The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1886-05-20

THE MISSING LETTER.
Ten-year-old Phebie Conryn pounded
with all the concentrated power of her
two clnched little fists, but the iron
barred door continued unimpressed and
unmoved. Phebie added a few savarc
knocks with extra force, accompanied by
an extremely wicked squeaI of fury.
which proved our Phebie was not an an
gelic visitant but of purely human and
and sorely tried flesh
She retreated step at last, and gazcd
anxiously up at the windows, then began
on tear-mixed solo wall i" Mr.. Alcnt i,
Oh, MIR. AcOt! ! Please let me in ~
eli, hi. What do you want, Phebic :;
is any one sick at your house ~
The window above the door had been
raised and very pillow -frizzlcd head
craned far over the sill to view the small
parsonage who replied, with reproachtn
entreaty; :" You sleep mighty hard, and
oh, please, Mr.. Alcot, is Willie here ="
Bill? Why, of course not. just
bide there bit. I'll be down in a whip
| stitch"
Phebie now attended to the great blan-
ket shawl which had slipped from her
head and was trailing on the ground.
She muffled herself closely in it's comfort
ing embrace; for the thermometer was
toying with very chll-inspiring mer-
curry, and the dawn was making last
struggle with obstinate light, which made
the air doubly frosty to the child whose
tiny nose was uplfted and eyes sqninted
to read through the gray atmosphere the
letters on sign overhead, which gave in
formation to inquiring humanity that
here was the "post- Office" while a larger
sign above this proclaimed "dry good.
and groceries also to be had within.
After considerable growing and blus-
tering a light CLEANED through the win
dow grating, and brusque but not un-
kindly welcome opened to the waiting
child
"You don't mean to say that Bll's
teen out all night -
His bed amt been tnmbled. Ma
woke up and found the lamp burning ut
one O'Clock, so she looked in his room.
but he hadn't got in. She is almost wild
by this time, and sent me over TO see if
maybe you had kept him."
"Taint likely I'd keep the boy out all
night without letting your mother know.
Here, Hattie, Hattie :" he called, going
to a door leading upstairs from the rear of
the store.
"What is it, fathcr?" feminine voice
responded.
"Slip on your clothes and run over to
Mrs. Testers with Phebie. The poor
woman's Almost distracted ~
In marvelously brief time a startled
,,rl Inc
prehensive.
"What did you do with Bill last
night 20 querled her father, jesting to dis
guise his uneasiness.
"Why, is not Will at home 20
"Phebie says his bed isn't mussed.''
lie amt been home since he changed
his clothes to go to Centrevlle farm after
you," the child explained.
"For mercy's sake. Where can he
be-" cried Hattie, in growing anxiety.
owe stood in the kitchen talking few
minutes after he had put the horse up"
she hesitated, and a painful blush spread
over her face and neck, then hastily
added: He said he was going home at
least he did not say he was gong any
where else ~
It's odd, to say the least of it," Mr.
Alcot remarked. eff this town was not
pretty free from resorts to attract young
men, I'd think"
Nonsense, father testify exclaimed
Hattie. willie is above temptation
Come Phebie, perhaps be is at home by
this time"
The two ran quickly to the little, one
storied, frame house, situated in the cen
ter of small tract of land that was cult
waited by the Widow Lester in "garden
truck" From this slender traffic the
family of four was maintained until Will
lie, the eldest of the three children, began
to realize small salary assisting in Mr.
Alcot's store. His usefulness developed
with his years, until two years previous,
at the age of twenty-one, he began to re-
alize that his future was promising beyond
his mothers fondest expectations, when
his employer not only gave him what
may, for village ambition, be termed
living wage, but limited that as there vas
no junior Alcot to rival him, Willie Les
ter might hope for succession when he,
Mr.. Alcot, felt disposed to retire from ac-
tive business and live at ease with his one
"chick," his idol, his motherless daughter,
Hattie.
1t was now daylight. The woman who
was employed to assist with the house
| work and clean the store came down from
her attic chamber and began to clean up
behind the counter of the post-office de-
partment, as the portion reserved for that
purpose was called, while Mr.. Alcot re-
moved the blinds and prepared for busi-
ness, gossiping in his usual familiar tone
with the trusted servant" who was not
by any means treated as such.
In Western country towns such dis
tinctions are not tolerated by the en-
ployed.
"And who's been fussing with the mails.
I wonderp" suddenly exclaimed the wo-
man, handing Mr.. Alcot two letters she