Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-01-25

And the young mems letters. Are
they rum, too?"
"They are more careful like, as they
know | am to see them; but, Lord save
you, sir, they are all stuff; not ha'-
perth of harm in them"
This matter must be seen to, said
nv uncle; Il have had my own mis-
givings on the same subject. Bring
me all the letters which come to, and
are sent by, the clerks for the next
week. Ore is no reason why you
should have all the rum things to your
self"
SO my uncle had the letters for q
week, and found them very much az
Parker had described them. The sus-
picious symptoms increased; the Stock
Exchange responded more sensitively
than ever; but not the slightest ground
for suspecting any one TRANSFERRED. My
uncle was bewildered, and Parker was
rapidly vergiug to insanity.
g 1t is certainly not the clerks" said
my uncle. "There is no treason there, 81
said he, pushing back the letters OF
the day. By the way, how does
young Beaumont get on? She seems
a nice creature, that sister of his, to
Judge by her letters?"
81 He is the best hand in the Office, O
long sight; and his sister is very
sweet ladylike creature. They are Or
phans, poor things, and he supports
her cut of his salary. She called at the
Office two months ago, and 1 gave him
leave to see her for few minutes in
my room. But he knew it was against
rules, and has not seen her here again. "
But what are we to do?" said my
uncle: II think 1 will speak to the
First Lord"
So he spoke to the First Lord, who
thought the affair serious enough.
1t must be in the letters" said he.
1T cannot be in my letters" said
my uncle.
GAS you please" said the chief;
but although you cannot find it there,
perhaps another can. I would try an
expert"
My uncle had no faith in experts, OF
Bow street runners, and mistrusted
them. But he could not refuse to try
the experiment suggested. So the most
experienced decipherer in London was
summoned into council, and to him the
letters of the day. were secretly sub
mitted.
He read them all very carefully.
looked at them in the light, and look ed
at the light through them. At last he
put them all aside, except one from
Eleanor Beaumont.
"Who is the lady that writes this }"
said the taciturn man of skill at last.
A very sweet young woman" said
Parker, smartly; "sister of my private
secretary"
Does she write often ?"
eyes, she is his only correspondent,
and writes about twice q week."
"Where does she live ?"
"She lives in Jersey, Beaumont told
me. Their father was in business
there?"
"And does she always write about
the same kind of things-aunt's rheu
matism, pic-nics, squire's tea-parties,
and the like ?"
"Much the same, excepting when
she speaks of Beaumont himself"
Hum !" said the expert.
We'll, SIR" said my uncle, who was
rather impatient of the man of skill's
pomposity. "and what may Hum !!
mean? Have the young woman and
her aunt's rheumatism done the mis-
chief?"
Hum! She dates from Fleet street,
And why should she not date from
Fleet street, sir?"
81 should be sorry to prevent her, u
said the unmoved philosopher. "Has
this correspondence continued long?"
Oh, yes-a couple of years or so,
but not nearly so regularly as lately"
For how long regularly?
about two months"
That is, about the time when you
first suspected the betrayal of conf
dence?"
" Really, my friend, if you can't see
farther into milestone than that, you
may give up the profession, said my
uncle. Take my word for it, the
Beaumonts have nothing TO do with it.
Rubbish"
Hum !" and with that the man OF
skill took up his hat and departed, say
ing he would return in two days. The
two days, however, were five before he
came back, and was again closeted with
my uncle and Parker, with whom he
had fallen into great disfavor.
" Wants to make q job" said the
latter" regular humbug."
"Sir George" said the regular hum
bug, has Mr. Beaumont locked desk
in his room?"
Yes, sir, said Parker, she has,"
Have you key that will open it p
90 have-and what Of that 2"
81 wish to have that desk opened
without his knowledge, and the con-
tents brought to me"
And on what pretense," said my
uncle, "do you propose to put this in
suit ON q man against whom there is no
reasonable ground of suspicion, and
who has not been allowed to speak for
himself"
There need be no insult; for he
will know nothing of it; neither will
any one else."
- will not permit it, SIR"
Hum Then I mean to do no more
In the business"
But" said Parker, whose official
notions made him unwilling to break
on the negotiations in this manner.
what pretence have you for doing
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