The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-02-21

fess this to her worshipers? But here,
the door opened in her very face and
stranger entered.
He was man of fifty, compactly and
strongly built. a squarely cut goatee,
slightly streal1ed with gray, fell straight
from his thin-lippcd but handsome
mouth; his eyes were dark, humorous,
yet searching. But the distinctive
quality that struck Mrs. Baker was the
blending of urban ease with frontier
frankness. He was evidently man
who had seen cities and knew countries
we'll. And while he was dressed with
the comfortable simplicity of Cali
fornian mounted traveller, her incXpe-
rienced but feminine eye detected the
keynote of his responsibility in the
carefully tied bow of his cravat. The
Sierran throat was apt to be open, free
and unfettered.
Good morning, Mrs. Baker" he said
pleasantly, with his hat already in his
hand
"Im Harry Home, of San Francisco"
AS he spoke his eyes swept approvingly
over the neat Enclosure, the primly-tied
papers, and wcll-kept pigeon holes; the
pot of flowers on her desk; her china
silk mantle, and killing little chip hat,
and ribbons hanging against the wall;
thence to her own pink, flushed face,
bright blue eyes, tendrillcd clinging
hair, and thcn-fell upon the leathern
mailbag still lying across the table.
Here it became fixed on the unfortu-
nate wire of the amorous expressman
that yet remained hanging from the
brass wards of the lock, and he reached
his hand toward it.
But little Mrs. Baker was before him,
and seized it in her arms. She had been
too preoccupicd and bewidered to re-
sent his first intrusion behind the par
tition, but this last familiarity with her
sacred official property-albeit empty
capped the climax ef her wrongs.
'How dare you touch it?" she said,
Indignantly. GLOW dare you come in
here? Who are you, anyway? Go out
side at oncc!"
The stranger fell back with an amused
deprecatory gesture, and long. silent
laugh. ''I'sn afraid You don't know me,
after all!' he said, pleasantly Elm
Harry Home, the department agent
from the San Francisco Office. My note
of advice, No. 20l, with my name on
the envelope, seems to have been mis-
carried, too"
Even in her fright and establishment
it flashed upon Mrs. Baker that she had
sent that notice, too, to Hickory Hill
But with it all the feminine secretiye in
stinct within her was now thoroughly
aroused, and she kept silent.
81 ought to have explained" he went
hut
Mrs. Baker" he added, nodding toward
the bag. "As far as You know, 1 had
no business to go near it. Glad to see
you know how to defend Uncle Sans
property so well. I was only bit puz-
zlcd to know" pointing to the wire),
'if that thing was on the bag when it
was delivered to you?"
Mrs. Baker saw no reason to conceal
the truth. After all, this official was
man like the Others and it was just as
well that lie should understand her
power. cts only the cxpressman's
foolishness," she said, with Il slightly
coquettish toss of her head. ''He
thinks it smart to tie some nonsense on
that bag with the wire when he filings
it down"
MIR. Home, with his eyes on her pretty
face, seemed to think it not inhuman
or objectionable folly. CAS- long us he
doesn'tmeddle with the inside of the bag,
suppose you must put up with it," he
said, laughingly. dreadful rccollec-
ton that the Hickory Hill postmaster
had used the inside of the bag Ia con-
vcy his foolishness, came across her. 1t
would never do to confess it now Her
face must have shown some agitation,
for the official resumed, with Il half
paternel, half-reassuring mir: but
enough of this. Now. Mrs. Baker, to
comc TO nay business here. Briefly.