Swallow was a personage whose like was found too often in the small
Pennsylvania villages. The only child of a close-fisted, saving farmer,
he found himself on his father's death more than sufficiently well-off to
go to college and later to study law. He was careful and penurious, but
failing of success in Philadelphia returned to Westways when about thirty
years old, bought a piece of land in the town, built a house, married a
pretty, commonplace young woman, and began to look for business. There
was little to be had. The Squire drew his own leases and sold lands to
farmers unaided. Then Swallow began to take interest in politics and to
lend money to the small farmers, taking mortgages at carefully guarded,
usurious interest. Merciless foreclosures resulted, and as by degrees his
operations enlarged, he grew richer and became feared and important in a
county community where money was scarce. Some of his victims went in
despair to the much loved Squire for help, and got, over and over,
relief, which disappointed Swallow who disliked him as he did no other
man in the county. The Squire returned his enmity with contemptuous
bitterness and entire distrust of the man and all his ways.
Mr. Grey saw in the further room the back of a thin figure in a white
jacket seated at a desk.
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