In the story Hearts and Hands by, Easton is getting arrested for counterfeiting and he is handcuffed to the marshal when he sees Ms. Fairchild. The marshal tells Ms. Fairchild that Easton is the marshal and not him. She believes him and they leave soon.
Easton is a good liar and is able to trick Ms. Fairchild (along with the marshal’s help). He probably lied because he doesn’t want her to think that he is a bad person or that he is a liar. If she finds out that he lied and that he was actually the one going to prison, Ms. Fairchild would think that he is untrustworthy and Easton would be embarrassed and would have lost her respect.
The marshal is very kind and understands how Easton might be feeling. He doesn’t want to embarrass him in front of someone he knows. He makes her think that he committed the crime because he doesn’t have anything to lose but Easton does.
Ms. Fairchild is very naive and gullible. She doesn’t notice that Easton’s right hand is cuffed nor does she really seem bothered by the fact that “his butterfly days are over and that he can’t travel anymore.”
Although Easton had tricked her, he and the marshal still go to the smoke shop because actually, the two people watching them had already noticed what was actually going on. In the end, no harm was done unless in the future Ms. Fairchild found out and happened to meet Easton again.