The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-07-01
Iron RoutIedge's Christmas Annual
LOST IN THE POST OFFICE.


AsI was speaking, an alarmed and
hurried voice called loudly for me
from the Interior of the house, voice
so urgent, and strung to such pitch
of terror, that it drove every thought
of anything else out of my mind. At
two or three bounds / sprang up the
staircase, aud into my fathers bed
room, where every one was In coDfu-
sion and dismay. Snme crisis of his
sudden attack had come on, and he
was to all appearances in the agonies
of death. A friendship, too rare be-
tween father and son, existed between
him and me-a very close friendship.
which had grown with my growth from
boyhood. To lose him would be to
lose my life. | did not give thought
to my official duties; the Queens mail
was nothing to me; aud during the
whole of that long night, | never left
my fathers side.
The next morning he was pronounc-
ed to be cut of immediate danger.
though he continued speechless, and
seemed scarcely conscience of our
presence. BY dint of preserving en-
treaty, my n other persuaded me to go
and lie down, when fell into one of
hose utter awful lethargies, deeper
and more death-like than sleep, which
now and then seem to come to oDllt-
crate any impression stamped too
deeply upon the brain. When /
awoke / felt calm and strong again.
Katie was In the house, and she and
nv sister lavihed upon me those tri-
vial feminine attentions so inexpress-
by soothing after any great emotion.
Ehen one is suffering from the lang
Tor which usually follows it.
When tha hour for making up the
nail arrived, I went down into the
flee. and made some slight inquiries
to how the clerks bad managed the
FORK the evening before. They had
cen late, of course; but the mail
0ach-there was no railway near
e.hornbury then-had waited for them
20 complete their evenings dispatch,
nd they believed everything had gone
IF as well as usual.
Bus the return mail proved that
everything had not gone OF as we'll as
asual. Our mail, leaving Thrnbury
1t 8 4. NJ, reached the London ot1ce
bout noon the next day; and the re-
Urn mail. not quitting London uutIl
abo1t o'clock of the following morn
ng. threw the arrival Of answers to
correspondence to the fourth morn
rig On the fourth day after old Law
rence's death, to the serious Inconve-
Hence of all parties, there appeared
no reply to Mr.. Shapes communion
ion to Mr. Grey, which bad beeo in
closed with the will. and in which he
desired to be Immediately acquainted
With any instructions left By the de-
LEASED ia regard to his funeral. The
next London mail was still no letter;
sad then the iuterment necessarily
s5ok place, while the solicitor ad
crossed a second communication to
me executor.
7 awaited, with the keeuest anxiety,
she arrival Of Mr.. Grey, or his reply,
and all the town was on the tiptoe of
expectation. The relatives did moth
u but meet one another. aud discuss
he will in all it's possibilities. There
was q wistful look about Katie's face.
It was niue days now since old Law
RANGES death, but the wonder, instead
f dying out. was growing greater
very day. Why did not the execu
Tor come to satisfy the general curios
=. and set the general mind at ease
he mail bags reached ThOrnbury
lout midnight. and we're ordinarily
osposited in the Office to await the
appointed hour for opening them, at
seven o'clock In the morning. which
vas considered quite early enough for
me accommodation of the public
lat upon this occasion, Mr.. Shape
sDent the evening with me, and, when
tie mail arrived, be and | went down
alone into the quiet office, where
eked out the London bag, opened
took out the bundles OF letters,
IN my esg'r fingers and eyes over
nen. until | came to the one | was
search of, and handed it over to
e lawyer.
There was a dead silence in the
our and place; only the clock tick
q off the seconds as evenly as if
othing was happening. | watched
lr. Shapes face hungrily. as lift would
Eject and disclose what he was read
ag. The letter was brief, but be
aad il over twice. IL seemed a very
soug pause of suspense to me. yst
oppose three minutes had scarcely
assed. :,
~He says he never heard Of ole
. T,awrencs's DEATH" exclaimed Mr.
=. 5nepe at length; "he knows nothing
bout his will-has never resolved It !!
Never received It'll" l repeated
not received i'll But | could take
nv oath 1t went from this Office.
did you see it 90 into the bag
ronrself?" asked Mr.. Shape.
hesitated a minute or two, fOl
hat deep, Iethargic sleep / spoke Of
: rad dimmed my recollections OF tina
; aight. / remembered it was thu
1ieht I had left the two under clerk
20 do ali the work alone, while was
PATCHING beside my father: but | re
y allied also the exact spot where haC
4 eff the will on the counter, reared VI
painst the foulded money order 80
cunt. which had been duly acknowl
deed as received. IF one had gone
afelv why not the other.
mo" I answered after a lOnl
ause; 1 took it in. and left it her
the counter; but the clerks aid to
Tork that evening. 1t would be I'm
,ossible for them to overlook it. Be
ides. we should have found it tb
ext dav If it left were behind, and
ertainly should have informed yol
f the irreeularity. No. II must haY
one from here.
So a. d the elder clerk, when "
uestiCS ! him IN the morning. Il
ould dot positively swear to It. be
luse they had been hurried and fur
ed o-7er their work; but he wa
= lite sure It must have gone, 1t II ha.
zen 90 the counter as | described
he other clerk, who had taken it u