The daily Alaskan., 1912-12-04
THE INSPECTORS ..." ROMANCE
It's Ending and the Event
 That Led Up to It.
By CLAUDE PAmAREs.


 Once every two months-now a day or two earlier and now a day or two l later-Inspector Cranforth had entered 1 the different postohices on bis route and checked up and straightened out affairs. There were postmasters who had seen him grow old and gray since bis appointment They had always found him a pleasant spoken and a just man, but all stood in awe of him. In no department of the public service Is Uncle Sam more particular than In the postal The cash must balance to a cent with the postmasters, and any man or woman who attempts to play tricks with his letters are certain to be pursued with relentless energy.
 Inspector Cranforth was generally re. garded as flint hearted man. It was understood that he was an old bachelor and had never known what love was He accepted no excuses from postmas- ters and indulged in no dirtatons while travelling. At fifty years of age he had got to be part of the route, and no one knew him for just what he was. Ont side of his ofiicialism he had heart as warm as any mans, and one reason- and perhaps the main one-why be had not married was the fact that he had always maintained a home for moth CT and a crippled sister, His salary could do no more. One day a windfall came in the shape of a legacy, and If the inspector had dreams of matrimony and a ireside all his own no one could blame him.
 Those who looked upon the man as flint hearted did not know the lns and outs of the case at the Dover post. office. An old soldier had been post master there for years When he died his widow took his place. When she died her daughter, Mary, who had known the inspector since her baby hood. was left motherless. fatherless and almost penniless. lt was the in- spector who paid a part of the under takers bill; lt was the Inspector who had Uncle Billy Smith appointed; it was the inspector who got Mary VII Hams a clerkship that practically made her postmistress and financially inde. pendent
 Even the girl did not know the eX- tent of his kindness. When he found himself asking why he did lt he found himself replying that ln two or three years more he hoped to be in a posi- ton to marry. At present bis feelings toward the girl were merely paternal. What they might be in the future he wouldn't discuss with himself
 It was said that Inspector Cranforth took more time for inspection at the Dover postofiCe than anywhere else, Some of the village gossips said it was because of Mary Williams, who regard cd him as a friend and was always glad to see him come, and others said he had his eye on Tillie LRngtou, the daughter of the village lnnkeeper lt was the talk that the two girls were rivals, and the innkeeper's daughter at least came to believe it and to feel bit ter toward the girl In the postoflce. The situation of affairs was just right when there came an official complaint against the Dover postOttice
 William PenHeld, son of DeRcou Pen field was In the habit of sending his old father money from Iowa every month or two.
 y1-tul,r, r-,, oF an economical turn and did not want to pay a registry fee or the premium eIacted for a money order. The bin was simply inclosed in a letter The father was inclined to be garrulous and to look upon it as smart trick to get ahead of Uncle Sam, and 80 In time every one In and around Dover came to know what would have been more prudent to be kept secret
 A money letter was missing. Old MT Penfeld haunted the postofice for a week and then wrote to William. Wi- liam made affidavit that he wrote and inclosed a ten dollar bin on a certain date. It was the business of Uncle sam to send out a tracer and for one of his iusectors to follow it up. ln- spector Cranforth took his time about 1t, but he finally traced the letter Into the Dover postofice By that time there was great ado in the town. Old Mir. PenReld hadn't hesltated to ex- press his opinions that some one right in the home postofice had criboed his letter and abstracted the money and of course he referred to Mary.
 She claimed to be innocent, but there were those who held to the contrary, and when Inspector Cranforth arrived to carry his investigation further there was great excitement To the intense | Indignation of hundreds of citizens the | investigation was held within closed doors-that is, Mary was questioned only In the presence of Justice of the l peace She was nervous and excited and shaken. She admitted her belief that such a letter had arrived at about such a date, but what had become Of it, if not delivered, she could not say.
 The establishment was a combina- ton grocery and postoffice. A person could have sneaked into the postofice part from the grocery, but he would have had to look over all the general delivery mail to get the Penheld letter