Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1888-09-15

tits not here"
care you the postmaster ?"
"No; 1 am the assistant. My
father is the postmaster"
"Who opened the pouch that came
by the last train ?"
1T did,"
"No one to help you?"
mo, sir"
The girls bright eyes looked as
innocently at Mr.. Barrett as any girls
bright eyes ever looked at any man,
"Maybe it stuck in the pouch. I've
heard of such things" he said.
"Won't you look ?"
She took the pouch, turned it up
side down, shook it, and looked in
side. No letter.
"Won't you let me come in and
help you look for it ?" Of
mo. No one is allowed in here.n
The chief inspector drew from his
pocket his commission from the Unit
ed States Government, with its Off
cial signatures and seals, and showed
it to the girl, asking, as she read it,
"Can / come in now ?"
EYES," blushing family; 81 beg
your pardon"
"You did perfectly right, my dear
child" said the venerable agent of
the Secret Service.
There was board partition six feet
high beyond the wired window. and
ii gate III the end of this partition,
toward which the postmasters daugh-
ter went, but Mr.. Barrett thought she
moved very slowly. At last she
turned the key in the lock, opened
the solid gate and admitted the in
spector. He walked forward few
feet and looked around.
There was nothing in sight but bare
deal shelves and the letter boxes, and
he knew his mission was not there.
81 mailed a letter myself to James
Lancaster" he said at last. "That is
fictitious name, Lancaster being
my mothers maiden name. That
letter was put in that pouch by the
mail clerk on the train, who took q
memorandum of it and locked the
pouch in my presence. When thai
| pouch was put off at the station L fol
lowed it and kept it in sight until il
was taken into the post Office. Now
you say you opened it alone-that M
one else touched it. Where is my
letter 2"
81 never saw it, sir. if you doub
me you can search me-"
He would not do that; he had new
er done such a thing to woman, anC
he began to pace the floor in deel
thought. The girl, more beautiful
than ever in her excitement, sat dowI
in the rocking chair, crossed he
limbs and began to rock. The in
spector paced the floor in deel
thought.
"Call your mother and she cal
search you in my presence" said h
at length.
"My mother is dead"
Again the Secret Service agen
paced the floor. He looked into al
adjoining room, brightly and neatl.
furnished, and wondered whether tn
girl could have secreted the lette
there while she pretended to be goin,
toward the gate to let him in. AS h
paced back and forth he noticed tn
swinging feet of the postmast
er's daughter, that one of her stock
ings had swagged down and that I'm
der that stocking was the shape of al
envelope.
"Your stocking has dropped" sal,
Mr.. Barrett.
The girl turned scarlet and whit
and stopped rocking, She caught he
breath as if about to faint.
"NOw will you give me my letter?
said the inspector.
She took it from its hiding place
handed it to him, and burst into
flood of passionate tears.
The decoy letter, AS is usual i
cases of this sort, had been fixed S
that it would be apparent TO any on
, that money was enclosed. 1t ha
done its work.
J "Whele is your father?" asked NJ
Barrett.
: SIN the garden" sobbed the girl.
: Mr.. Barrett went out into the ga
, den, found the old man hoeing, an
t brought him in, and, when he ws
| told all, he bowed his white head an