The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-04-02
Lost in The Post-0ffice
BY HEsBA sTRETTON.
Continued

Iawaited, with the keenest anxiety,
the arrival of Mr.. Grey or his reply, and
all the town was on the tip-toe of eI-
pectatien. The relatives did nothing
but meet one anther, and discuss the
will III all its possibilities. There was
wistful look about Katie's face. 1t
was nine days now since old Lawrence's
death, but the wonder, instead of dying
out, was growing greater every day.
Why did not the executor come to salts
fy the general curiosity, and set the
general mind at easel The mail bags
reached Thornbury about midnight, land
were ordinarily deposited in.the Office
to await the appointed hour for opening
them ut seven in the morning, which
was condsdered quite early enough for
the accommodation of the public. But
upon this occasion Mr.. Shape spent the
evening with me, and when the mail
arrived, he and / went down alone into
the quiet Office, where picked out the
London bag, opened it, took out the
bundles of letters, ran my eager fingers
and eyes over them, until came 10 the
one was in search of and handed il
over to the lawyer.
There was dead silence in the hour
and place, only the clock ticking OFF the
seconds as evenly as if nothing was
happening. / watched Mr.. Shapes face
hungrily, as if it would reflect and dis.
close what he was reading. The letter
was brief, bat he read it over twice. 1t
seemed very long pause of suspense to
me, yet suppose three minutes had
scarcely passed.
"He says he has never heard of old
Lawrepce's death ~ exclaimed Mr..
Shape at length; she knows nothing
about his will-has never received ii ~
"Never received it !" repeated, mot
received it, But could take my oath
it went from this Office"
"Did you see itgo into the bag your
selfp asked Mr.. Shape.
hesitated minute or two, for that
deep, lethargic sleep l spoke of had
dimmed my recollecuons of that night.
remembered it was the night l had left
the two under-clerks to do all the work
alone, while l was watching beside my
father; but l recalled also the exact
spot where / had left the will on the
counter, reared up against the folded
money-order account, which had been
duly acknowledged as received. If one
had gone safely, why not the Others
No." l answered, after that long
pause; took it in, and left it here on
the counter; but the clerks did the work
that evening, 1t would be impossible
for them to overlook it. Besides, we
shoRld nave found it the next day if it
had been left behind; and should Ger
tainly have informed you of the irreru
larity. No. 1t mast have gone from
here.n
So said the elder clerk, when we cues
toned him in the morning. He could
not positively swear to it, because they
had been hurried and Hurried over their
work; but be was quite sure it must
have gone, if it had been on the counter
as described. The other clerk, who had
taken it in, and knew it to be old Law
rence's will had not made up the London
bag, or he would have taken special
notice of it, and would have been able
to swear to it. Still, both of them were
very positive that ii bad not been left
behind; though it might have got into
the wrong bag, and been missent.
IN go up to London BY 10 nights
mail, said Nr. Shape.
Nothing could be more significant of
the Importance If the document. for a
journey to London by coach. occunying
sixteen hours at the sNiftest. was not
undertaken for trifle. Tho apxi.tv
which had been devouring me- was now
sharpened to a keener point; but both
Mr.. Shape aud l wished to keep the
affair quiet as long as possible, and l
said nothing about it to any one, my
father being still too i'll to have it con-
fided to him. As for the clerks, both
being unmarried men, there was little
danger of their telling tales out of
school, after being once warned to keep
it to themselves for the present.
But the anxiety / had suffered before
was security itself compared with my
CONSERVATION and disquietude when Mr..
Grey, who asserted that he had seen
nothing whatever of the packet which
had been posted in our office. There