The record-union., 1894-12-01

/ nee; and 1t also looked bad for nv friend.
But time lock, set in the presence of
ha1 dozen employees, and the opening of
the safe in the presence of several of the
same persons, dispelled my first theory,
| WhlIe the second one was shattered by
the positive assertion of the messenger
| VINO had brought the package from Chat
| tanooga that he had seen it deposited in
| the vault, and the equally positive asser-
lon by the outgoing messenger that he
had seen the package brought from the
vault by the cashier to the table, from
which it was checked into his own mes
| senger safe.
'Brice," 1 frankly said to my old
friend. as was about departing for the
East IN an entirely discouraged frame of
mind, everything is as clear as rock
| water here. No one in the Atlanta Office
has need Tor further anxiety"
| de grasped my hand and look of
| splendid triumph came into his face.
Il hope" he almost chokingly said,
| you will never know the mysery of be-
ing suspected of crime, with no way OF
dlspelling the shadow, no means of
knowing even your accuser, no oppor-
tunlty OF courting investigation, without
seeming, from over-otficiousness, to de-
serve it; and them" here he shook his
head accusatively, suffer the added in
dignity of having an old friend come
along almost determined to identify you
going as far as Converly Pines?"
1t being the correct thing in detective
work to never let any one know the
exact truth, lest your extraordinary
plans be in some way endangered, l
| promptly answered:
Probably not"
''Oh, yes, you arer he returned de-
cidedly. And Pm going to return evil
with good in your case.''
He wrote rapidly at his desk for mo-
| ment, and then beamingly handed me
| the following note:
Deer Coz. hate: Here's an old college friend
| OF mine. GOOD family; capital fellow: away
up in music and art and poetry and all. that
| sort OF thing. You girls VIII find him "a posi-
| tive godsend out there at the Pines. He's one
of the officers OF the company, besides. He's
| looking up that robbed package matter. Hope
he'll find the right party-cVen if it's jIOH Coz!
| But don't let hlm capture your heart, even if
he makes you prisoner. No man ever Wor-
ried me so much; but hope that his visit at
| the Pines will prove happy one all around.
I'm trying to make hIm very welcome with
| you all-if he did nearly break my heart mere
! Yours, HARRY.
hesitated to accept so breezily written
a letter OF introduction, but he pressed
it upon me, saying:
Lovely girl that Kate Converly, if
she is my cousin. / want you to get
taste of old-fashioned Southern hospital
ity at Converly Pines.'
l bade the fine fellow good-by in some
| thing like grateful shame at the character
of my mission, and left Atlanta thor
oughly discouraged in my quest.
AT Greensboro the package had been
| transferred, between trains on adjoining
tracks, in broad daylight. 1t was car
ried to Raleigh by the messenger who
received it at Greensboro; had remained
in the Raleigh office several hours under
conditions precluding the possibility of
| it's having been tampered with in that
i D,
last handled the package TO South Con-
verify, without having discovered single
| hopeful clue to the robbery.
/ found South Converly a village only
in name. War had nearly twenty years
| before swept it away by flame. a great
railway bridge across the Roanoke had
| been destroyed by cOntending armies
and had not yet been rebuilt. But one
structure stood where once had been a
! sunny and prosperous hamlet. This
was the log hut of the Postmaster, gem
eraI storekeeper and express agent all in
| one.
He was an ignorant, honest fellow, NOR
ally and mentally incapable of this rob-
berry, which had required an active brain
and nibble fingers.
Halifax County, Moth Ca'liny, haint
been tn same place." he began plain
lively after | had concluded my inveSti-
cation of his shabby little office and
| to fear in connection with the crime,
''sence that trouble come. I'm gittin'
gray outen it. Why, Kyern'l ConverIy
| skasely speaks TO me no mo-, m even his
nggahs looks down on me! Air ye goin'
| out Converly Pines way, sir?''
Perhaps" [ replied. "How far is it
out to the Pines?''
| Nigh onto twelve mile. Kase if We
be-" he pleaded, returning to the sore
! spot in his meager official life, II reckon
ye wouldn't mind, if ye come up with th'
Converly folks, jest putin me right.
| after form an mannah, sir, with th'
Kyern'R But thar's his oP Uncle Ephe,
| nowp
Trailing down the red and winding
roadway which led to the openings the
! hills and glorious pine bottoms along the
Roanoke, came ramshackle old one
! horse buggy, drawn by an ambllng and
| ruminative steed.
Like a dot OF ebony set in fringe of
blanched and spotless coral, showed
] Uncle Ephe's face in its rim of kinkly
| white hair and beard. a little mite of an
old and bent negro he was, but as he
neared the station by a wide, circular
sweep around it, SO that when his errand
| was done himself and his conveyance
would be headed homeward, he seemed
| to gradually stitfen up to the full pitt
full limit of his great age and very feeble
frame.
''See there!" said the agent in pro-
festive undertone. jest as L tor ye.
That niggah, sir, won't look at me sence
that money wuz took. Cuss th' hull
DANCED ornery bizness, ennyhow! Hello,
Uncle Ephe?" he called out Folks all
well up t tn Pines?''
Likely, sab. likely"
"kyern'l all well, Ephe?"
"Fitten, sab. fitten."
| "OP miSsS all well?'
| Fright peart. sab: right Deart f,lr har
years."
"Young 'Rastus, an Miss Kate an
Miss kate's tren' from th' Moth all well,
Uncle Ephe?"
'Pse waitin' fur de Kyern'Ps letters,
sah!''
All this time Uncle Ephe had presented
only one corner of his peaked chin to the
station agent. a supercillious smile had
pursed hls lips and lighted his blue black
face, while through his swiftly blinking
eyelids the white of his eyes showed that
| their pupils were rolled far up into his
little old head.
Thus this old blacks soul and features
humbly yet effectively conveyed to a
minion OF the Southern Express Com
pany the vicarious scorn of Converly
Pines folk for its entire corporate incom-
potency.
But, Uncle Ephe," urged the agent as
we went forward to the vehicle together,
"here's your letters an here's man, a
officer o. tn comp'ny, as will clear up th'
hull cussed rumpusp'
1t required three or four distinct jerk y
movements of Uncle tphe's head to bring
his doubling face toward US; and even
| then it was perked sidewise tolerativeiv,
as he carefully placed the letters in his
quaint and age-shining hat.
"M-m-ph!"
There was no compromising intonation
| hal nj ri