The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-07-04
zerom RouEedse's Christmas Annual
LOST IN THE POST OFFICE.
CONCLUDED


But it will be thrown into chan
Gerry instead Of coming to anybody, ,
l said, cold, hard feeling toward her
creeping over me.
But ehancery could do nothing af-
ter all but give the landed property
to my father, she persisted; there
can be no nearer heir, and if the will
is lost, it is the same as there being
no will-if chancery has any sense"
she added, half gayly.
Heavy indeed grew my heart. /
attempted 70 impress upon her the
position in which her father, herself,
and all the relatives stood; but she
either could not understand it, or
would not believe it. If it came to
the worst, she answered, they would
all agree to some arrangement for the
division Of the property. and her
father being the eldest. and heir at
law, would receive the largest share.
She would be an heiress, and why
should | fret myself about q paltTy
place in the post Office.
I could not, for the very life of me,
look her 10 the face aud say: Katie,
is il possible that you were over
tempted and took the will?" Yet L
could not shake of the growing con-
viction that this was the truth. /
despair of conveying o you the hun
dredth part Of the maddeniug conflict
Of my feelings during the next few
weeks. Ny love for Kate Lawrence,
disappointment. my strong desire TO
believe her innocent, nv pity for her,
my close vigilance upon every word
and glasee which fell from her, my
terror lest the truth should become
known to any one else. There could
be no suspicion of her In any heart
but mine, which loved her so truly,
and was willing 60 endure mistrust,
cold looks and angry insinuations for
her sake, yet which every day was
growing colder toward her, and more
full of severe judgments upon her
crime. Expectation was dying away
in the town and hope was almost dead
within me.
&c was not possible TO keep the Sc
| cret any longer from my father, when
| he became able to attend to business,
A London surveyor, accompanied by
a detective, came down to Investigate
| the matter thoroughly; but they could
| learn no more than was already gen.
orally known. It was a severe trouble
| to my father, and serious couse-
| auenoes threatened him in spite of
| bis plea Of sudden aud dangerous i'll
ness. The fact that he was one Of
| the executors told against him with
| the strangers who were appointed to
/ investigate the affair; for they ap-
peared to argue that he might have
| taken possession of the will, though
| it was illegal to do so after it had
/ once been posted, and. for some rea~
son or other, suppressed it. throwing
the onus Of the loss on the Post
Office.
When nothing could be discovered
By the surveyor or detective, old Law
rence's relatives held a family meet
ing to consult on what was to be done.
Bus il was not veay clear what the
law would permit them to do In such
| circumstances; then there was not
one Of them who would have agreed
to proceed as If he had died iutestate.
Every lawyer In Thornbury had given
some opinion, and received q fec for
it, upon the point; but nothing was
clear and certain.
Those were the most miserable
three months that ever passed over
my head. The changed faces of my
toWnmen, the suspicion attaching to
me, and the near prospect of igno-
minlOusly losing my post, were hard
to bear. But the deepening conviction
of katie's guilt. and my gradually de-
oreasIDg love for her. we're IneOm-
parably harder. She did not fail to
feel the coldness and distrust of man
ner, and, being a girl of spirit, she did
not fail to mark the change by cor
/ responding change 10 herself. / pom
dered over such questions as these:
How was the will made. and what
| had she done with It? Had she de-
stroyed it, or was 1t still ia existence,
to be discovered. perhaps, at some
future dav, to work a Just Judgment
upon her? However it might be, [
knew that my Katie was lost to me
forever. Yet not for worlds would /
throw upon her the suspicion which
weighed so heavily upon me.
The last day of the year came.
There had been a semi official letter
in the morning from Mr. Talbot, in
timating that the people Of Thorn
bury were dissatisfied at my retaining
an important and confidential place In
the post Office, and that their com
plants were about to be noticed from
headquarters Ny father only par
TALLY recovered, was very low, and my
mother and sisters cried at intervals
during the day. / found myself, as
usual. in the Office about the same
hour in the evening as when old Law
rence's will was brought Ia and laid
before me on the counter. Just as had
finished and folded up the quarterly
money order account.
Another quarter was ended, and [
said, with some bitterness of tone.
that there could be 10 objection to
me making up the account again"
The forms upon which they we're
drawn out were keptin a small draw
er 10 the counter, and / found them
packed rather tightly. having evil
IDENTIFY been pushed 10 in some haste
and confusion. The drawer would
only open with a sharp jerk. aud as [
gave it | heard a sound of something
falling behind. while the drawer came
out IN my hand. / stopped 70 look
what had fallen, and-you will have
guessed already-there lay old Law
rence's will. looking precisely as 1t
had done when It lay On the counter
before me. directed to r. Gray, Esq,
Mitre Buildings, The Temple, Lon
dor"
I gave a great shout, which made
father spring up from his desk, aud
fell down on my knees before the
empty space where the drawer had
been. scarcely able to stretch out my
hand to touch the viii. How i had
got there was plain enough to me. /
had left it lying among the forms,