“Now, Mr. Cook, if I ran the bank with my heart instead of my head, where would we be? You are a stockholder, are you not?”
Cook chuckled. “You’ve got me there, Mr. Williams. As I told you, we are very lucky to have a man with your business sense. And you are right, you can’t run a bank with your heart.”
Williams sighed. “Well, I must confess that I am being disingenuous with you. I too have been worried about Jason Adams, so I have done something that I might regret.”
“What is that?”
“I bought his note from the bank,” Williams said.
Cook raised up to look at him. “You bought Jason’s note? Why would you do that?”
“Because in all good conscience, I cannot allow the bank to extend his note any longer. However, as the personal holder of his note, I believe I can work out some way with Mr. Adams that will allow him to keep his ranch. That is, if he is willing to work with me.”
“You are a good man, Mr. Williams,” Cook said as he resumed shaving the banker. “Yes, sir, you are a good man.”
“Of course, Jason may not like what I am offering him,” Williams said. “It’s going to be harsh, but it’s the only way he will be able to save his ranch. And after all, it is better to swallow a bitter pill than to lose the entire ranch.”
“That’s true all right,” Cook said as he continued to cut the hair. “Sometimes a fella just has to bite the bullet.”
Half an hour later, Williams was in his office in the back of the bank when Ron Gilbert, his head teller, knocked on the door.
“Yes, Gilbert, what is it?”
“Mr. Williams, Mr. Jason Adams is here to see you,” Gilbert said.
“Is he here to pay his note, or to ask for an extension?”
“From the expression on his face, he is here to ask for an extension, I believe,” Gilbert said.
“That is a shame,” Williams said. Williams projected an image of concern and compassion, though in truth he could scarcely contain his joy over the fact that everything was going exactly as he had planned.
“Send him in,” Williams said.
Adams came in and stood nervously just inside the door. He was, as Cook had described, wearing a suit and was freshly shaved and trimmed. It was obvious that he was going all out to make as positive an appearance as he possibly could.
“Good morning, Jason,” Williams said, smiling at the rancher. “Please, come in, have a seat. How is Millie?”
“My wife is fine, thank you for your concern,” Adams replied nervously.
“And your two boys? They must be a head taller than they were the last time I saw them.”
Adams nodded. “Yes, sir, they’ve grown quite a bit.”
“Well, I hope everything is fine with you. What brings you to town, Jason? What can I do for you?”
“I’m here to talk about my loan.”
“You are a little early, aren’t you? Your loan isn’t due for a couple of weeks.”
Adams looked surprised. “You can remember when my loan is due?”
Williams cleared his throat. It wouldn’t be good to show that he was taking a particular interest in Jason Adams’s loan.
“Well, when I heard you were in town today, I thought it might have something to do with your loan,” Williams said. He forced a laugh. “I didn’t think you would stop by just to pass the time of day.”
“Oh, no, sir, no, sir,” Adams said. “I would never waste your time like that.”
Williams rubbed his hands together.
“So, you want to pay your loan off, do you?” Williams asked cheerfully. He knew that Jason had no intention of paying off the loan. In fact, he didn’t want him to pay off the loan.
Adams’s lips drew into a tight line. “Uh, no, sir, I’m afraid I can’t do that,” he said. “I’m going to have to ask for another extension.”
“Oh,” Williams said. “Oh, that’s too bad. Yes, sir, that is too bad.” Williams shook his head. “Is there any chance you will be able to pay it off by the time it is due?”
“No, sir,” Adams said. “I’m sorry, Mr. Williams, I truly am. But I’m not going to be able to pay the loan off.”
“Mr. Adams, for your sake, and for the sake of your family, I was really hoping that this time you would be able to pay the note off,” Williams said as he stroked his chin. “You see, I’m afraid that it isn’t going to be possible to give you another extension.”
“Not—not possible?” Adams asked, obviously crestfallen by the information. “Are you saying you won’t extend the note?”
“I’m really sorry, Mr. Adams,” Williams said. “I wish I could extend your loan again, I really do. But my hands are tied. I have an obligation, not only to the stockholders of this bank, but also the depositors.”
“I see,” Adams said. “What—what is going to happen now?”
“Well, I’m afraid that you are going to lose your ranch.”
