Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1913-02-05
cHApTER xl-(continued).

LEI me see, Sle COntluuSu, ~ Was
a week ago Tuesday-no, 1t was We'd
nesday. fortI went over to my sisters
Tuesday and Mr.. Rouser left word
for me. and found It waiting for me
when r came back, He asked me to
come over and take the Office for the
day i was surprised when come
over here to open up to find him here,
for I'd understood that he was going
to be gone all day. He explained that
.ehe didn't have to go till after the mail
/ was In, and he stayed here and helped
me sort. There was q lot OF mail
q that day, people round here are great
for answering advertisements and get
\ ting circulars. Besides that, some Of
Z them get-rich-quick concerns have got
hold OF our telephone subscribers
Il book and there's always a lot Of min.
{ ing stock letters. There was no less
than four good-sized bundles Of letters
from New York. Rouser was sorting
the letters and. was handling the
second class and the papers. Y got
through with that and picked up the
last bundle Of letters. Init was no
less than six letters addressedsto Lock
Y Box II. 'Seventeen's rented at last,
4 says I, thinking it funny that I$didn't
know the name on them. Henry Mall
colin Stewart. Who's got It I'll take
1 charge Of them, says he, taking the
letters right out Of my hand before 1
4 had q chance to look at the postmarks
or anything. ! noticed. too, that, he
didn't put them in the box, but jammed
them into his pocket along with a lot
OF othersgletters he had. couldn't
say who the other letters was adj
dressed to. for I didn't get a chance
to see them They might have been
his own, for all ] know. But ! couldn't
help thinking that the only reason he'd
waited till the mail was distributed
was to get hold of them Lock Box II
letters. AS soon as he got them he
went away. and he didn't come back
till after closing time"
Have you any idea where he went?"
When I come over here that day I
supposed he was going to the city, but
a few minutes after he lefttthe office
saw him driving past in one OF the
livery rigs. ''t3$ 81
Which direction did he go?" !
asked, feeling more and more sure
!. that / had struck the right TRAIL In
all probability this young fellow in the
post-ofice was merely an innocent tool
of Crandall. He had driven off some.
where to meet Crandall and give him
the Lock Box II letters. for was con-
WINGED that Stewart was merely an
alias OF the villain who had been send.
ing out the yellow letters. II l could
learn where the postmaster had gone.
on this visit, might be able to find
him now. s 4 s
Every time Charlie Rouser goes
driving" said Miss Cox, "'hes always
goes that way" indicating the opposite
direction from the station II shouldn't
be surprised in the least II he was
keeping company with some farmers
daughter"
"A sudden light came into her eyes
md smile Of satisfaction spread over
her face. WE IN
Land alive.,I never thought Of it
before" she exclaimed. but I'd bet
anything he's gone of to get mar.
Red" S. as]
Hardly likely" said l. "He wouldn't
go Of and leave the office unguarded
without telling any one. And he
wouldn't leave five thousand dollars
lying there In the drawer
That's just what he would do. I'll
bet he had a >windfall of some sort
and the minute he got the money in
his hands he Just couldn't wait to go
and tell the giri."
Somebody would have known it II
be got q horse at the livery stable.
would they not :" -. /. .s35 m
"Oh, that's neither here nor there.
He might have gone on his bicycle.