Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-06-02
A DEPUTY CULPRIT
By FRANCIS LYNDE.
rCopyright, 1897, by the Author.1

ing this, Inspector Jaffray dropped from
the farther side of the incoming train
and beckoned to man who stood in the
shadow Of q loaded coke car on the
mine siding.
"How are you, Layne? Let's get away
from here before anybody recognizes
me," he said. "You got my letter?'
"I did so. Hit come last hight. "
"Good. hope it won't put you out
to take care Of me"
II reckon you know better'n that, "
said Layne reproachfully. He was q
Tennessee farmer in whom hospitality
was in some sort birthright, and In.
spector Jaffray was an old friend.
II do know it, but it's one Of those
things man says from force of habit.
Have you seen Cantrell?"
eyes. He'll be long up to the house
after he's called the mail. I 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 jovial COM
panion, the best of story tellers and an
undisguised good fellow, but as an off,
Ger of tbs postofice department he was
skillful to plan, quick to execute and a
very beagle Of the service in the secrecy
of his methods and the rapidity Of bis
movements. And it was an as officer
that he came to Vigo on this Septem-
ber evening.
The little mining town was the ter
minal station on the Long Mountain
branch of the railway and the distrib-
uting office for a biweekly mail route
which included half dozen villages In
the upper end of the valley. Within a
month a 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 1t, to
stop it.
Will Cantrell, the Vigo postmaster,
met him at Layne's after supper, and
the inspector was soon in possession of
such information as Cantreu had to
give.
"You say it's always money that's
missing?" asked Jaffray after the post
master had told what he knew.
:'Yes, mostly. But as far as we know
it began with ring that John Corny
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 marryin, ]
reckon"
"Where does Corny live?"
"Up in Loder's Cove. Graffville's
his postoffice.
"That's this side Of the gap, isn't it?''
"No, it's on the far side, the way the
routes carried. Ande'son goes up on
this side of the valley and comes back
on the other-makes circuit.
"Humph! Anderson's the carrier, ]
suppose. What do you know about
him?"
"Well, don't know. Lafe's toler-
bile good sort of boy-son of old man
Ande'son up on Long mountain. Does
his work all right, far as I know, and
new heard anything against him."
The inspector nodded absently and
began to make idle hieroglyphs with
his pencil on the margin of newspaper
he had been reading. Cantrell waited
patiently for the final question, and
presently it came.
"What your theory about this thing,
Cantrell?"
The postmaster tilted his chair and
thrust his hands deep into his pockets.
II don't know as I've got any, Mr..
Jaffray. Seems like it's amongst half a
dozen of us up here, and l reckon I'D
better stand on line with the rest till
you find out who's doin it,
"But you reported the thing your
SELF" said the inspector.
Cantrell smiled "Ye-es. But heap
bigger fool than I am might've thought
Of doin that. "
"That's so. Well keep you in mind
as one of the possibles, y" said the in
spector. But he laughed in way to set
Cantrell's mind at rest upon that score.
Then, with a sudden return to the bust
ness of the moment: Lets see. Tomor-
row is the regular mail day. suppose
you have the pouch Anderson carries?'
eyes. It's down at the store.
"Get your hat, and We'll 60 down and
have look ut it. D"
They went out together and stumbled
along the rocky road through halt
mile of inky darkness 20 the country
store. Cantrell admitted his companion,
struck light and found the pouch. II
was old and well worn, and tho III
spector pointed out a small hole frayed
through one of the creases i'll the leather.
"Why haven't you reported this?" he
asked.
81 have. I've kicked about it till In
plumb tired. You know the supplies TO,
the route are ordered by Godfrey at the
gap, and I've sent word to him by Late
half q dozen times.
Jaffray threw the pouch under the
counter. 'That's the Leak" he saio
briefly. "Good night.
And the next morning, when Farmer
Layne would have called his guest tt
breakfast. the porch bedroom was empty
At half past the same morning
young Anderson rode up to the porch II
front of Cantrell Bros. store, threw the
lean mail pouch across his saddle ano
set out whistling upon his % mile ride
to the gap. He was handsome young
fellow. as the'mountain youth h 90, Whicl