The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-02-04

NllHOuls lOllbNth ~ 1913
the doorbell.
ITS the postman," she exclaimed
"and since he's loaded down with val
entines he's In hurry. I'll go 10 The
door and take in the mail.
She returned walking very slowly
and looking intently ut an unopened
envelope.
"Who has been sending me this.
wonder?' she said. speaking more 10
herself than 10 her lover. 1T seems to
| be II valentine At least there are some
! flowers stamped on II. don't know
the handwriting and | don't know any
one at the place where Ii was post
marked"
1T seems 10 me-" said Walter drear-
| lily, that the quickest way 10 find out
! about letter is TO open and read 1t.
But that's something no woman would
think of doing"
IF the postmark was palmer" con.
tinued Ellen, without needing his sar-
casm, 81 might make II out. It's San
something or other, and Col. That
must he Colorado
Break it open!" cried Walter testify.
You'll drive me crazy"
She soothed him with kiss, then
tore open the envelope. remarking ut
the same time that it was dirty enough
TO have gone around the world. 1t con-
tanned Il cheap looking valentine, and
within the valentine was folded several
thicknesses OF newspaper. Ellen I'M
folded the newspaper and took out two
$500 bills.
For heavens sakew she exclaimed.
Walter simply gaped at the bills.
What does 1t means" was Ellen's
next comment.
BY this time her lovers curiosity was
excited. With trembling hand he
took the valentine and the bills from
her.
"Why, these are old state bank bills"
he said, wonderlngly. Then, taking the
envelope, he scrutinized il. This val
entine was mailed in 1850" he went
on, land those letters are not Col:
they are Cal. It's from San Francisco,
Cal"
Many time Ellen Crane had heard
her aunt tell about the valentine her
lover was To send her. about which she
was to make inquiry If 1t did not come
and which it was supposed he had been
cut of from sending by sickness and
death. A food of light burst in upon
her. This was that valentine. 1t had
been sent, but had been many years on
the way. The happy girl did not wait
TO explain this to her lover Holding
the bills high up above her head, she
danced around the room, crying:
Now we can restore the missing
money"
Later Browning went to the postofIice
with the valentine and learned from
the postmaster that postoffice build
ing had recently been pulled down on
the line the valentine had travelled, and
the letter had been found on the re-
mOval of fixture behind which it had
slipped, doubtless while being sorted.
IL was forwarded and fell into the
hands not OF the Ellen Crane to whom
II had been written. but to her name
sake and heir, who lived in the house
to which II had been addressed
Ellen placed the bills In Browning's
hands. Going to IA money broker. he
learned that though the banks that had
issued the bills had gone out of ex-
istence IL fund had been put aside for
payment of all demands against 1t.
Then Walter went to the bank that
had issued the bin he had lost and ex-
changed his money for one OF its
81 900 notes and with Il made up the
deficiency for which he WAS respon.
sible
there was n happy wedding. made
happier by the great load taken off
the shoulders of the contracting par.
ties.
The $1,000 was In time returned by
the bank. One of the employees of
the institution proved dishonest. ana a
long series Of populations was dscov.
cred. He confessed the stealing of the
bill that Browning hal lost On that
occasion he was acting as paying teller
In the next cage to Browning When
the latter's back was turned seeing
that no one was looking In his dlrec.
ton. he took out from pocket in his
coat slender piece of whaebone with
a hook on the end of IL and. passing il
through an opening In the grating that
separated the cages. removed one of
the bills lying on the counter.
This occurred shortly after Brown.
ing's marriage and caused so great a
reversal In the feeling toward Brown
ing that the officers of the bank
thought they should make some repa.
ration To him for his misfortune BE
sides returning the $1,000 that he had
made good. they created the Office OF
assistant cashier ana gave him the DO
sition with = i-'i-;; increase OF salary.
So his misfortune turned ont To he "A
! blessing i'm disguise. And il served
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