mother, had I been spared to rear her? I think
so--no, I know it is so. Every instinct of motherhood in me tells me it
is so."

"Lady," he answered, "to a mere man woman always will be an everlastin'
puzzle and a riddle; but even a man kin appreciate, in a poor, faint
way, the depths of mother love. It's ez though he looked through a break
in the clouds and ketched a vision of the glories of heaven. But you
ain't told me yit how you come to be in possession of this here sheet of
note paper."

"Oh, that's right! I had forgotten," she answered. "Try to think now,
judge--when my mother refused to let you go farther with your plan that
night at her house, what did you do with the paper?"

"I shoved it out of sight quick ez ever I could. I recall that much
anyway."

"Did you by any chance put it in your pocket?"

"Well, by Nathan Bedford Forrest!" he exclaimed. "I believe that's
purzackly the very identical thing I did do. And bein' a careless old
fool, I left it there instid of tearin' it up or burnin' it, and then I
went on home and plum' furgot it wuz still there--not that I now regret
havin' done so, seein' whut to-night's outcome is."

"And did your servant, after you were gone, send the suit you had worn
that night downtown to be cleaned or repaired? Or do you know about
that?"

"I suspicion that he done that very thing," he said, a light beginning
to break in upon him. "Jeff is purty particular about keepin' my clothes
in fust-rate order. He aims fur them to be in good condition when he
decides it's time to confiscate 'em away frum me and start in wearin'
'em himself. Yessum, my Jeff's mighty funny that way. And now, come to
think of it, I do seem to reckerlect that I spilt a lot of ink on 'em
that same night."

"Well, then, the mystery is no mystery at all," she said. "On that very
same day--the day your darky sent your clothes to the cleaner's--I had
two of Dallam's suits sent down to be pressed. That little man at the
tailor shop--Pedaloski--found this paper crumpled up in your pocket and
took it out and then later forgot where he had found it. So, as I
understand, he tried to read it, seeking for a clue to its ownership. He
can't read much English, you know, so probably he has had no idea then
or thereafter of the meaning of it; but he did know enough English to
make out the name of Wybrant. Look at it and you'll see my name occurs
twice in it, but your name does not occur at all. So don't you see what