Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-06-29
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!; aoor stanulng VIDE open. Tri.E7n:
perhaps that the postmaster nigh
merely have goGe TO supper, Jaiyini
on the honesty cf liz neiehborz Il
cave things undisturbed, ] IOiteTed il
he vicinity for full 6alf hcnr, Al
last, growing impatient, 7 entered the
rear door and striking another mater
looked about me-. AS far as +he rlnccS
tain light permitted me to see, lie
place looked as if tho postmaster nae
been Unexpectedly called away in tbe
midst Of his work.
] recalled that in M bag AZ me 20
tel was one OF those storage battery
lights, which happened 70 be there be
cause often found il useful in The
cabin where I went to shoot ducks.
decided TO get this and iuvestigate
\ further. It bad begun t1 raiD aud
there we're. few people or the street
I returned with my light il very lev
minutes and began to explore. Gid
mot greatly fear Interruption, for the
!mail-boxes or Inc street side served
lag screen to shut off the shift Of
fight by which J worked
Ny second inspection convinced ne
I1hat tho postmaster had left in CON
siderable hurry: A pile of mail half
lsorted, Q stamp drawer left vide open
land the books standing il an open
isafe. seemed 10 pear out this theory.
Even tha cash-drawer stood .opxp, re
EYealiug q few bills and some change.
II the cash drawer had been rified,"
Il said to myself, II might suspect that
!tDn postmaster had been murdered
land robbed"
] pushed the cashdrawer shut and
heard the automatic lock click on 1t,
land then began search for the list
Iof box-owners. At the back of each
box slip was pasted with the own.
er's name. TO my great disappoint-
ment Box No. IT was blank. turned
next to the safe and AT last found the
book IN which the accounts OF box.
;r,nt were kept. In this were neatly
entered the name Of each boX-helder
and the two references given, for ev,,
cry box. except No. II.
AS I stood poripg over this book
by my failure to discover
the owner, I-became conscious that
was watched. A sixth sense con-
WINGED mo that some one else was
near. Quickly pressed the button
that cxtinsuished my electric lantern
Noiselessly I turned toward the rear
door by which had entered l caught
just fleeting glimpse Of mans face
being hastily withdrawn. Undoubted
u 1t was the postmaster who had
turned and caught ne there. OF course
he must take NE for burglar. II haG
been too dark for me TO recognize the
features OF the man and ] was certain
iie could not identify me- ] stood mo.
for minute or two, listening
but l cpulG not ,hearieven
footstep-nothin8=but the:patter OF the
rain. =. %. - :s;G
Yet undoubtedly whoever, had dis
! overed me mad gore TO summon as
sistancs.. 1t would never do for me tx
be caught there. While I felt was
perfectly justified IN my mission, it
would be hard to make a: satisfactory
explanation, %If.I was captured there
1t certainly.wpnld mean an Unpleasant
night in a Tefmin-fled shack, perhaps
in irons. Itsmight 5take&seIeral days
to establish my innocence. I'decided
TO attemptsan escape.5S The sense Of
having revolver in my pocket com.
iorteds me, though / realized It's pos,
session would be most damaging II
should've caught. 1 moved swiftly tc
the door and peered out; There. was
no one>in sight -
!, Thrusting my lantern in my pocket
and turning u , my collar i made
dash around the corner %|of, the build.
Ing and looked UP and down: The
street. It was entirely deserted. The
thought struck me that the man who
had been watching me might sill
In hiding on the sther, side of = the
building, but did not stop to investi5
gate With the best mir of unconeerR
could assume, walked, not over
hastily. back to. the hotel. There was
no one in the office but. the clerk be-
hind the desk and I stood there for a
moment beside: the big old.fashioned
stove drying my clothes. The. door.
opened and q tall smooth:shaven chap.
came>in and approached the desk to
get his key. AS he saw me- standing
there he gare me keen glance Of,
scrutiny I had noticed that he ha0,
como from the dire ction of the post:
office and he must have seen that my
clothing was rain-soaked. He half
halted as if about to speak to me, bu:
changed his mind. ] heard the clerk
say:
Good night, Mr.. Cook" as ne van
isned upstairs. :: ' -.
If this was the man who had seen
me in the rost.offlce, plainly he was
not the postmaster. II not, who was
he? What was he doing, there?
4 It was long after midnight. before
nv myst fitted brain wo,,1d Let mo slaan