Jonathan's only son, Jotham (Catherine and Tom's father), had married at the age of twenty and come home to live.
The old folks gave him the deed of the farm and accepted only a "maintenance" on it--not an uncommon mode of procedure.

Quite naturally, no doubt, after taking the farm off his father's hands, marrying and having a family of his own, this son, Jotham, wished to manage the farm as he saw fit.

He was a fairly kind, well-meaning man, but he had a hasty temper and was a poor manager.

His plans seemed never to prosper, and the farm ran down, to the great sorrow and dissatisfaction of his father, Jonathan, whose good advice was wholly disregarded.

The farm lapsed under a mortgage; the buildings went unrepaired, unpainted; and the older man experienced the constant grief of seeing the place that had been so dear to him going wrong and getting into worse condition every year.
Of course we young folks did not at that time know or understand much about all this; but I have learned since that Jonathan often unbosomed his troubles to the old Squire, who sympathized with him, but who could do little to improve matters.
Jotham's wife was a worthy woman, and I never heard that she did not treat the old folks well.