray suit. He was
about fifty with dark,
curly hair. The skin
of his face was flushed
and hot, but his narrow
eyes were frosty-clear.
He came through
the doorway and nodded at Aaron.
"Are you Mr. Hacker?"
"Yes, sir," Aaron smiled. "What can I do
for you?"
The man waved the newspaper. "I saw
the name of your agency in the real-estate
section of the newspaper."
"Yep. I take an ad every week. Lots of city
people are interested in a town like ours,
Mr—"
"Waterbury," the man said. He pulled a
white handkerchief out of his pocket and
mopped his face. "Hot today."
"Unusually hot," Aaron answered.
"Doesn't often get so hot in our town. We're
near the lake, you know. Well. Won't you
sit down, Mr. Waterbury?"
"Thank you." The man took the chair,
and sighed. "I've been driving around.
Thought I'd look the town over before I
came here. Very nice little place."
"Yes, we like it," said Aaron.
"Now I really don't have much time,
Mr. Hacker. Suppose we get right down to
business."
"Suits me, Mr. Waterbury. Well, then, was
there any place in particular you were
interested in?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. I saw a house
at the edge of town, across the way from an
old deserted building."
"Was it an old yellow house with pillars?"
asked Aaron.
"Yes. That's the place. I thought I saw a
Tor Sale' sign, but I wasn't sure. Do you have
that house listed?"
Aaron chuckled softly. "Yep, we got it
listed all right." He flipped through a looseleaf
book, and pointed to a typewritten sheet.
"But you won't be interested for long."
"Why not?"
Aaron turned the book around. "Read
it for yourself."
The man did so:
AUTHENTIC COLONIAL: Eight
rooms, two baths, large porches,
trees and shrubbery. Near shopping
and schools. $75,000.
"Still interested?"
The man stirred uncomfortably. "Why
not? Something wrong with it?"
"Well." Aaron scratched his temple. "If
you really like this town, Mr. Waterbury—
I mean if you really want to settle here,
I have any number of places that'd suit
you better."
"Now, just a minute!" The man looked
indignant. I'm asking you about this colonial
house. You want to sell it or not?"
"Do I?" Aaron chuckled. "Mister, I've
had that property on my hands for five
years. There's no house I'd rather collect
a commission on. Only my luck ain't that
good."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you won't buy. That's what I
mean. I keep the listing on my books just
for the sake of old Sadie Grimes. Otherwise,
I wouldn't waste the space. Believe me."
"I don't get you."
"Then let me explain. Mrs. Grimes put
her place up for sale five years ago, when
her son died. She gave me the job of selling
it. I didn't want the job—no sir! I told her
that to her face. I mean the old place ain't
even worth $10,000!"
The man swallowed. "Ten? And she wants
$75,000?"
"That's right. It's a real old house. I mean
old. Some of the beams will be going in the
next couple of years. Basement's full of water
half the time. Upper floor leans to the right
about nine inches. And the grounds are a
mess."
"Then why does she ask so much?"
Aaron shrugged. "Don't ask me. Sentiment,
maybe. The house has been in her family
since the Revolution. Something like that."
The man looked at the floor. "That's too
bad," he said. "Too bad!" He looked up at
Aaron and smiled sheepishly. "And I kinda
liked the place. It was—I don't know how
to explain it—the right kind of house."
"I know what you mean. It's a friendly old
place. A good buy at $10,000. But $75,000?"
He laughed. "I think I know Sadie's
reasoning, though. You see, she doesn't have
much money. Her son was supporting her,
doing well in the city. Then he died, and she
knew that it was sensible to sell. But she
couldn't bring herself to part with the old
place. So she set a price tag so high that
nobody would buy it. That eased her
conscience." Mr. Hacker shook his head
sadly. "It's a strange world, ain't it?"
"Yes," Waterbury said thoughtfully.
"Then he stood up. "Tell you what, Mr.
Hacker. Suppose I drive out to see Mrs.
Grimes? Suppose I talk to her about it, get
her to change her price."
"You're fooling yourself, Mr. Waterbury.
I've been trying for five years."
"Who knows? Maybe if somebody else
tried—"
Aaron Hacker shrugged his shoulders.
"Who knows, is right. It's a strange world, Mr.
Waterbury. If you're willing to go to the
trouble, I'll be only too happy to lend a hand."
"Good. Then I'll leave now . . ."
"Fine! You just let me ring Sadie Grimes.
I'll tell her you're on your way."
Waterbury drove slowly through the quiet
streets. The trees that lined the avenues cast
peaceful shadows on the hood of the car.
He reached the home of Sadie Grimes
without once passing another moving vehicle.
He parked his car beside the rotted picket
fence that faced the house.
The lawn was a jungle of weeds and
crabgrass, and the columns that rose from
the front porch were covered with flaking
paint.
There was a hand knocker on the door.
He banged it twice.
The woman who came to the door was
short and plump. Her hair was white and her
face was lined. She wore a heavy wool sweater,
despite the heat.
"You must be Mr. Waterbury," she said.
"Aaron Hacker said you were coming."
"Yes." The man smiled. "How do you do,
Mrs. Grimes?"
"About as well as I can expect. I suppose
you want to come in?"
"It's awfully hot out here." He chuckled.
"Hm. Well, come in then. I've put some
lemonade in the ice-box. Only don't expect
me to bargain with you, Mr. Waterbury. I'm
not that kind of person."
"Of course not," the man said, and followed
her inside.
