It ain't none of my biznis, but I want yuh to no it. An' that ain't
all. The U. s. oficers are looking for him on another charge, tu.
Nobody noes this but me an' yuh, an' nobody will as long as the monie
keeps comin' in. If yuh doant bileeve this, axe him.

Yurs Truly,
A Friend.

In the difficulty of translating the words before her into logical ideas
the full import of the statements made did not penetrate Juliet's mind at
first. When they did she merely smiled a calm, contemptuous smile.

With the usual fatuous faith of a sweetheart, she instantly consigned to
limbo anything whatever derogatory to her beloved. Then in full possession
of herself, she returned to the veranda, where Skidmore was smoking a
cigarette.

"No bad news I hope?" he asked politely, scrutinizing her features.

"Oh, no, thanks," she replied, laughing a little unnaturally. "Not really
bad, just disturbing," and they continued their interrupted conversation.

But that night when she was in bed the crude letters of that missive
appeared before her eyes in lines of fire. Of late the old mystery of
Bud's past life had not been much in her thoughts; love, the obliterator,
had successfully wiped away the last traces of uneasiness that she had
felt, and like all true and good women, she had given him the priceless
treasure of her love, not questioning, not seeking to discern what he
would have shown her had it seemed right in his mind that she should see.

But this scrawled letter to-night brought back with stunning force all the
distress and doubts that had formerly assailed her. She guessed, and
rightly, that Smithy Caldwell was the author of it, but she could not
analyze the motives that had inspired his pen.

She told herself with fatal logic that if all this were a lie, Caldwell
would not dare write it; that Larkin had paid this man five hundred
dollars on another occasion not so far gone; and that it was avowedly a
case of impudent blackmail. She knew, furthermore, that Bud carefully
avoided all references to Caldwell even when she had brought forward the
name, and that in the conversation overheard by Stelton there had been
mention of someone by the name of Mary.

What if this money were going to another woman!

The thought overwhelmed her as she lay there, and she sat up gasping for
breath, but in a moment the eternal def