traitors, and have placed the fraternity, of which they are members,
entirely in the power of their enemies, but it will all come out right;
there is no mistake. You heard that Madam Brown had lost a certain
package of papers, letters, or the like, did you not?"

I replied in the affirmative.

"Well, they believed for a time that I had them, or would have made
others think so; but that kind of accusation would not take with men who
knew me. They next laid the charge against you: I have satisfied the
interested party, that they are not in the possession of either of us,
but that the colonel and his brother have them, and intend thereby to
slip more necks into the halter than poor Taylor's. I am of the opinion,
their own necks will pay the price of their treachery."

I then replied, that I knew Mrs. Brown had said she had lost a package
of papers, but what they contained, I knew not.

"Nor ever will know," said he.

"I have no curiosity about the matter," I replied.

"And you might as well NEVER have, for curious people will pay dearly
for reading them, especially if they undertake it in court, as evidence
against the brotherhood."

The reader can hardly imagine the intense desire that was created, by
this time, in my heart, to learn all about this "brotherhood," and
"fraternity," so often introduced, and yet so obscurely as to give me
no certain information.