The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-17

the name of the messenger he sent. He wouldn't have sent Tom, Dick or Harry on such an important errand. Young man, sit down there until we find out the truth of the matter"
 The girl went to the telephone ana the young man sat down with visions of policemen and prison bars passing before his eyes. The aunt took a sea. directly in front of him and stared at him in cold cruel way--a way that gave him to understand that she would let no guilty man escape. After three or four minutes Winnie returned to the room to say:
 That's always the way. Central tells me that the line into the city IS crossed or something and 1t may De an hour or more before they Iind out the trouble, and remedy 1t.
 'sThen I will go back and tell your father the situation" said MT. Gray Some sharper has the bonds and the police should be notified at once" . 'sYou will sit right here until that telephone wire is in working order! announced Aunt Ruth. There are men about the place, and we have dogs and guns, and If you try to run away 1t will be the worse for you. Winnie. notify the coachman that we have a suspicious character in the house."
 "she needn't do anything of the sort. I will sit here until you have solved the mystery. I am to blame for losing the letter, but if the oonos are not recovered it will not be my fault 4s-
 person." whispered Winnie to her aunt but In tones loud enough so that he caught the words and turned red again ..u A rother from a church deacon. But he does to me and here he shall stay until we know all about 1t. You sit down in the hall and wait for the tele- phone and I'll keep him under my eyes"
 Aunt Ruth leaned back in her chair folded her arms, compressed her lips and fastened her eyes on MT. Gray, and had he been a bunco man of ten years standing he must have been disconcerted. As it was he coughed and blushed and hitched around ana crossed and recrossed his legs. When the aunt broke the silence 1t was to impart no cheerIul lnIorniatloH' W"oe she said was:
 Tt makes you squirm to realize that you've reached the end of your rope at last, you you'll squirm more still when the judge pronounces sentence. While I pity your poor mo1neI' hope you'll get at least ten years"
 MT. Gray made no reply. He couldn' t find words. About every ten minutes for the next hour he received brief, vigorous lecture until he was almost
 worked up to the point where he thought of jumping through win dow and taking his chances. There
 was an: "Oh, papa" from Miss Vim
 nie in the hall and Colonel Graves stalked in to exclaim:
 What in the devil is the matter here%
 '"There he sitsv' replied Aunt Ruth
 as she pointed to the culprit. It took about ten minutes to unravei things-that is to establish Vincent Gray's identity. Fortunately, by this time the telephone was working, ana fortunately Mr. Jones was in his onice' It took five minutes more to discover that Winnie had given the false mes
 senger Honduras instead of Mexican | bonds and that the colonel was sim | ply relieved of some waste paper. When 1t came to apologies and ih- viting MT. Gray to forgive and Ior- 1 get and stay to dinner. perhaps
 full quarter of an hour was consumeu | but it Is not on record that MT. Gray regarded the time as thrown away
 Now when the colonel smiles ano l throws out hints at his prospective
 son. law Miss Winnie blushes ahu l protests, Aunt Ruth assumes one oi l her sweetest looks and sasy:
 T don't say l shall leave when ns
 becomes one of the family, but l de
 say that 1 shall always lock up my
 jewelry when I go to bed ana loch
 and bolt the door!'