Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1867-02-01
The Travelling Post Office.
(CCNCLUDED.l

which was particularly pleasant to me.
viii you be so good as give mc the ad
dress of Miss Anne Clifton in Camden
town , | said.
Miss Anne Clifton 2 calculated the la
dy.
Yes. Your daughter, presume, who
went up to London last night
Il have no daughter Anne she said. j
am Anne Clifton; and my daughters are
named Mary and Susan. This is my
daughter Mary
The tall dark haired girl had left her seat
and now stood beside her mother. Ger
tainly she was very unlike the small gold
en- haired coquette who had travelled up tt
London with me as Anne Clifton.
Madam said, scarcely able to speak
is your other daughter slender littl,
creature, exactly the reverse of this young
lady ,
No. she answered, laughing; Susan i:
both taller and darker than Mary. Cal
Susan, my dear
In few seconds Miss Susan made hel
appearance, and had the three before me
"A. Clifton, S. Clifton, and NJ. Clifton
There was no other girl in the family and
when | described the young lady who had
travelled under their name, they could moi
think of any one III the town-it was &
small one-who answered my description
or who had gone OH a visit to London.
had no time to spare, and hurried bach
to the station, just catching the train as il
left the platform. At the appointed houl
| met MOrville at the General Post office
and, threading the long passages of the Sc
cretary's office, we at length found our.
selves anXiouslv waiting i'll an ante-room
until we were called into his presence
Morvillc had discovered nothing, except
that the porters and policemen at Camden.
out last night, attended by a swarthy man
who looked like foreigner, and carried &
small black portmanteau.
scarcely know how long we waited. Il
might have been years; for was conscious
of an ever increasing difficulty in com
nanding my thoughts, or fixing them upol
the subject which had engrossed them al
day. had not tasted food for twenty fou
hours, nor closed my eyes for thirty
while, during the whole Of the time, III,
nervous system had been on fall strain.
Presently the summons came, and Wa
ushcred, first, into the inner apartment
Ghere sat five gentlemen round a table
which was strewed with number of doc
uments. There We're the Secretary o
State, whom we had seen in the morning
our secr,taey, and Mr.. Huntington; TIL
fourth was a fine looking man, whom ! at
/ terwards knew to be the Premier; the tit
| recognized as our great chief, the Post
master-Generai. 1t was an august Assem-
blage to me, and bowed low: but III,
head was dizzy, aud my throat Palolied.
Mr., Wilcox said our secretary, yo,
will tell these gentlemen again the crcunl
stances Of the loss you reported to me thl
morning.
| laid my hand upon the back of a chai
| to steady myself, and went through til
narration for the third time, passing owe
sundry remarks made by myself to tn
Young lady. That done, added the &C
count of my expedition to Eaton, and tn
certainty at which had arrived that m,
| fellow traveller was not the person sh
represented herself to be. After which,
inquired with indescribable anxiety if Mr.
Iluntingdon's order were forgery!
i cannot tell, Mr.. Wilcox said tha
gentleman, taking the order into his hand
and regarding it with an air of cXtrem
perplcxitv. 1 could have sworn it wa
mine, had it been attached to any othe
document. | think Forbes handwritin
is not so wei. initiated. But it is the Yer
ink e,and mine is peculiar signature
1t was very peculiar and old fashion
cd signature, with flourish underneath
not unlike whip handle, with the las
caught round it in the middle; but tn;
did not make it the more difficult to forge
as humbly suggested. Mr.. lluntingdo
wrote his name upon IL paper, and two G
three of the gentlemen tried to Initiate tn
flourish, but vainly. They gave it u
with smile upon their grave faces,
You have been careful not to let hir
of this matter drop from you, Mr.. Wilcox
said the Postmaster General,
Not a syllable, my lord answered.
1T is imperatiyely necessary that the 81
cret should be kept. You would be re
moved from the temptation OF telling 1t,
you had an appointment i'll some olii'
abroad. The packet agency at .A'cxandr
is vacant, and will have you appolntt
to it ut once.
1t would be a good advance from n
present situation, and would doubtle
prove stepping stone to- other and bett
appointments but had mother hvil
at fazelcy, bcdrdden and paralytic. wi
had no pleasure in existence, except ha
ing me to dwell under the same roof wi
| her. MY head was growing more aud mo
, dizzy, and a strange vagucncss was cree
ing over me.
Gentlemen | muttered, i have be
ridden mother whom | cannot leave.
was not to blame, gentlemen. | tancl'
there was Il stir and movement at the t
BILE, but my eyes were dim, and in an0th
! second had lost consciousness.
, When | came to myself i'll two or thr
minutes, found that Mr.. Huntingdon W
knecliug ON the floor beside me, supportii
my head, while our secretary held gla
l OF wine to my lips. rallied as quickly
1 possible, and staggered to my feet; b
: the two gentlemen placed me in the chi
I against which had been leaning, and i
, sisted upon my flushing the wine before
tlied to speak.
Il have not tasted food all day. sal
family.
' Then, my good fellow, you shall
home Immediately, said the Postmastt
General; 'but be on your guard! Not
word Of this must escape You. Are yot
5 married man ,
5 NO. my lord I answered.
so much the better, he added smlin
You can keep secret from your moth'
| dare say. We rely upon your honor
The secretary then rang bell, ant
was committed to the charge OF the IN.
senger who answered it and in few mi
utes | was being conveyed in cab to \