The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-01-25
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been so grossly imposed upon by the horde Of
impostors and mountebaDks that has poured III
since the building of the railroad that it is nc
longer easy for a stranger to get nto their good
graces. The letter of-introduction device has
been worked until it is thFeadbare, and the
man who offers to present one risks an imme-
diate arrest from the police. or even seyerer
treatment at the hands of the vigilance CON-
mittee."
You frighten me-" l said; "however, as
my letters are all genuine. and bear the names
of many of the most prominent people OF Cieve-
land, hardly expect to meet with difficulties
of that sort"
Probably not" said Yelverton; "but you
may expect to be rather coldly treated"
"Well, blast the letters!" exclaimed angrily;
81 can see they are going to destroy half the
pleasure of my visit to the coast"
My annoyance seemed to afford Yelverton no
small amusement. and he recurred several times
to the subject after had allowed it to drop.
1t was a part of my plan to stop over in Den
yer about a week TO visit some friends. Yei.
verton, also, made brief stay in that place, and
we occupied adjoining apartments in the same
hotel. Once when he happened to be IN my
room, had occasion to look for something IN
my trunk, and l came upon the hated bundle
OF letters.
Here are those internal documents" / re-
marked, tossing the bundle over to the table
its thickness, and then gave sardonlc laugh.
You are certainly in for it, my boy" he
said, and put the letters back on the table amid
a pile of newspapers and magazines.
Before his departure, which took place the
next day, Yelverton made me promise that
would telegraph him when / left Denver so
that he might meet me OH my arrival at the
coast. promised it unhestatingly, for l was
satisfied that his friendship would bring op-
poItunities not to be sighted.
Various circumstances which / need not de-
tail heightened my stay in Denver from week
to nearly a month"; and in the course of that
time / quite forgot about the letters OF intro
duction. When / was ready to depart, how
ever, / thought of them with sudden and in
tense pang of discomfort.
/ photographed to Yelyerton, and proceeded to
pack my trunk. Just as 1 was about to turn
the key, it suddenly occurred to me that l had
not noticed the bundle of letters ia its GUS
tomary place in the corner of the till. 1opened
the trunk and investigated. The letters were
not to be found. either in the till or elsewhere.
Then remembered that shortly after my ar
rival at the hotel had taken them out to show
to Yelverton, and had put them Oh the table.
However, they were not there now.
l made a thorough search of the room the
letters had plainly disappeared.
went Immediately to the clerk and told my
story. He sent for the head chambermaid.
who takes care of Mr.. Bonworthy's room p"
he asked
"Maggie," answered the head chambernaid; ;
"but Clara had that room when be first came"
"I have lost package of letters" said ].
The two exchanged significant glances.
"Do you think they were stolen ?" asked; !;
ono one could have any possible object" -
oh, no" said the clerk. Then he asked me
if the letters were valuable.
"N-uo" ] said mot exactly"
"Well. III tell you" said the clerk, evidently
much relieved "we let that girl Clara go be-
cause she had reckless way of burning up
things that she found lying around in the
rooms. If you have made thorough search
and yOu are sure the letters are not there, the
chances are they are destroyed"
! found it difficult to repress my joy at this
intelligence. 1t is TO be doubted if the clerk
and head chambermaid ever succeeded in ex-
planning my strange conduct, in actually refus-
ing to make q row when one was quite justif-
able. / hastened back to the room and exc
cuted fresh search so as to satisfy my con-
science. When / was absolutely convinced
that the letters were gone, danced about the
room in transport of glee. The awful incu-
bus which had been weighing down my spirits
was suddenly removed, and breathed again.
What blockhead am" said to myself;
why did IL never occur to me to destroy the
letters. and claim, on my return, that they had
been lost?"
Chance had supplied the excuse which i'm
aginatioR had been unable to eoniure up. I
continued my journey, light-hearted as pris-
oner who has just secured his freedom.
Yelverton had advised me to stop over at
Sacramento-one of the historic cities of the
state-and visit the capitol and other points of