d. Further, I
forbid your leaving these premises or holding any communication with
any one except members of this household, until you pledge me your word
of honor to have nothing more to do with Abner Dudley."

"Then, I'm a prisoner for life," answered Betty; "for so long as I live
and breathe, I shall love him. I mean to write to him as soon as I can
manage to escape your vigilance and tyranny long enough to post a
letter to him, and when he comes back to claim me, I will marry him in
spite of you and that villain, James Drane."

CHAPTER XXVIII.

AT THE "BLUE HERON"

Upon the evening preceding Abner's contemplated return to Kentucky, to
wind up his business there, and to hunt for evidence in regard to the
Page brothers, he strolled down to the "Blue Heron," a tavern in an
adjacent street. Entering the tavern, he found himself in the midst of
rather an exciting scene, occasioned by a bet just made as to the
relative height of two men who were standing leaning on the bar. Both
men were of unusual height. At a casual glance the younger of the two,
a frequenter of the tavern, would appear to be the taller, by reason of
his extreme slenderness of build. The older man was a stranger. The two
took their places in the center of the room, back to back; and it was
then found that the older man was the taller by nearly an inch. Upon
being measured, his exact height was ascertained to be six feet, two
inches.

"Seems like I've shrunk some sence I wuz a young man," said the old
fellow in a jocular tone, as he pocketed the stakes; "for then I
measured six foot, two an' a ha'f, in my sock feet. Thar wuz only one
feller in our reg'ment taller'n me, an' that wuz John Logan--'long
John' we called him to 'stinguish him frum t'other John Logan, who wuz
oncommon tall too, but nigh two inch shorter than 'long John.'"

For a moment Abner was unable to utter a word; then, under cover of the
noise made by the hilarious group standing at the bar, drinking at the
expense of the man who had lost the wager, he drew the old man to one
side, and asked, "Were the two John Logans you speak of related?"

"Not thet I knows on, stranger--yes, sence I come to think on it, they
wuz said to be cousins. I remember, too, thet they hailed frum the same
place--somewhars in Pennsylvany."

"Can you tell me any more about them?" asked Abner, by a mighty effort
managing to control his excitement, and to speak calmly.

"I don't know much uv Jack