Pat Hester was a rather large, heavy man, with dark eyes and hair, the latter worn long and turned under at the ends, with massive and stolid, but by no means evil-looking features. He had a slightly wicked expression in the eye, arching eyebrows, thin lips and a narrow chin-whisker, the beard in hue a little lighter than the hair. In all, he was not a man to fall in love with at first sight, yet wearing a decent outward appearance, seemingly smart, and not ill-natured unless provoked. When Hester reached home, after overseeing a gang of laborers working on a railroad bridge, he met and was presented to McKenna. Taking a natural fancy for him, Pat immediately suspected his object, and gave the young man encouragement, that, if the lady was entirely willing, the father had no sort of objection to the courtship. But after dinner, and the departure of Hester to his labor, the arrival of Pat McCool and Ned Skivington, the latter ex-County Delegate, interfered considerably with the enjoyment of the ladies’ society, and the greater part of the afternoon was passed by the Mollies in the bar-room. McCool was an old acquaintance of McKenna’s, as he had many a time tasted his liquor in Shenandoah. Of course he spoke favorably of the Secretary and made much of him. Skivington was also very friendly. Toward night the men walked out upon the track and met Hester returning. While passing a bridge, just before, Donahue had whispered to McKenna: “See that bridge! Now, for two hundred dollars from Pat Hester, I’d see it well down wid the ground, but I’ll be hanged if I’d do it for nothing!” This was as good as a hint to the hearer that Donahue had been speaking to Hester about destroying the bridge and disagreed with him as to the amount to be received for the undertaking. McKenna accepted the information with many nods, winks, and grimaces, expressive of rapt attention and interest, without hazarding an opinion on the subject for or against burning the bridge. But he thought that here was another warning to be sent to Mr. Franklin. [Illustration: “_That night there was an interesting group gathered in Pat. Hester’s parlor._c]