At last he could stand the suspense no longer and so, one day, while at the dinner table, he told the story of a rich find of money by a lady in Philadelphia.
"It was in the weekly paper," said he, "and by the way," he went on, "what about the pot of gold you found?"
"The pot of gold I found?" she repeated, blankly.
"Yes, the one you found in the well. What did you do with it?"
"Why, I never found any pot of gold in a well, Abner! What put that in your head?"
He shoved back his chair in horror, and gazed at her blankly.
"Didn't you tell me you had found a pot of gold in a well, Lucy?" he demanded.
"Never!"
"Certainly, you did. You asked me if you could keep it or if the law could take it from you. I told you the law couldn't touch it."
"Oh, I remember now!" she answered, sweetly. "I read about such a find in a story magazine, and I was wondering if the finder could keep it, or if it would have to be turned over to the person who owned the property on which the well was located. But I certainly never said anything about my finding a pot of gold."