g, Burr stepped upon the porch and knocked at
the door. The summons was answered by Mrs. Smith, who, though a
senator's wife, was country bred and untaught in artificial usages.
She received the urbane stranger with a timidity amounting almost to
trepidation.

Her husband had gone to the woods to cut a wagon pole, and pending his
return Burr waited in the front room of the log mansion, and made a
heroic effort to melt the ice of reserve which seemed to congeal Mrs.
Smith's flow of speech. Seldom had he failed in the winning art of
conversation, especially with women. Ladies were his favorite pursuit,
if not his prey. But Elder Smith's wife proved unapproachable by
language of tongue or eye. Talking to her was like talking to a lay
figure with vocal and locomotive organs.

Luckily or otherwise, an unexpected diversion was in store for
Burr--a role which he did not anticipate devolved upon him, and
required him to play his part in a dramatic scene with a character
much more sympathetical than Mrs. Smith. From the moment he crossed
the threshold to enter the plain parlor he had been conscious of a
fugitive fragrance, scarcely perceptible, which he recognized as the
scent of Parisian musk, a perfume much in favor with the exquisite
beaux and belles of that day. The telltale odor was reminiscent of
past gallantries, and it served in a subtle way to herald the coming
of a person whose appearance suggested knowledge of the gay world. Not
uncurious to steal a glance at the strange visitor, a woman, tastefully
arrayed in sable robes, entered unannounced from a cozy side-room. An
unbidden blush betokened her surprise and emotion. Burr blenched
slightly, but neither the red signal nor its effect was observed by
Mrs. Smith, who, glad to shift the task of entertaining Colonel Burr,
introduced him to Mrs. Rosemary.

"You will please excuse me; I'll send a boy to the woods for Mr.
Smith. Make yourselves at home; we housekeepers in the country have a
good many chores."

Like the practical Martha that she was, Dame Smith, cumbered with much
prospective serving, hastened to the dining-room to set the table. On
her exit from the parlor she closed the door behind her, not having
the slightest suspicion that chance had made her house a place of
clandestine meeting.

"Salome! Can it be you?"

"It can, if we are not both in a delirium. I did not expect ever to
see _you_ again. Who could induce Aaron Burr to come to Ohio?"

"Perhaps