"Good morning, Reverend."
"How are you, Jackson?"
"Reverend Benton, what do you think of Stover's arrest?"
"Well, I have never had a very exalted opinion of Stover, but I had not suspected him of being a thief."
"It looks bad for him, but he may be able to come clear. I hope he does."
"Well, I do, too. While I have never been an admirer of Stover I would regret very much to know that he had robbed a man who has become an invalid and dependent on his daughter for support."
"If he did defraud Babcock and then discharged his daughter who was supporting her father and aunt because she was keeping company with Harold King whom he had a personal grudge against, as reported, there aren't adjectives strong enough to use in condemning him." Jackson spoke with feeling.
"I know that he discharged the girl because she was keeping company with Harold King but, of course, I know nothing about the charges of fraud."
Springer now came by and Jackson stopped him with the question, "Springer, what do you think about this Stover affair?"
"I think just what I stated in the Journal, that Stover's arrest is a piece of spite work."