Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1897-06-24

yaru, Wnere our little yacnt is lal0 up.
IT do not see any necessity for doing
as you say in regard to sending the
present crew back 10 England under the
pretense that we are not likely to be
using the yacht for some time, and
then, after getting the ships appearance
Iltered by repainting and rechristening
ber the name you mention, engaging
another crew of Norwegians.
This seems to me a very unnecessary
precaution. Your connection with us is
never likely to be discovered unless by
your own confession. However, suppose
you know best, and We will do as you
say. F."
Tho other letter was on half sheet
of note paper and in the handwriting Of
the barber at Cotley. Here it is:
RESPECTED SR-Mr. Green has not
called since l last wrote you. But a
person named Smithers came and asked
questions. 1 did not like the look of
him and would not tell him anything,
but said did not know any Mr.. Jeanes.
Respectfully, JAMES DoRLEY.
"P. S.-Smithers smelt of rum. He
had been drinking. He was low look
ing man, and did not like his eye."
'l'm panied to hear you don't like
my eye, Mr.. James-Mr. Truthful
James, said sarcastically as 1 put
the letter down, glancing sideways all
the same at mirror on tho wall to see
if could detect any sinister expression
in my eye which could account for the
unfavorable opinion Mr.. James had
formed Of that feature. "And so you
didn't tell me anything, didn't you, you
precious rascal? Some day I may have
an opportunity of telling you something,
and then it is possible yen may find
something else to dislike about me as
we'll as my eye. In the meantime I'll
take the liberty of OBTAINING your letter,
as it would put Mullen ON the alert if
let it 60 on to him. His sisters letter
he must have, for if l fail to set hands
on him here can take him when he
keeps his appointment with her on the
steam yacht on board which he hopes
" BCp Ou0 u VIC COuuuIy.
$50 l mustn't lose a moment in re-
sealing her letter and getting it back by
hook or by crook to the letter rack
whence l got it. I'm not easy about the
forgery with which replaced it. If
there had chnnced to be only two or
three letters waiting to be called for
this morning, and l had distracted one
without replacing it with a dummy,
the professor would be bound to have
noticed that n letter was missing. But
I'm running q risk in leaving the
forged dummy there moment longer
than l can help. Mullen might call and
have it given him, Or it may get sent
on, and though I fiatter myself that the
forgery is SO well done that even Mullen
is not likely to notice any difference in
the handwriting, and though it is also
possible, too, that he will think the cut
ting about Green's death had been sent
him by the Cotley barber, I'd much
rather that the dummy didn't fall into
his hands.
''To have forged letter from the
Cotley barber would have been extreme
ly dangerous, for l didn't then know
how the rascal addressed Mullen. And
to have inclosed blank sheet of paper
would at once suggest the trick which
had been played. The newspaper cut
ting was the only thing I could think Of
that had the look of being q bona fide
inclosure from the rascal at Cotley. He
had to my knowledge informed Mullen
that Green was inquiring about him,
and what was more natural than that,
seeing notice of Green's death in the
papers, he should send it on to his prin-
cipal. But all the same the sooner I
get the dummy back into my own
hands the better, for 1 don t think"-
At this point I broke off my medita-
tions abruptly. I had been sitting in
full view Of Professor Lawrance's door,
and just then saw him put his head
out, look up and down the street as if
to sec whether he could safely be away
for few minutes without the proba-
bility OF q customer popping in, and
then cross the road in the direction Of
the nearest public house.
eff I'm to make the exchange, it's
now Or never. said, snatching up the
letter from Mrs. Burgoyne which, after
copying, had put back into it's envel-
ope and resealed. In another half min
ute had crossed the road and was as
cending the stairs which led to Profess
or Lawrance's hair cutting establish
ment
Fvn NV, <so,nrTNJyrur