n one evening about
sunset. He was invited to stay the night, and accepted. After supper,
taking up a copy of the "Western World" which was lying on the table,
he naturally turned the conversation upon the charges which the paper
had been making. He said that, as a stranger in the State, he was of
course ignorant in a great measure of the charges, whereupon Logan
enlightened him as well as he could, discussing the matter with him at
some length. The next morning Graham took his departure, and the Logans
attached no importance to the visit.

James Anson Drane had by no means severed his friendly relations with
Hiram Gilcrest. He was at this time employed by Gilcrest to settle some
old and troublesome land claims, and this business called him to
Oaklands on the Thursday before the day set for Burr's trial at
Frankfort. While Drane and Gilcrest were in the latter's library, one
of the little negroes about the place brought Drane a note which the
little darkey said had been left at the kitchen door by a peddler. The
two men were seated at a center table littered with papers and
documents. As Drane read the note, Gilcrest noticed that he appeared
greatly disturbed; his cheeks and lips turned ashy pale, and the hand
holding the note shook with agitation. He quickly commanded himself,
however, thrust the note into his pocket, and explained that he was
called to Lexington at once on urgent business. Gilcrest, seeing that
the business must be of a grave and peremptory nature, did not urge
Drane to stay, but gave the order for the lawyer's horse to be brought
immediately. Telling his host that he would call again in a few days,
Drane gathered up his papers which were scattered about the table, and
hurried into the hall for his hat and great coat. He tried to thrust
the papers into his breast pocket, but there were too many for one
pocket, and, in taking some of them out to put in a different
receptacle, the little note which he had just received fluttered to the
floor unperceived either by himself or his host.

Shortly afterwards, Polly, the housemaid, brought her master a crumpled
slip of paper, explaining that she had found it on the hall floor, and
thought it might perhaps be something important. Without glancing at
the address, or thinking much about the matter, Gilcrest opened the
paper and read the contents before he realized that it was the note
which had been handed to Drane a few minutes before. It read thus: "A
sincer