Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-09-19

About n month after the engagement,
John Alroy was made postmaster OF
Garrett. He was young, quick and
clever, and handsome.
Joyce was busy at the store, SO Mary
often went to social gatherings without
him, he calling for her later on in the
evening. He did not dance Alroy did
1t gradually dawned upon him that
Mary danced good deal with the post
master. He also found that the post
master often met Mary by chance when
she took sunny walks.
In April he made his usual spring
trip to buy goods He had been away
n week when he received letter from
Mary. She asked to be absolved from
her engagement with him. The calm.
ness with which Mary met him told him
his doom.
''It is Alroy, of course?" he said.
ut may seem to you that treat you
badly" she returned, 'but l never
knew what love was till I met him -
and Joyce went away.
Throughout the summer he saw little
o the happy pair, invented business
excuses taxing him much from home.
Winter came, and the store claimed
HIN. April loomed up-the anniver-
sary of his shattered hopes-and he
heard that Mary would be married in
June. In June the marriage was put
off till autumn
This was the reason. The postoffice
at Garrett was third-class. Out of his
salary the postmaster was expected to
InSr oil OH
ond-class Office, clerk hire and other
liabilities were met by the Govern
ment, while the salary of the master
was considerably increased. Alroy
proposed to raise his Office to second
class. so as to be in a position to mar
~. To do this he must prove that the
business of his Office had increased for
a year to such an extent that it
equalled existing second-class offices.
Late in the summer he said that this
was SO. In September an expert dis
covered that, while the sale of stamps
for year equalled that of an Office Of
the higher grade 1T did not represent
a corresponding increase in mailed
matter. Alroy was accused of fraud.
In January Joyce was summoned to
act as grand juror on the Goth of Feb
ruary, in the city, more than a hun
dred miles away.
The afternoon of the 18th brought
Garrett binding snow-storms the
streets were deserted, business was at
standstill. About four o'clock and
nearly dark, a lady entered Joyce's
private room at the store. It was
Mary Hammond.
81 have heard" she said at once,
"that you are grand juror in the
February term. The postmaster's
case comes up before YOU"
Joyce's heart gave bound. He
had not thought of that.
1.-The grand jury, am informed" I"
she went on, decide if there is sufi-
cient ground to make out a case to go
before the court. You will have a voice
in deciding whether or not there is a
vase against the postmaster.
Joyce's eyes were like Goals of fire.
eff it were in your power, you would
convict the postmaster" she said.
Joyce found his voice.
''If I knew him to be guilty, yes, "
he said.
''He is guilty" she went on. 1.-THE
stamps were bought by me, with the
thousand dollars of nay fathers insur-
ance. l proposed the fraud. Love
for him made me do as / have done /;
love for me made him do the rest"
Without another word she went from
the room out into the snow-storm.
Joyce trembled in every limb, The
insult drove him wild. She knew that
he still loved her, and she called upon
Tint love to save Alroy even at the cost
o. hopN~ Tho OUTRAGE Of it'll Arrow
was guilty, and there was but one thing
10 do Love and honor contended--
hopeless love, inalienable honor. There
, sould be no question as to which would
win.
Tho following day, tho outrage
tho insult-gnawingn at him, he went
on the hundred mile journey. On the
morning of the Goth he took oath that
he would do his duty as a good and
loyal man in the matters to be placed
before the grand jury. In a few min.
utes mora he was sitting with twenty
three other men round . long tabls