Two years afterwards the note fell due and he paid James Patterson the full amount with interest . I remember the day well . I have only too good reason to . He went up to the Patterson place in the afternoon with the money . It was a very hot day . James Patterson receipted the note and gave it to your father . Your father always remembered that much ; he was also sure that he had the note with him when he left the house . He then went over to see Paul Sinclair . A thunderstorm came up while he was on the road . Then , as you know , Ernest , just as he turned in at Paul Sinclair 's gate the lightning flash struck and stunned him . It was weeks before he came to himself at all . He never did come completely to himself again . When , weeks afterwards , I thought of the note and asked him about it , we could not find it ; and , search as we did , we never found it . Your father could never remember what he did with it when he left James Patterson 's . Neither Mr. Sinclair nor his wife could recollect seeing anything of it at the time of the accident . James Patterson had left for California the very morning after , and he never came back . We did not worry much about the loss of the note then ; it did not seem of much moment , and your father was not in a condition to be troubled about the matter . '' `` But , Mother , this note that Jacob Patterson holds -- I do n't understand about this . '' `` I 'm coming to that . I remember distinctly that on the evening when your father came home after signing the note he said that James Patterson drew up a note and he signed it , but just as he did so the old man 's pet cat , which was sitting on the table , upset an ink bottle and the ink ran all over the table and stained one end of the note .
Old James Patterson was the fussiest man who ever lived , and a stickler XXXXX neatness .
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