Old Jerry was pure boiler plate; he could squeeze ten per cent interest out of a frozen parsnip.

He and Blackford Singleton sort o' divided things up in this section.

Jerry Bassett corralled the coin; Blackford rolled up a couple of hundred thousand and capped it with a United States senatorship.

Mort's not forty yet; married only child of Blackford F.
Singleton--Jerry made the match, I guess; it was the only way he could get Blackford's money.

Mort prepared for college, but didn't go.