The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1896-11-12
hem and read them hurriedly. Finally

Frank Wheaton, said she.
Il thought her tone trifie severe
But / answered: Il did"
"Then l ann afraid You are not a:
honest as you look, Mr.. John Den
nett," SHE replied. accentlng the name
in a manner peculiar to angry women
The situation nearly took my breatl
away Jack had left some old letters
in his pocket. l was wearing his coat
and l had fully identified myself n.
another person.
This is an unfortunate mistake"
tried to explain. weakly. Il am wear
ing Il coat belonging TO a friend OF
mine and did not know there were any
letters in the pocket. Naturally l.
Wearing another mans coat" she
muSed. Goodness. hope you're hot
a burglar! | must notify our con.
stable the moment l close up the office
for the day. That will be very soon
now. If you want to escape you'd
better hurry"
I-have been in predicaments before
and paid no attention to her, or tried
not to.
'W'iM you be kind enough to tell NE
whether there al'e any letters here for
Mr. Frank Wheaton, | asked, as
coolly as possible.
20. don't mind telling you that. In
fact. have taken especial interest in
them. You see. nobody semes to know
who he is, and lie must be a gentleman.
because he has a letter from lady,
ind the envelope is of the very latest
fashion. I'm going TO get some of the
same kind myself. Besides that, there
are several letters from men. Now,
you evidently know who he is, or you
would not try to get his mail. I've
done you favor: will you tell me who
he is, and where he is living:
Il am he" answered.
Look me straight in the eyes and
repeat that" she Commanded, very
seriously.
Il am he," I repeated, looking
straight into the prettiest blue eyes
this side OF heaven.
''Too bad" she said, with shake Of
her head. Mamma told me once that
a man Who could look you Straight in
the eyes and could then tell an un-
truth must be very bad man.
l turned cn m Y lreel and walked out.
1t was time to swear, and it isa matter
of principle with me never to swear
before wOmal. And l never forget
this principle before a pretty woman.
| went home to my room and looked
at Jacks motto. / wanted to smash
the mOcking thing with my denched
fist, but | went down to Mrs. White
for consolation instead. / told her my
story. This is the consoiatiOn l got:
'YO3rg man." said she, Il suspected
You from the first. Amy man who pays
his board six weeks in advance ought
to be suspected. Honest men don't
have to do that sort of thing. / have
no doubt that you are John bennett
Your clothes are all marked with that
name. And you have been trying to
steal Mr.. WiheatQp's leuters, poor gen
tleman! And to think that | should
halbor such Il rascal under my roof.
l ought to put you out in the street,
but l need the money. and times are
hard. One thing l Will do, though;
shall put myself under the protection
OF the constable. He lives next door,
and you just try any CT your nsfariOus
practices On ME. if you dare. You can
stay here until your board money is
worked out, unless they take you to
Jail in the meanwhile, which l trust
and pray they viii. But yon can't stay
with me one minute after your six
weeks is up, even if they don't
wont from her irate presence to my
own room, and threw a hair brush at
Jacks motto. 1t missed. Then l
sought the telegraph office, and wrote |
out Il telegram to Jack.
That don't go through this office"
sad the telegraph operator. You're |
s nling that telegram to yourself and |
$ gnipg it with another mans name. |
It's against the rules to use the wires
for criminal operations. 0, we're onto
you, young feilerr'
l bit my lip and crossed the street |
10 the cigar store. When l am in
and studying my way out
like to chew an unlit cigar. The pro-
prietor refused to sell me one.
Moneys too scarce in this region to
take any risk Un counterfeits. 1 sup
pcec you've stuck me already, but if
you have I'll have the law of you" l
left him and sought the Postmistress
pro tenn oIce more. But learned that
she had gone out walking. There was.
but one mail Il day,-and the post Office
closed at z. NJ. / went to my room
lfter that. and spent the rest Of the
hay swearing ut Jacks motto.
During the following week matters
went from bad to worse. | left the
house but once Il day. The fact is,
lad become cotnspicuOus. l went to
he post office once each day to expos
ulate with the Postmistress pro tenn.
When l did go grown peop.e stunned
ne and little girls ran crying to their
Mothers. The small boys of the town,
however, followed me around in
lrOve. But l went, nevertheless. The
act is, had grown rather fond of eX-
with the pretty Postmis-
ress. Shall 1 say that had also grown
ather fond of the Postmistress her
eff? Well, perhaps more than fond. ,
But was a man ever SO handicapped
n his courting? She still insisted on
aEing me Mr.. bennett | learned
lrough that another letter had arrived
or Mr.. Wheaton, addressed in the
anne feminine hand, and many more
n business envelopes. But not one
TOuM she deliver to me. ,
Disgusted at the absurd situation !.
l which was placed, and at my own
naraf.ilg efforts to eXtricate myself ,
rom it, l resolved one afternoon to, l
airy the mOnOtony of my disagree 4
be vacation by walk in the woods.
he course of my wanderings led me
, the foot of a gnarled old tree whose
uge limbs were but six or eight feet
'Om The ground. i sat down at its {
ase, reclining against it, and began l
udying the matter over. l have the :