The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1914-07-17
Reunited
BY Chance
By F A. Mitchell

We peddrrsl mean we VINO Drive
about the country selling our wares
meet with some very strange expert
enceS..
On one of my excursions that made
with IL double team and high RED
wagon loaded with everything farm
er's wife could need | was looking
about me for place in which to put
up for the night when ! came to
house standing beside the road that
looked inviting except for certain
loneliness there was about it. we
know iuStinctive!y when place is oc-
cupipd and when it is Deserted. ana
the moment looked ut this one knew
that no one lived there. Nevertheless
| determined that if | could get into
it | would stay there all night. Inc
lock on the gateway leading to the
barn had fallen. and had no trouble
in driving in my team. The barn was
as easy of access as the gate. and l
drove both horses and wagon in under
cover. | had feed for the animals with
me and, having fed them, went to the
house
Looking in through window. saw
furniture which seemed to be new
that is. it had evidently never been
used Something like mold had set
tied upon it. indicating that it had been
there for long time. A screwdriver
from my wagon acted in place of a
Jimmy to raise sash. and ! effected
an entrance through window.
I explored the house. all Of which
had been evidently newly furnished.
Indeed. some articles had not been I'M
packed In an upper story | found the
plastering had in part given way from
water let through a roof that needed
repair. the water having run down
wall against which stood mantel.
The mante had been displaced and
leaned forward Beside 1t on the floor
| picked up letter which. though 1t
had been drenched, could see had
never been opened, and with difficulty
| made out the address. The post
mark had been too far damaged by wa
| ter to be legible.
| I made myself as comfortable as
could during the night and the next
day drove on to the nearest nostotfice.
where | turned over the letter to the
postmaster. He read the address and.
looking up at me, asked where | had
found it | told him. and. taking up a
hand magnifying glass, he studied the
postmark for awhile, then said to him
self rather than to me:
THAT must have been the day be-
fore the intended wedding. Now ! re-
member Sam asked me to send any
letter that might come for him to his
new house. Andy"
A Young fellow about eighteen came
from the rear part of the office, where
he had been stamping letters. and the
postmaster asked him:
Can you go back far enough ii
memory to recall delivering letter tc
Sam JoSlin a day or two before the
day he was to have been married?'
The Young man ransacked his memo
nv for awhile. then replied: Yes, can
because didn't find Mr.. Joslin there
and | didn't find any one in the house
either. | went all over it and finally
concluded that the front sleeHing room
upstairs on the mantel was the bes
place to leave it. So set 1t up agains
the wall and left it."
did the mantel stand flush W
against the wall?" asked.
40. 1t was a wooden mantel ant
had warped. leaving a crack. set 4
up SO that it wouldn't slip down thu
crack"
But it did all the same" I said.
81 remember that | got caught In
terrific windStorm on my way back
Maybe it shook the house and the let
ter fell into the crack" suggested
Andy
Maybe that letter or Sans not get
ting it explains the split" suggested tn
, postmaster
what split?" asked
why Sam Joslin was to have mar
ried Annie Springer and had built an
furnished new house. The day o
the wedding Annie didn't appear. San
had taken her away from Bill Ec
wards. a good for nothing fellow, VIII
had been counting her. and Sam. VIII
was an impulsfve man, made up hi
mind that ut the last minute she ha
thrown him over and had concluded
marry Bill. Sam got fit on him ant
shutting up the house, went away an
has never been back here since"
He opened the letter. but the ink ha
. been so blurred that it would have r.
, quired a long time to decipher had
not been very short. 1t read:
Oh. dearest, our wedding must be p'
off! l have just heard that mother
dying, and must go to her at once.
went on peddling tin pans. was
: boards and the like, leaving the pos
master to work out the romance. 81
months later | drove by the house
which had found the letter, and l sa
at once as annroachasSaa x tr1ar 1t WI