The St. Johns herald., 1892-07-07

tIie poorest iTutHo OuIiuiHS HI to"H l: A poorly equipped drug store occu } pied a part of the room. and in rear corner was rough case, con taining a half dozen boxes for hold , ing letters awaiting delivery. l was so poor an effort at separation of the mails that it would have beer better to dump the whole into soap box and let all patrons helE themselves. Swan sat on packing
 box near the front of the door, look
 ing out at the beauties of nature
 while the drug clerk was tying ur
 the letters for him. Swan called
 out lazily, "Got her done yet, Jim
 my?" Pretty near, Capt" "Wall, hurry her up leetle to-day; we
 missed it yesterday, and I got to go on an inquest this morning, too."
 presented myself to Mir. Swan as he was going out of the office. "So you're a postoffice inspector, are ye? Wall you'll find there ant nothing wrong with this office-not sence I had it. Can't say much for it before that" I hinted that some of his reports were little overdue and we might look into that a little. "Yes, that's right, Say, Jimmy, how about them money order bills? They been yaid yet? "Oh. no, cap- tain; you remember I've been try ing a long time to get you to fix them up." "Yes. that's so, Jimmie. " He added, turning to me: You see I been so busy" Now" said I, "Mr. Swan, let's count the funds and see your receipts for money de- posited. "Yes, I see. That's the l idea. Jimmie, you have head for fggers; you and the colonel go over the books and I'll look in again pret- ty soon."
 "But how about the funds? The money you have taken in since you took charge; where is that?" 'Let me see," he said, sort of yacantly, "what did do with it? Oh, yes :; I see; why, you see I've paid out a good deal, one way and another, some for money order bills, and some for this and some for that, and it's kinder hard to keep run of it all. You'll find it's right, though, squar to cent"
 "The books" referred to consist ed of small pass book, such as is used by grocers. It had few strag- gling entries for stamps. money paid on a house Swan was building, whisky accounts, paid and unpaid, and private memoranda of various kinds. It took week to approxi- mate his accounts and he owed the government over 5000. The gam bier referred to was a surety on his bond and he handed me the full amount on demand. I could get so little out of MT. Swan that l thought he would be more commun- icative to a commissioner, and had him taken before one for a hearing; but instead of becoming more CO., herent Swan then broke down com. pletely and sobbed pitifully that so great man could come to trouble. "Jedge," he sobbed, tits too bad. 1 was the first friend Abe Lincoln had when he began practicin' law, and if he was alive today l wouldn't be slavin' out my life in little dashed postoffice. Abe knew I was an honest man. He wouldn't send no inspectors round my office. He'd ast me once in a while if I was run ming my office O. K. and that would settle it. Knowin' me as he did, mebbe he wouldn't eyen ast me how I was doin'."
 In due time Swan went to Santa Fe for visit, He got a very short sentence. partly because it was plain that no work could be got out of him in the pen or anywhere else, and am not sure but that some tender reoollections of "Abe" Lin-