Holbrook argus., 1910-10-18

stranger appeared at the SrlSl nll! No, he had no wheat to sell and 1idn't want to buy any flour. 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 a letter in the mails, and enclosed was a $5 l bill. Curious about that letter Mailed right there in Meeksville and never got to Cincinnati, only 30 miles away. The squire had al- ready filed complaint at Washing ton. Tom Henderson was a good boy, but JiIn 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 postm.stress dnd that missing
 $5 bill. Some of them said it was
 share that Ire squire hcd inflicted
 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 'iss Nanny looked at him
 in surprise he sen her ten-year-old
 sister into the postoffice part and be-
 gan converse ton 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
 10 take his departure, Jim Hopkins
 opened the door without first knock
 ing, and strode into the room
 After 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"
 "Old grandpa" sat down again and began talking about the pC tal business, and after ten minutes Jira left. The next day Squire Eo-kir- received a call from the late defeno- 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 paths. 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 fol
 that. The magnate had made z 5 false charge as to the missing letter u and he was using threats to coerct
 the little postmistress into a detestet
 marriage. There were laws covering i those things. Squire Hopkins blus 's tered and bluffed and then wilted
 That evening Jim Hopkins didn' n call on Nanny Gladys, but Ton n Henderson did. He found her il J. tears and it was several minutes be D. fore she could explain:
 Le Why, Tom, the squire is going
 to give back the mortgage, and Tn T not to marry Jim, and that missing ;" letter has been found, but the nic, d old gentleman must expect I'm go n. ing 10 marry him f'
 " "How do you know?"
 1r "Be-because he said I must be a fo the tavern at ten o'clock tomorrow s- forenoon to be married. He's nice lv and nice-and nice-but-" ,e "And he said I must be there re too"
 Id For half an hour they sat hold
 inn honda and sinh;nn and sa..;.