I showed Mrs. Redfern to my evening parlor even though it was mid-afternoon. My day parlor had long gone out of commission, ever since the neighbor's dog, Buster had torn it up. Some folks can't see the sense in having two parlors, but I always say it is better to be safe than to be sorry. That was how I always had lived my life- safe- at least, I tried to be safe but somehow I was never quite as safe as I wanted to be with my own heart.

"I'm afraid this isn't merely a social call, Miss Petters," Mrs. Redfern said as she said down on my rose colored silk divan.

Of course, I knew it wasn't a social call but I also knew a lot more than what I was willing to let on. So, I simply said, "OH" in my most questioning tone.

Mrs. Redfern then began to twirl the tassel on my divan so much that I was afraid it might fall off. "Yes, you see, I'm was greatly disturbed to find out that my granddaughter, Jane has run off with your nephew. But, she has written me, only she is very much afraid that John will come after her."

As she twirled my poor tassel round and round waiting, she continued with her sad tale of betrayal and waited for a response from me, I began to pity this poor lady. She already had her own daughter, Lacey, run off with Jane's father and now to have Jane run off. For any normal soul, that would have proved to be too much. But, Valancy Redfern was no normal creature. I was sure that she was beginning to think that there was something inherently wrong with her but I knew there wasn't. She had just been blessed with a fool for a daughter and a fool for a granddaughter. So I spoke, "Yes, I thought that those two might have done something as foolish as that. But, if she comes home, I doubt that John will bother her too much that is, if his price is met."

Mrs. Redfern looked up suddenly at that, with a queer kind of pain in her eyes. I realized then that she might think me in cahoots with John, only wanting poor Jane for her grandfather's millions. "Mrs. Redfern, John has never been like the rest of the Hyings who have been quite content to earn for themselves. He's always been a shiftless sort of a fellow. We thought that was his only fault until we all witnessed of the affair with Eliza DuBerry. Do you know about that?" I asked, knowing full well that she didn't.

As I expected, Valancy shook her head no and I was forced to tell a story that I was loathed to tell. "Well, you see, Eliza DuBerry was sort of like a niece to me too. Her ma had been my best friend when we were both just schoolgirls. Thicker than thieves, we were. Well, when Eliza's ma died when she was 16, she came and lived with me for two peaceful years. Those were very happy years, Mrs. Redfern, very happy years indeed."

I stopped for a moment, trying not to cry- for the next part of the story was harder to tell. "Anyways, the first summer after she was a living with me, John came to visit from out west. I hadn't had any particular aversion to John just then; I only thought that was a rather shiftless fellow who could have used a good swift kicking in the pants. However, every time Eliza looked at him, she had stars in her eyes. John took to her right off too; I suspect that he thought she had a big inheritance waiting from her ma. Only, she hadn't. After he found that out, he just tossed on her aside and left. My poor darling, John hadn't any right to do that. He told her things that no man should tell a woman unless he has every intention of marrying her. Only John hadn't, well he would have if she had been rich but since she wasn't, he didn't care. It broke Eliza's heart, each day she grew weaker and weaker until she finally died." By this point, I was actually crying, the memory of poor little 'Liza sitting on her deathbed telling me not to fret over her proved to be too much.

Mrs. Redfern came up to me and put her hand on my shoulder and let me cry. In a few minutes, I was quite myself again and felt a mite ridiculous for putting on such a show but memories are like that, I guess.

But there was more to my story and I knew that I had to go on, "If that were only the worst of it, Mrs. Redfern. It turned out that he had already been married back west and his wife came out a week after Eliza died mad as a hornet wanting to know were John had got off. It turned out that he left her with three youngens to take care and she wasn't about to be licked by no man."

At this point, Valancy gave out a started cry; every thing she learned about John Hying made her wonder who this awful man was that her granddaughter had married. All she could muster was a meek "How Awful!"

"Yes, indeedy "said I," But I think this where we can find something real helpful, the last time I checked up on his wife, they were still married."

Mrs. Redfern started at me, "That means that Jane's marriage isn't really legal."

"My thoughts exactly now all we need is a plan to make sure that John won't come knocking around here or anywhere else anytime soon."