They entered a square parlor with heavy
furniture. The only color in the room was
in the faded hues of the worn rug in the
center of the bare floor.
The old woman headed straight for a
rocker, and sat motionless, her wrinkled
hands folded sternly.
"Well?" she said. "If you have anything
to say, Mr. Waterbury, I suggest you say it."
The man cleared his throat "Mrs. Grimes,
I've just spoken with your real-estate
agent—"
"I know all that," she snapped. "Aaron's
a fool. All the more for letting you come here
with the notion of changing my mind. I'm
too old for changing my mind, Mr.
Waterbury."
"Er—well, I don't know if that was my
intention, Mrs. Grimes. I thought we'd just—
talk a little."
She leaned back, and the rocker squeaked.
"Talk's free. Say what you like."
"Yes." He mopped his face again, and
shoved the handkerchief back into his
pocket. "Well, let me put it this way, Mrs.
Grimes. I'm a business man—a bachelor—
never married, I live alone. I've worked for
a long time, and I've made a fair amount
of money. Now I'm ready to retire—to
somewhere quiet. I like Ivy Corners. I passed
through here some years ago on my way toer,
Albany. I thought one day I might like
to settle here."
"So?"
"So, when I drove through your town
today, and saw this house, it just seemed—
right for me."
"I like it too, Mr. Waterbury. That's why
I'm asking a fair price for it."
Waterbury blinked. "Fair price? You'll have
to admit, Mrs. Grimes, these days
a house like this shouldn't cost more
than—"
"That's enough!" the woman cried. "I told
you, Mr. Waterbury, I don't want to sit here
all day and argue with you. If you won't pay
my price, then we can forget all about it."
"But, Mrs. Grimes—"
"Good day, Mr. Waterbury!"
She stood up, indicating that he was
expected to leave.
But he didn't. "Wait a minute, Mrs.
Grimes," he said. "Just a moment. I know
it's crazy, but—all right. I'll pay what you
want"
She looked at him for a long moment. "Are
you sure, Mr. Waterbury?"
"Positive! I've enough money. If that's the
only way you'll have it, that's the way it'll be."
She smiled. "I think that lemonade'll be
cold enough. I'll bring you some—and then
I'll tell you something about this house."
He was mopping his brow when she
returned with the tray. He gulped at the frosty
yellow beverage greedily.
"This house," she said, easing back in her
rocker, "has been in my family since 1802.
It was built fifteen years before that. Every
member of the family, except my son,
Michael, was born in the bedroom upstairs.
"I know it's not the most solid house in
Ivy Corners. After Michael was born, there
was a flood in the basement, and we never
seemed to get it dry since. I love the old
place, though, you understand."
"Of course," Waterbury said.
"Michael's father died when Michael was
nine. There were hard times then. I did some
needlework, and my own father had left me
some money which supports me today. Not
in very grand style, but I manage. Michael
missed his father, perhaps even more than
I. He grew up to be, well, wild is the only
word that comes to mind."
The man nodded with understanding.
"When he graduated from high school,
Michael left Ivy Corners and went to the city.
He went there against my wishes, make no
mistake. But he was like so many young
men—full of ambition, wild ambition. I didn't
know what he did in the city. But he must
have been successful—he sent me money
regularly. However, I didn't see him for nine
years."
"Ah," the man sighed, sadly.
"Yes, it wasn't easy for me. But it was even
worse when Michael came home. Because,
when he did, he was in trouble."
"Oh?"
"I didn't know how bad the trouble was.
He showed up in the middle of the night,
looking thinner and older than I could have
believed possible. He had no luggage with
him, only a small black suitcase. When I tried
to take it from him, he almost struck me.
Struck me—his own mother!
"I put him to bed myself, as if he was a
little boy again. I could hear him crying out
during the night.
"The next day, he told me to leave the
house. Just for a few hours. He wanted to do
something, he said. He didn't explain what.
But when I returned that evening, I noticed
that the little black suitcase was gone."
The man's eyes widened over the lemonade
glass.
"What did it mean?" he asked.
"I didn't know then. But I found out
soon—too terribly soon. That night, a man
came to our house. I don't even know how
he got in. I first knew when I heard voices
in Michael's room. I went to the door, and
tried to listen, tried to find out what sort of
trouble my boy was in. But I heard only
shouts and threats, and then . . ."
She paused, and her shoulders sagged.
"And a shot," she continued, "a gunshot.
When I went into the room, I found the
bedroom window open, and the stranger
gone. And Michael—he was on the floor.
He was dead!"
The chair creaked.
"That was five years ago," she said. "Five
long years. It was a while before I realized
what had happened. The police told me the
story. Michael and this other man had been
involved in a crime, a serious crime. They
had stolen many, many thousands of dollars.
"Michael had taken that money, and run
off with it. He wanted to keep it all for
himself. He hid it somewhere in this
house—to this very day I don't know where.
The other man had come looking for my
son, looking to collect his share. When
he found the money gone, he—he killed
my boy."
She looked up. "That's when I put this
house up for sale—at $75,000. I knew that,
someday, my son's killer would return to
look for the money. Someday, he would want
this house at any price. All I had to do was
wait until I found the man willing to pay
much too much for an old lady's house."
She rocked gently in the chair.
Waterbury put down the empty glass and
licked his lips. He was having trouble
keeping his eyes open, and his head was
growing very very dizzy.
"Ugh!" he said. "This lemonade is bitter."
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