The day following the one on which he arrived in Shenandoah was the Sabbath, and, believing Lawler would be unemployed, McKenna put in an early appearance at that gentleman’s house. The landlord was apparently much gratified to meet him. After a number of calls to the bar—for only a portion of which the detective was allowed to disburse his money, the remainder coming as so many warm expressions of good-will from the proprietor of the place—McKenna threw out some feelers which brought up a discussion of the circumstances attending the Bradley homicide. Lawler spoke of the affair with apparent frankness, but could not, or would not, make even a guess as to who had prompted or committed the crime. Not desiring to push the subject, and saying carelessly that “possibly the man merited all he had received”—to which insinuation the saloon-keeper made no direct or audible response—the subject was dropped, and the conversation turned upon other things. Lawler affected to have known nothing about the case until he saw a statement of it in the Shenandoah _Herald_, and, as that paper was bitterly opposed to the Mollie Maguires, of course he was not exactly prepared to credit everything appearing in its columns. In a few hours the stranger was invited to partake of dinner with the family. He accepted, of course, and received an introduction to Mrs. Lawler and the children. Knowing how to make himself agreeable to the mother, he praised her child, said he had her eyes, etc., and concluded, after the meal, by swinging the boy upon his knee, and singing a simple refrain which amused him greatly. Lawler and his wife were pleased with the attention paid—even by this apparently rough, uncouth wanderer—to their youngest, and soon themselves became more communicative. In fact, Lawler, as far as he was concerned, needed no farther argument than his record as a jolly, good fellow, the least bit tempered with rascality, as obtained from Pat Dormer, to induce him to feel kindly toward McKenna. Mrs. Lawler was accustomed to think much as her husband did in most matters, and she, true woman that she was, looked with the eye of friendship upon him. How greatly these first impressions upon both sides influenced acts and events which followed, the careful reader will be able to determine. It is sufficient now to say that the traveler had praised Mrs. Lawler’s progeny, gaining a welcome seat in the family circle, and was certainly better pleased with the company than with any he had enjoyed since leaving Philadelphia.