The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-08-11
On the Rural
Delivery
By OLIVE EDNA MAY

II. buggy-afong the road looking over
t katters to be put in the next mail
b, when he encountered George IT.
v, walking.
nything for me, Ed?" asked Irwin.
there is you'll get it in your box"
r. I'D the postman.
ln going out of town; on my way
tel be station now. 1t would be an ac-
eel notation If you would give it to
n now if there's anything for me.
Gil rwise it'll have to be forwarded"
gtlett pulled up. Irwin drew near
h and while the former looked over
8 ndful of letters the latter leaned
I ard to see the addresses himself.
: here it is" he exclaimed, making
a alb for one of the letters, and his
i Inference resulted in the splitting of
twenty of them on the ground.
" dozen more fell within the bug
g Irwin apologized, and, picking up
tny letters scattered near his feet, ne
handed them to Bartlett.
did you take the letter addressed to
your" asked the latter.
mo. 1t wasn't for me. 1 thought 1t
was, but l was mistaken"
Snow, see here, George, Irwin, here
after when I'm handling my mail you
keep your hands off it. The next time
you do a thing like that I'll have you
arrested for interfering with govern
ment officer in the discharge of his du-
ties.p
.Sorry, Ed l didn't intend to inter
fere"
Bartlett drove on without making a
renly. At Deacon Warder's box he
found Susie Warder, the deacon's
daughter, aged eighteen. waiting for
him. There was an intensity In her
face that indicated anxious expecta-
ton. Bartlett had often delivered let
tiers to her addressed in masculine
hand, and by the way she Rugged
them to her heart and ran into the
house with them he had surmised that
they came from a lover Instead of
putting the mail in the box he hand
ed 1t to her. She looked over 1t and
her face fell.
"Nething more?" she asked. looking
up at the postman despairiDgly.
srhat's all. Sorry l haven't one for
you today, Miss Warder. Perhaps I'll
bring you one tomorrow"
ssssSo. you won't" replied the girl, tears
starting to her eyes. eff it was to
come at all it would have come today"
Bartlett sighed sympa thetically. Dur
ing tile rest of his trip over his route
his mind was more on Susie Warder
than on the mail. Her words eff 1t
was 10 come at all it would have come
today remained with him. and he
couldn't Danish them. What did they
mean? That the expected letter was
to have been from the lover he could
not doubt.
Our minds now roll smoothly from
one train of thought to another, and
again they jump gaps, And yet there
Is tl6abtless connection between the
two sides Of the gap too subtle for US
to distinguish Bartlett's mind turned
from Susie's disappointment to George
{ In ms grabbing at the letters. Then
nd Hade mental jump, for there was
nd connection between his two
thoughts. Susie's letter didn't come.
AMI perhaps George Irwin when he
picked up those that fell on the ground
retained one for Susie.
Though he knew of no reason for
such an act, he couldn't dismiss the
suggestion. 1T occurred to him to turn
back and charge Irwin with purlOining
"a letter, trusting to have struck the
correct theory. He looked at his
watch 1t was o'clock. He had met
George about 800. There was no train
either way out of the station between
3.25 and 440. He remembered to
have heard the whistle of the 1925
train while he was talking with George
The man had doubtless made his state
ment about going out of town falsely
and for a pretext to steal the letter.
When Bartlett reached these Undue
tive conclusions he had finished his de-
livery. He drove rapidly back to the vii
lasse, occasionally asking one he met if
he Had seen George Irwin. Presently he
found man who had seen him and
gave the postman a clew to find him.
Bartlett found his man on road
where no one else was about.
.Give me the letter you tookr he
said resolutely and confidently.
THE letter took! What do you
maan?'
Il mean that when you picked up
those that dropped on the ground you
kept one
Irwin stood at bay. Presently he
said: "You have no right to accuse
nae. If you know ! took letter, sure
ly you know to whom that letter was
addressed"
Il do-Susan Warder."
Irwin turned white. Bartlett must
have evidence against him that he did
not know Of.
s'What'n you do if give it up?'
It'll tell you what I'll do if you don't
give it up said Bartlett, jumping out
OF his buggy. "Tll break every bone
In your body"
Irwin WAS coWed. Tremblingly he
put his hand in his pocket, took out the
letter and handed it to the postman
Bartlett jumped back into his buggy
and whipped up the horse for Deacon
Warder's. On giving Susie the letter
she opened 1t. and her face lighted up
with joy.
Bartlett told her all about the remov-
al of the letter from the mail, and she
told him that her lover and George Ir
win were rivals.
He needed no further explanation