They found him out once. Reeding used some
strong language in an editorial the other day. He
said if you began to investigate Decker's past you
must do it with a clothes-pin on your nose and
rubber gloves on your hands. Then — people hate —
her so."

" Did you know she is here — in town ? "

" No," Lem looked surprised.
I had not intended to tell him what happened at
the Crawford tea. Men look with supreme scorn on
any picayune fuss a woman gets into. Only — this
was different. Besides it had hurt! Before I knew
it I told him the whole story.
Lemuel seldom swears. When he does it is never
over trifling things, it takes something big and scur-
rilous and despicable to make him use the language
he did that night. I listened and enjoyed it, because
Mrs. Decker deserved every word he said. When he
quieted down he asked.
" Who was the woman 'that came forward and did
the square thing by you ? "
Her name was Daggett."

Daggett," he repeated. " I wonder if it could
have been Senator Daggett's wife. What did she
look like?"

" She was a little woman, plain looking and simply






136 THE WOMAN FR6M WOLVERTON

dressed. She had wavy gray hair and brown eyes.
She might have been sixty years old."

" I should n't wonder if it were she. I met her
once with the senator. I remember her voice better
than her face. She had ajvery pleasant voice."

" Yes, her voice is beautiful; I noticed it more than
I might have done because Mrs. Decker's voice is so
dreadful."

" The Daggetts are at the top of the tree socially.
