The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-06-04
A POSTAL ROMANCE.


IN central Indiana. His occupation was
that Of q sch0o-teacher; he was married,
and had pleasant berth in country town,
and his home life for good While was con-
sidered to approach the ideal. Presently,
however, diSsensions sprang up about the
domestic hearth and grew in bitterness with
wonderful rapidly.
One warm 81 MINER morning, after having
had q particularly stormy interview with
his wife, Hayes quilted his dwelling with
the remark that he had had all he could en-
dure. He did not return at the usual hour,
and after q time his wife. becoming alarmed,
aroused The neiEhbOrS, who set out 20 hunt
for him. In a lonely spot on the borders OF
a sWift-fowiug muddy river were found the
greater part of his costume and personal
belongings, including his purse and the few
small articles of iewelTy which he habltu-
ally wore. There were footprints also on
the sand which indicated that the missing
man had gone Into the water naked, pr00a-
Dly for a bath.
The stream was dragged for miles, but to
no purpose. 1t was believed that he had
been drowned, and the swiftneSS of the cur
rent accounted for the failure 10 ind his
body. In the opinion Of the neighb0Ts, it
had been carried through some rapids
further down, probably badly mutilated,
aud then sank in a pool which was IN
fashionable with any OF the instruments at
command. So the search was finally aban-
dOHed.
The widow then applied to the life insur-
ance company in which her husband held
policy, but the company declined TO pay her
aspenny TIL she could produce more salts
factory proof Of death than mere dis
appearance. A lawsuit followed IN WhicG
she spent on counsel fees and costs OF trial
the bulk Of the little property she already
had: but tie courts sided with the corpora
ton, and she had to retire in defeat.
Some years passed. One day in the latter
part of 1854 Mr.. TTelawney, a Sl400 clerk
ID the P0stoffice Department at Washington,
who had been appointed originally by Post
master General Howe through the Influence
OF q Congressman from Wisconsin, was
walking home from the office with a num-
Der Of his companions. a man with SLOUGH
bat and with a farmeT-llke air about him
stood on the steps Of one OF the cheaper
hotels as they approached 1t. He was OBJ
served 70 start aud fix his eyes sharply on
Trslawney's face. Suddenly advancing, he
d. out his hand with an exclamation Of
establishment: We'll Jimmy Hayes. where
did you come from! We all gave you up for
dead a half-duZen years ago"
ii beg your pardon" answered TrelaWney
frigidly. My name IS not HAYES
"Oh come now, that won't hold WateT'
exclaimed tile rustic. IF you aren't jim
Hayes Who used to teach school in our
town in x County, Indiana, then I'll
eat my hat
You seem to be lab0ring under a Singh
lar hallUcnatjOn, responded the young
man. These gentlemen can tell you who
/ am"
His companions promptly came to his re-
lief by assuring the stranger that he was
addressing Mr.. Trelawney Of Wisconsin.
And you aren't a scbOOl-teacheT either?"
persisted the lncr6G Ul0us H0JSleT
Ireiawney. who was moving away, paid
no attention 10 the question, but one OF his
friends, in order to cut off any further par
ley, threw back the answer: " On, no; Mr..
Trrlawney Is Veli-knOWn man III the
POst0tlice Department.
The stranger did not appear at all salts
fed, but be returned TO the hotel steps ana
the party Of pedestrians went on their way.
DTelaWuey seemed annoyed at the Interrupt
ton of their talk, but otherwise manifested
no discOmp0SuTe,
A few weeks later TTelawney was sum-
mOued from lIS desk to POstmasteT-Ieneral
Gresham's room. Beside the Postmaster
General sat a woman heavily yelled. The
clerk changed color slightly as his eye fell
on her figure, and his Chief, who had been
studying his face keenly from the moment
be came in sight, uttered a low ejaculation.
Smut the door, TTelaWney," he added.
This was done.
Now, madam, raise your veil"
The woman obeyed.
Trelawney, did you ever see this lady
u never did" The clerks teeth shut
tightly
General Gresham plainly believed his sub
ordinate was lying.
Madam, is this the man you think is
your husband?"
The woman, almost swooning, staggered
forward, threw herself upon TTelawney's
breast and burst into tears. He finched
not, however
The Postmaster-General touched his bell,
side door opened and a group of men en-
tered, headed by the stranger who had
acCosIed TTelawney in the street. The party
were old neighbOTs of the Hayes family,
and they crowded forward, one after
another adding testimony in support Of Mrs.
HAYES Identification.
THIS was too much for the clerk He
faltered a little at first in his sturdy de-
mails, and at length broke down completely
and confessed that he was none other than
James Hayes; that he had deserted his
home because he could no longer endure its
atmosphere of contention; and that he had
eDdeav0Ted TO atone for his folly by starting
tie world anew and trying TO make a man
Of himself.
The General heard his story
through and then Informed him that he
must hand IN bis resignation without de-
lay. In vain the young man pleaded that
bear than before, and hence would be in
greater need OF his salary. He also called
20 mind his valuable services as clerk and
his repeated promotions for merit.
NJ plea availed him. The Postmaster
General insisted that he wanted no one
about the department who had ever been
obliged to resort 10 an alias; that a man
who had deliberately deceived the Congress-
man whose influence had procured him his
office, and had kept up the deception with
rr1 = /. -
tell the truth to anybody, and hence had no
business in the service OF the United States
Government.
The clerk bowed to his fate and went
away. He gave up all his spare time. for
some months, to study. The Democrats
came into power not long afterward.
Meanwhile Hayes had passed a civil service
examination with very high marking. He
found friends who had sufficient faith in
the sincerity Of his new purpose In lie to
come to his support as witnesses OF his new
character. etc. and under his own name he
was one Of the first eligibles chosen for APP
pOintment by Postmaster General Villas.
The Postofice Department is large. a man
who is not Of ObtruSYe personality can
bury himself in it if he chooses. When
Hayes came back there were, of course,
few Of his old chums who knew lis story.
For the most part they guarded II. He took
lodgings In another quarter of the city from
that in which he lived while playing the
role of Mr.. Trelawney, and hence had little
social readjustment to undergo. A few in
Quires made inside and out of the Depart
ment were silenced by the statement that
his sudden resignation was caused by the
Illness of his afianced wife, whom he had
left in the West when he came to Washing
ton, but after their marriage she improved
so that he returned with her; and the
change of name was accounted for on the
ground that her maiden name was Hayes.
and that some property expectations"
were involved in bis taking her name in
stead of her taking his.
The person | have described under the
pseudonym of Mr. Trelawney Hayes is one
of the most faithful and efficient clerks now
in the Experimentation York Post.