"I must have stammered a little, and appeared awkward and frightened as I made answer that I had a great desire to meet Mr. ---- and his brother--naming the person to whom the letter was addressed--and I have a message for Mr. ---- here with me now. "One of them--it was Frank--turned to me sharply, and asked me what I knew about Mr. ----. I told him that I had never met the gentleman, but that I had a great desire to do so. He then asked me when I was last in St. Louis. I replied that I had not been in St. Louis for a period of more than five years. 'What are you doing here?' he asked. 'Looking about the country,' I replied. 'You like it, do you?' he inquired. 'Very well,' I said. 'You go to Chicago, do you?' 'Never was there in my life,' I answered. 'Do you know Allan Pinkerton?' 'I don't,' I said. 'What state do you hail from?' 'Georgia.' 'A very good state,' he soliloquized. 'From whom did you say you had a message for Mr.----?' 'From Col.----, of----,' I answered. 'You know where you can find----?' 'I do not.' 'Give me the message; I'll see that he gets it.' 'Are you Mr.----?' 'No matter,' he answered, 'I'll see that he gets the communication.' 'But I've come all the way here to see him myself. I do not want to go back without seeing him,' I remarked. 'What do you want to see him for?' 'Well,' I stammered, 'I have heard a great deal about him and his brother, and I just wanted to visit them at home.' 'You know who he is then?' 'Certainly, he is Jesse James and----.' 'An outlaw!' he interrupted me. 'Mind how you act, young man.' The tones of his voice were dry and harsh, and the pistol which had been allowed to droop was once more raised, and pointed at my breast.