Nevertheless, he could not help saying to Parson Marks, just before the party came to an end:
"Mrs. Sherrod is having the time of her young life, ain't she? She's a mighty pretty thing. Jud ought to be mighty proud of her. Every man here's half or dead in love with her."
"We all admire her very much," said Mr. Marks, with great dignity. He did not like the free and easy speech of the editor.
"I noticed a curious thing in a Chicago paper not long ago," said Boswell, whose eyes were following the girl. "Fellow with the same name as Jud's was married up there. Funny, wasn't it?"
"Not at all, Mr. Boswell," said Mr. Marks, stiffly. "There are hundreds of Sherrods in Chicago; the name is a common one. I saw the same article, I presume. It so impressed me, I confess, that I took the liberty of writing to Jud Sherrod to inquire if he knew anything about it."
"You did?" cried the editor, his eyes snapping eagerly. "And did he answer?"
"He did, most assuredly."
"Well?" asked Boswell, as the pastor paused. "What did he say?"
"He said that he knew nothing about it except what he had seen in the papers, that's all."
"That's just what I thought," said the editor, emphatically. "I knew it wasn't our Jud."