And yet they were in the same handwriting as the singular missive, and both were identical with the previous manuscript.
Had he been the victim of a hoax, and were the verses not original?
No; they were distinctly original, local in color, and even local in the use of certain old English words that were common in the Southwest.

He had before noticed the apparent incongruity of the handwriting and the text, and it was possible that for the purposes of disguise the poet might have employed an amanuensis.

But how could he reconcile the incongruity of the mercenary and slangy purport of the missive itself with the mental habit of its author?
Was it possible that these inconsistent qualities existed in the one individual?
He smiled grimly as he thought of his visitor Bowers and his friend Jack.

He was startled as he remembered the purely imaginative picture he had himself given to the seriously interested Bowers of the possible incongruous personality of the poetess.
Was he quite fair in keeping this from Jack?
Was it really honorable, in view of their wager?
It is to be feared that a very human enjoyment of Jack's possible discomfiture quite as much as any chivalrous friendship impelled the editor to ring eventually for the office-boy.
"See if Mr.Hamlin is in his rooms." The editor then sat down, and wrote rapidly as follows:-- DEAR MADAM,--You are as right as you are generous in supposing that only ignorance of your address prevented the manager from previously remitting the honorarium for your beautiful verses.

He now begs to send it to you in the manner you have indicated.