He received McKenna cordially, however, and said he was not to blame for the condition of the order outside of Shenandoah, and complimented him for the manner in which the business and finances of that division, as far as he had heard, were being managed. He also took especial trouble to introduce the operative to the chief men of the society in Luzerne. It was learned that there were about four thousand Mollies in the county. After remaining in Wilkesbarre a few days, McKenna visited the division at Pittston, and saw and talked with the Bodymaster, whose name was Melvin. He then visited Kingston, Plymouth, and the adjacent towns, familiarizing himself with the faces and names of the officers and members, quietly adding to his list, acquiring a better knowledge of the manners and customs of the people, and the modes of procedure within and outside the division room. Among others, he encountered Mike Hester, own cousin of Pat Hester, of Shamokin, who had not the violent reputation of his kinsman, but appeared to be a decent young man. The detective had not been long absent when he was the recipient of a letter from Muff Lawler, inquiring after his health, and particularly cautioning him not to use the new “goods” in Luzerne, as the members of the society in that county had not yet been instructed in them. This the operative had already discovered, but, as his memory was good and he had remembered those of the previous quarter, he encountered no difficulty in that respect. He also met Ned Lawler, the degenerate nephew of his uncle, and found that he had gained no wisdom by the taking on of years, but was the same rollicking, reckless fellow he had been while in Shenandoah. Kirk, when McKenna next visited his place, showed him a letter from Mike Lawler, pompously worded, but inquiring kindly after the health of his _protégé_, in whom he said he was more than usually interested.