The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-26

when the next two or three mails arrived.
ana that Burnside would have TO attend to
the mail while he was gone
McGann evidently became ashamed of his
suspicious of Burnside. for he went to him
and asked him TO watch out for Il letter
and if 1t came TO send it out by any neigh
Dor that was going his way.
When the next mail arrived there was
no letter for McGann. He showed disap-
appointment. but II he had any suspicious
against Burnside he kept them to himself.
When the next mail came in. Mccain was
not at the post office. There was n letter
for him. and Burnside recognized it as be-
ing addressed in Mary's handwriting. He
sought In vain for some one who might be
going in the direction of McGann's home.
and then determined to take the letter to
him himself. He put it in his pocket. That
evening, after supper. he started for Nc
Gann's house. AS he neared the place, he
reached for the letter. II was not in his
pocket. He turned back. scanning the path
carefully. but no trace of the white envel-
ope could he find. He went to his room
and searched that, but the letter was no.
where in sight. Then he went out on the
front porch, and sat there for an hour, try
ing to remember whether he had taken the
letter from mis- pocket at any time after he
had put it there. All his searching and
thinking was in vain. and he went to bed,
resolved to renew his search In the morning
when there was more light along the path
way.
But that night the first storm of winter
came, and in the morning there was two
inches of snow on the ground. Mccain
went to the post Office in the course of the
days and Burnside told him he thought
there was a letter for him, but he could
not hnd 1t. McGann was plainly chagrined.
but said nothing. That night Burnside
sought some of his friends, told them ex-
actly what had happened. and asked their
advice. They suggested that Burnside go
to McGann and tell him the whole story.
But Mccain did not come to the store
again before next mail time. and Burnside
did not have an opportunity of explaining.
On the heels of the next mail coach, Il
messenger galloped to McGann's house with
a letter from Mary's aunt saying that
Mary had started home. and had been
drowned while attempting to cross the Mis-
souri, River. McGann hastily saddled i
horse and galloped to Nebraska City. to
which place Mary's body had been taken.
There he learned that Mary had written him
a letter which should have reached him in.
the mail that came just ahead of his mes
senger. When he returned to London he
took Mary's body with him, and after the
funeral went to the post office. The aunt at
Nebraska City had not been able to tell
him anything of Mary's death. except that
she had hired a riverman to take her across
the Missouri within a few hours after she
had mailed the letter to McGann. The let
ter that was awaiting him at the post Office
would doubtless tell him all he wanted to
know-why Mary had so suddenly started
home, and all.
The letter was there-several pages of
closely written. tear-stained note paper, tell
ing him she was coming home. and asking
him to meet her at least half way. There
was no positive statement that n previous
letter had been written. but it's whole tenor
was of disappointment at a failure to re-
ceive an answer to some invitation or re-
quest. McGann read between the lines of
the tear-dotted missive. and his boyish face
grew hard and revenSeful. People thought
It was his grief because of the death of
Mary. Burnside thought so, too, and de-
cided to wait until his grief had worn off
before telling him of the receipt and tho
loss Of the letter.
The two men did not meet until Thanks