of them bumbs dropped at my house last night!" stated
Hiram, though the expression on his countenance had rendered that
information superfluous.

"Ditto and the same," admitted the Cap'n. "Haven't brought yourn,
have you?"

"Wife's holdin' onto it for evidence when she gets her bill of
divorce," said Hiram.

"Ditto with me," affirmed Cap'n Sproul. "Tellin' mine the truth was
what really started her mad up. It was just plain mystery up to that
time, and she only felt sorry. When I told her the truth she said
if it was that bad it would prob'ly turn out to be worse, and so long's
I'd owned up to a part of it I'd better go ahead and tell the rest,
and so on! And now she won't believe anything I try to tell her."

"Same over to my place," announced his despondent friend.

"It's your own cussed fault," blazed the Cap'n. "My notion was to
lie to 'em. You can make a lie smooth and convincin'. The truth of
this thing sounds fishy. It would sound fishy to me if I didn't know
it was so."

"Since I got out of the circus business I've been tryin' to do
business with less lyin', but it doesn't seem to work," mourned Hiram.
"Maybe what's good for the circus business is good for all kinds.
Seems to be that way! Well, when you'd told her the straight truth
and had been as square as you could, what did you say to her when
she flared up?"

"Northin'," answered the Cap'n. "Didn't seem to be northin' to say
to fit the case."

"Not after the way they took the truth when it was offered to 'em,"
agreed Hiram. "I didn't say anything out loud. I said it to myself,
and it would have broke up the party if a little bird had twittered
it overhead at a Sunday-school picnic."

That day Jackson Denslow, pricked by a fee of ten dollars, made more
searching investigation. It was almost a census. Absolutely no trace
of such a stranger! Denslow sullenly said that such a domiciliary
visit was stirring up a lot of talk, distrust, and suspicion, and,
as he couldn't answer any questions as to who she was, where she came
from, and what was wanted of her, nor hint as to who his employers
were, it was currently stated that he had gone daffy over the
detective business. His tone of voice indicated that he thought
others were similarly afflicted. He allowed that no detective could
detect until he had all the facts.

He demanded information and sneered when it was not given.

It was an unfortunate attitude to take toward men, the triggers of
whose t