The Portland daily press., 1870-01-22

1-S L
rent may do it, ma'am,' 1 should say to her,
and 1t is to Parliament as you must apply; |
Binks has not the power"
was desperate by this time, for it only |
wanted twenty minutes of the mail leaving,
and took out of my purse fve-pound note
and looked at him significantly.
saw that there was an inward struggle in
his British heart, and whispered, like another
Mephistopheles: 'l'll give YOU ten"
"lts as much as my place is WORTH" said
the little man, with sigh. though nobody
likes turning away money less than / do. l
can't do it. Aud let me tell you, sir" added
he, with genuine dignity, its mean thing
in gentleman, as you profess yourself to be,
10 tempt DOOR m IN like this"
l honored him in my heart. though ] also
felt could have strangled him on the spot;
"Ycu are as incorruptible," said l, bitterly
"as Robespierre."
THIS evidently pleased and hatbeyeu ia n, lo
Anything that can do for YOU sil, say ~,
"Without nreiudice to the public service, au
sure / shall be most happy. Any informa-
'io awbat Offices will this Yorkshire letter
have to pass throush?" inquired 1, with
sudden CLEAN OF nope.
1he Little man produced his postal books at
once. 1T will leave the mal-train, sir, at
Dodgely Junction, where it will be stamped
then 1t will go by mail cart 10 Mibeck, winch
must be small village, for there are no post
office orders issued at it,
with this meagre help was obliged to be
consent, and resolved at once to 90 by that
mail-train. There was still time. of course,
by paying extra postage, to send letter of
apology to Shoddy Hall, which should arrive
coincldently with my unfortunate dispatch;
but elt that would be worse than useless.
Mr.. Woliton was not the man 10 accept an
onninoVs rot hor No e.
| by special train to lay his case before my SUI
periors, ana avenge his outraged dignity at all
| hazards; he was rather the man to rise In his
| place in parliament (ior he was an NJ. P.) and
denounce me as the insolent minion of ty-
rannical government; and / seemed to see
him doing it, with that suicidal letter in his
clenchel right hand.
| started by the mai-train that night, with
my thoughts as burglariously fixed upon the
post-ofice van as though was a second
"Jem the Penman," bent on bullion rob-
berry; but. of course. that was not In my pro-
gramme. Notwithstanding my failure In
Beak street, determined to try my luck with
the Dodgely postmaster;a provincial official
! was moia hksly to be acted van-by ssIrn-
| blance of authority, and was l not on Her
| Maesty's service, travelling special to sto, a
letter with o. II. NJ. S. in the corner of its ad-
| dress?
1t was five o'clock in the morning when I
arrived at the Junction, and more dismal
| spot it was impossible TO imagine; the Dodge
| ly mailbags nad carriage provided for them
| but there was none for me. I ran after it
wildly tor mile and hall, and reach ed the
post Office within minute or two OF their ar
| rival, hot and pantlng-though it was in the
depth of winter. They would have thought
me mad had gone in as was, so I staid
outside to cool body and mind, suspiciousy
eyed by a rural policeman. Then | rang the
bell and demanded to see the postmaster.
That official himself. in dressing gown and
slippers, opened the door, II am come on
| particular busi"-
Cant see you now, sir" interrupted he
CURLY, whatever it Is; we're sorting the
mails"
he would have slammed to the door, but
| thrust my umbrella in and prevented that.
| ut is about the mails that I am here. said
Il have come down specia. from London on
Her Majesty's service. There has been a let
| ter sent by mistake"
Have you an order from the postmaster
general?"
"Yes-at least not exactly"
ne would not hear another word. 1t is my
belief that he thought was person of bad
character.
" You had best be off," he said, and he look
ed significantly at the policeman. 1t was
most humiliating 10 an assistant inspector OF
~ 'Shiu0ly. Out UO0k DIS ADVICE ana went
of-to the inn. Everybody was in bed, of
course; but knocked them up exhibited a
purse tull Of sovereigns and orde.e post.
| chese-srd-tour to BIilbeck. This Was eight
miles off; and the mail cart ratified through
the empty streets before my horses were
brought out. 1t would have been shorter
work to have taken gig, but trusted to nv
tour horses to produce an impression. We
did the eight miles in threequarters of an
hour, and met the mail cart coming out of
the village.
The Mibeck post-ofice has also an estab-
llshment for the sale of children's toys, bali
penny balls of string, starch, cheap periodi.
Gals and lol.ipops. 1t was kept by widow
woman OF about eighty and excessively deaf.
She did not even hear the thunder of nv
equlpage-and-four as 1t dashed up to her hum
bic dwelling. But she could see with toler-
able distinctness and when her attention was
drawn to my turnout by her daughter and az
sls.ant. she calculated: Lord ha' mercyw
Madam" said l, with lofty air, 81 have
been dispatched by Her Majesty the Queen to
reco-er communication which has been sent
by mistake by this mornings mail Your let
tiers, see-for they were all lying in heap
on the little counter-have not as vet been
delivered"
No: sir. no; you may take your pick on
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