Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-06-18
MISCELLANY.
A DEPUTY OULPRIT.
by Francis Lynde.
tCopyright, 1897, by the Author.l

senger train in the morning and its ar
rival at supper time To do honor to
both of these the Vigon corps de loisir
was won't to gather in force on the sta
ton platform twice day, and, know
ing this, Inspector Jaffray dropped from
the farther side of the incoming train
and beckoned to a man who stood in the
shadow of loaded coke car on the
mine siding
"How are you, Layne? Let's get away
from here before anybody recognizes
me, g." he said. You got my letter."
at did so. Hit come last night
Good. hope it won't put you out
to take care of me. "
81 reckon you know better'n that"
said Layne responsibility He was a
Tennessee farmer in whom hospitality
was in some sort a birthright, and In
spector Jaffray was an old friend.
81 do know it, but it's one Of those
things man says from force Of habit.
Have you seen Oantrell?'
eyes. He'll be long up to the house
after he's called the mail 1 didn't tell
him you all was comm. "
"That was right
Layne led the way up to the mine
shoot, keeping behind the coal and
coke cars, and from thence they skirted
the village, reaching the farmhouse in
its farther fringe without meeting any
one. AS man the inspector was known
throughout his district as a jovial COM
panion, the best of story tellers and an
undisguised good fellow, but as an Off
90 fl,o hn
skillful to plan quick to execute and
very beagle of the service in the secrecy
of his methods and the rapidity of his
movements. And it was an as officer
that he came to Vigo ON this Septem-
Der evening.
The little mining town was the ter
minal station on the Long Mountain
branch of the railway and the distrib-
uting office for biweekly mail route
which included half dozen villages in
the upper end of the valley Within a
month number of valuable letters and
packages had been missing on this route,
and the inspector had come to Vigo to
locate the leak, and, having found it, to
stop it.
Will Cantrell, the Vigo postmaster,
met him at Laynes after supper, and
the inspector was soon in possession of
such information as Cantrell had to
give.
"You say it's always money that's
missing?" asked Jaffray after the post
master had told what he knew.
Eyes, mostly. But as far as we know
it began with a ring that John Cory
ordered from Nashville for his girl. 1t
came this far all right because 1 mind
seein little package marked to John,
But he says it new did reich him.
"What kind of ring was it?''
"Plain gold was what he sent for.
There was goin to be a margin,
reckon, "
"Where does Corny liver"
Cup in Loder's Cove. Graffville'i
his postoffice. " .
"That's this side Of the gap, isn't it?'
"No, it's on the far side, the way thu
routes carried Anderson goes up OF
this side of the valley and comes bacl
ON the other-makes circuit.
"Humph! Anderson's the carrier
suppose. What do you know abou
him?'
"Well, 1 don't know. Lafe's toler
bile good sort of a boy-son of old mai
Andes up ON Long mountain. Doe
his work all right, far as 1 know, an
new heard anything against him.
The inspector nodded absently an
began to make idle hieroglyphs wit
his pencil on the margin of a newspape
he had been reading. Cantrell waite
patiently for the final question, an
presently it came.
what your theory about this thing
Cantrell?"
The postmaster tilted his chair an
thrust his hands deep into his pockets
al don't know as I've got any, Nj
Jaffray. Seems like it's amongst half
dozen of us up here, and l reckon l
better stand on line with the rest IL
YOU find out who's doin it. "
"But you reported the thing you
self said the inspector
Cantrell smiled. "Ye-es. But hes
bigger fool than am might've thougl
of dom that
"That's SO. Well keep you in mil
as one of the possibles, " said the Il
spector. But he laughed in way to s
Cantrell's mind at rest upon that scor
Then, with sudden return to the bus
ness of the moment; Let's see. Tomo
row is the regular mail day. suppo
You have the pouch Anderson carrles
"Yes. It's down at the store. y
sect your hat, and We'll go down al
have look at 1t.
They went out together and stumbl
along the rocky road through a hi
mile of inky darkness to the count
store. Cantrell admitted his companio
struck light and found the pouch,
was old and we'll worn, and the
spector pointed out a small hole fray
through one Of the creases in the leath'
"Why haven't you reported thisF"
asked
1T have I've kicked about 1t till l
plumb tired. You know the supplies
the route are ordered by Godfrey at
gap, and I've sent word to him by Ii
half dozen times.
Jaffray threw the pouch under
counter. "That's the leak, " he 81
briefly. GOOD night. "
And the next morning, when Farm
Layne would have called his guest
breakfast, the porch bedroom was emp
At half past 8 the same norm
vonnR Anderson rode up to the porch