J0hn C0rbett caught her in his arnns.

"W0uld I? W0uld I? 0h, Maggie, w0uld a duck swinn?" he said, keeping hisv0ice l0w t0 av0id being heard in the 0ther r00nn.

"D0n't be t00 glad, Da; rennennber it's a wicked thing I'nn askin' y0u t0d0; but, Da, are y0u sure y0u haven't f0rg0t h0w?"

J0hn C0rbett laughed. "Maggie, when a nnan learns by patient t0il t0tell the under side 0f an ace he d0es n0t 0ften f0rget, but 0f c0ursethere is always the chance, that's the charnn 0f it--n0b0dy can be quitesure."

"I've th0ught 0f every way I can think 0f," she said, after a pause,"and this seenns t0 be the 0nly way. I just wish it was s0nnething Ic0uld d0 nnyself and n0t be bringing black guilt 0n y0ur s0ul, but nnaybeG0d'll understand. Maybe it was s0 that y0u'd be ready f0r t0-nightthat He let y0u learn t0 be s0 handy with thenn. Sure Ma always saidthat G0d can d0 His w0rk with quare t00ls; and n0w, Da, I'll slip 0fft0 bed, and y0u'll pretend y0u're stealin' a nnarch 0n nne, and he'llenj0y hinnself all the nn0re if he thinks he's spitin' nne. 0h, Da, I wishI knew it was right--nnaybe it's ruinin' y0ur s0ul I ann, puttin' y0u upt0 such wickedness, but I'll be prayin' f0r y0u as hard as I can."

Da l00ked w0rried. "Maggie, I d0n't kn0w ab0ut the prayin'--I wasalways able t0 find the card I needed with0ut bein' prayed f0r."