"The young lady made an affidavit stating that she was the perpetrator of the joke and published the affidavit in The Eagle." "Who was the young lady?" "Let's see. I don't recall her name just now. She works in the Wilford Springs Central State Bank." "It surely wasn't Miss Babcock?" "Yes, that's the girl--Ruth Babcock." Harold felt a dizzy sensation. Could it be possible that Ruth had been the one who had subjected the Klan to all this criticism. He couldn't believe it. "There must be some mistake," Harold ventured. "No, there's no mistake. It has made Springer the laughing stock of the town." "What do--the--the Klansmen think of Ruth, I mean Miss Babcock?" In this last question Harold revealed anxiety, and the minister's quick perception told him that there was an interest, other than his interest in the Klan, back of the question. "Oh, the boys think that it is great of her to have the courage to come out in the paper and put the Klan in the clear." "But what about her having pulled this stunt in the first place and thereby brought reproach on the Klan? Do they criticize her for that?" "No. Everybody knows that she did not do it for that purpose." "Where can we get a paper?" Harold asked. "There's a news stand in the middle of the next block." When they reached the news stand Harold asked for the Eagle of the previous day's issue. The news dealer informed him that he was sold out, that he could have sold twice as many Eagles of the issue asked for if he had had them. "Let's go into this jewelry store and see if they have one," said the minister. "Have you a last night's Eagle?" Harold asked. "I believe there is one around here some place," the jeweler replied. After a brief search he found it. The article read: "A circumstance which occurred recently has been erroneously reported by the press, and an organization which is in no sense responsible for this incident has been blamed. Being in full possession of the facts in the case and not wishing to injure a worthy organization or the public, I feel it is my duty to tell under oath the facts concerning the Rastus Jones affair which occurred on October 3, 1922." Ruth Babcock. Then followed the oath: "Ruth Babcock appeared before me, a notary public, and first being duly sworn, deposes and says: