He replied on the same tablet: "Not when he tried."
Podge rubbed it all off, and thought a minute, and then concluded that evening's correspondence:
"You are an old tease!"
The next morning, as usual, she wrapped herself up warmly and took the omnibus for her school, and saw him watching her out of the upper window. That night, instead of any inquiries, he stalked down in his worked slippers—the dead man's—and long dressing gown, and, after smiling at all, took Podge Byerly's hand and looked at it. This time he spoke in a sweet, modulated voice,
"Very pretty!"
She was about to reply, when he gave her the ivory tablet, and put his finger on his lip.
She wrote, "Did you ever fight a duel?"
He shook his head "No."
She wrote again, "What else do they do in Arkansas?"
He replied, "They love."