The Colonel strove to recall.  “Dupree?” he said.

“Judge Dupree’s daughter,” said Montague.  “His brother, John Dupree, was the first president of the road.”

“Oh, yes,” said the Colonel.  “Of course, of course!  I remember the Judge now.  Your father told me he had taken quite a lot of the stock.”

“Yes, he was the prime mover in the enterprise.”

“And who was that other gentleman?” said the Colonel, racking his brains.  “The one who used to be so much in his house, and was so much interested in him—­”

“You mean Mr. Lee Gordon?” said Montague.

“Yes, I think that was the name,” the other replied.

“He was my father’s cousin,” said Montague.  “He put so much money into the road that the family has been poor ever since.”

“It was an unfortunate venture,” said the Colonel.  “It is too bad some of our big capitalists don’t take it up and do something with it.”

“That was my idea,” said Montague.  “I have broached it to one.”

“Indeed?” said the Colonel.  “Possibly that is where my offer came from.  Who was it?”

“It was Jim Hegan,” said Montague.

“Oh!” said the Colonel.  “But of course,” he added, “Hegan would do his negotiating through an agent.”

“Let me give you my card,” said the Colonel, after a pause.  “It is possible that I may be able to interest someone in the matter myself.  I have friends who believe in the future of the South.  How many shares do you suppose you could get me, and what do you suppose they would cost?”

Montague got out a pencil and paper, and proceeded to recall as well as he could the location of the various holdings of Northern Mississippi.  He and his new acquaintance became quite engrossed in the subject, and they talked it out from many points of view.  By the time that Montague’s friend arrived, the Colonel was in possession of all the facts, and he promised that he would write in a very few days.

And then, after dinner, Montague went upstairs and joined his mother.  “I met an old friend of father’s this evening,” he said.

“Who was it?” she asked.

“Colonel Cole,” he said, and Mrs. Montague looked blank.

“Colonel Cole?” she repeated.

“Yes, that was the name,” said Montague.  “Here is his card,” and he took it out.  “Henry W. Cole, Seattle, Washington,” it read.

“But I never heard of him,” said Mrs. Montague.

“Never heard of him!” exclaimed Montague.  “Why, he has been at the house a dozen times, and he knew father and Cousin Lee and Judge Dupree and everyone.”

But Mrs. Montague only shook her head.  “He may have been at the house,” she said, “but I am sure that I was never introduced to him.”

Montague thought that it was strange, but he would never have given further thought to the matter, had it not been for something which occurred the next morning.  He went to the office rather early, on account of important work which he had to get ready.  He was the first to arrive, and he found the scrub-woman who cleaned the office just taking her departure.