The Winslow mail., 1910-10-22

stranger appeared al the grlst mill.
No, he had no wheat to sell and
didn't want to buy any -four. He
was just looking around. He talked
with Tom Henderson and grew
friendly.
The loungers at the tavern
couldn't make out the stranger.
He hadn't much to say, but he was
a good listener. What the boy had
told him, he heard repeated again,
with more particulars. Jim Hop
kins wanted to marry the little
postmistress, as much to spite Tom
Henderson as anything else, and his
father was backing him up. The
squire had a mortgage and it was
overdue. He had lost letter in
the mails. and enclosed was a S.
bill. Curious about that letter
Mailed right there in Meeksville
and never got to Cincinnati, only 80
miles away. The squire had al
ready filed a complaint at Washing
ton. Tom Henderson was a good
boy, but jim Hopkins had the in
side track.
Next day the nice old gentleman
just wandered around the village.
He happened to meet a number of
the villagers and made them talk.
They talked about Squire Hopkins
and his son and Tom Henderson and
the postmistress and that missing
! S. bill. Some of them said it was
a shame that the squire had inflicted
a fine, but the victim laughed at
that He said he was a man who
bore no grudge. An hour after sup
per he appeared at the postoffice and
saw the evening mail distributed
and passed out. Then he coolly
walked through into the living room,
and when Miss Nanny looked at him
IN surprise he sent her ten-year-old
sister into the postofice part and be-
gan conversation that lasted the
best part of an hour. The girl was
awed but not afraid of him. Just
as the nice old gentleman was about
to take his departure, Jim Hopkins
opened the door without first knock
ing, and strode into the room.
After a look at both occupants he
said to the girl:
"Well, Nanny, the governor says
he will give you three days in which
to make up your mind. Been tell
ing old grandpa here all about it?
He don't count
cold grandpa" sat down again
and began talking about the postal
business, and after ten minutes jim
left. The next day Squire Eor kiir-
received a call from the late defenu-
ant. He was surprised, but he had
his pomposity with him. He had it
with him until the nice old gentle
man showed him the missing letter
complained about. It had reached
the Cincinnati firm all right, but
there was their affidavit that it had
contained no money. In demanding
the whole highway Jim had sworn
many oaths. That was against the
state law. He had made threats.
There was law for that. In taking
the mortgage on the widows place
the squire had exacted seven per
cent. interest. There was law for
that. The magnate had made
false charge as to the missing letter,
and he was using threats to coerce
the little postmistress into a detested
marriage There we're laws covering
those things. Squire Hopkins blus-
tered and bluffed and then wilted.
That evening Jim Hopkins didn't
call on Nanny Gladys, but Tom
Henderson did. He found her in
tears and it was several minutes be-
fore she could explain:
'Why, Tom, the squire is going
to give back the mortgage, and I'm
not to marry Jim, and that missing
letter has been found, but the nice
old gentleman must expect I'm 60
ing to marry him !"
CHOW do you know?"
"Be-because he said I must be at
the tavern at ten o'clock tomorrow
forenoon to be married. He's nice
and nice-and nice-but-"
"And he said I must be there.
too"