He was glib, voluble, dexterous, ubiquitous, a teller of funny stories, a cracker of jokes.
Naturally enough, he was heavily in debt, but carried the burden of it with perfect nonchalance.

The year before S.Behrman had held mortgages for fully a third of his crop and had squeezed him viciously for interest.

But for all that, Osterman and S.Behrman were continually seen arm-in-arm on the main street of Bonneville.

Osterman was accustomed to slap S.Behrman on his fat back, declaring: "You're a good fellow, old jelly-belly, after all, hey ?" As Osterman entered from the porch, after hanging his cavalry poncho and dripping hat on the rack outside, Mrs.Derrick appeared in the door that opened from the dining-room into the glass-roofed hallway just beyond.
Osterman saluted her with effusive cordiality and with ingratiating blandness.
"I am not going to stay," she explained, smiling pleasantly at the group of men, her pretty, wide-open brown eyes, with their look of inquiry and innocence, glancing from face to face, "I only came to see if you wanted anything and to say how do you do." She began talking to old Broderson, making inquiries as to his wife, who had been sick the last week, and Osterman turned to the company, shaking hands all around, keeping up an incessant stream of conversation.
"Hello, boys and girls.

Hello, Governor.