Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1915-02-11

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At three o'clock OF q mild October
morning two dusty, brown objects
one large and one small. were cast
from the Harrisburg Limited nc Co.
lumbia Crossroads. The limited was
making O good twenty miles an hour,
and both packages bounced violently
and then sagged together into a small
heap on the station platform. Each
suffered from the impact. A thin
trickIe OF blood oozed from the larger
object, which was Sc. Louis Pete;
while tho smaller one, which was q
United States maiLpouch, sustained d
rent IN its side and most of It's con,
tenta were scattered under an ada,
cent baggage-trnck.
Az q quarter past three Pete aat up
and gingeriy felt the end OF his nose
with hia flngertips. B..
'fYouse kin MAIN me-" ne muir
INJURED, but youse cant kin met"
Then. with groan, he rose TO his
feet and tentatively shook out his
legs.
NO bones cracked" he said, "and
holy cripes. wot'a dis7"
He stopped and grabbed the torn
pouch, whereat two letters and pos.
tai card tnmhled upon the platform
These he gathered up, together with
tho three envelopes beneath the
truck. and thrust them into the bosom
~ bis ragged ahirf.
eDey sure gifts q heavy mail ia dis
hnrgi" he continued. aud skunk down
the track TO where q awitch-Iamp
CLEANED ON the freightalding.
There he crouched beside the Tight
and carefully drew the letters from
his shirt. The first two bore the I'm.
print OF o niailorier house, and these
he laid To one side. An oath OF pleas.
urable surprise marked the opening
OF the third. Tor d crisp dollar bin no.
poeed inside. He pulled out the green.
back. together with &C. accompany.
ing message. and spread the letter ON
his knee, II was headed Denmark
Center. ans read =
Dear Sir:
am sending you dollar this week
not two because my wife ID sick and
II ain't got the two This makes q
balances Of ave dollars On the third
note. and three dolls. interest what wa
agreed On, Respectful.
ANsoN HuRRITT.
Pete picked up tho envelope. II
wns addressed Co @Hiram Towners,
Columbia X-Roads.~
The next missive was q postal card
directed to Misa Ethel Towners, end
reading no follows; .
Cyprus. "a.
Dear Niece: q,
Expect your amt and rna home on
Saturday. must tell you that our
cousin, Charles ParahaIi. who you
have never seen, In visiting Eaat from
Oklahoma. and VIII probably stop of
20 the N.Roads on No. tomorrow.
Friday. He IL q BIT hearty and rough
In HIS manner. but give him the spare
room and get Eleega wouters To sleep
with you. He win wait TN we como.
Your uncle. D..
HIRAM TowNERs.
Pete next examined the remaining
envelope. and the rhuckle with which
he recognized the name or Hiram
Towners merged into q grunt Of dis
appointment when he found no money
enclosed. Again he applied himself
10 the deciphering of the script
which. for Pete. was task OF no
mean proportion. He made Il out
thus:
Dear Cousin Hirans .-.
When | seen you In Cyprus yester.
day | thought as how would pass
through Columbia Crossroads ON Fri.
day. Well. Hiram. can't do II, but
must be In ". Y. City On Friday. 80
I write 10 tell you that can't. I am
sorry about II. but viii write you be.
fore leave for Okla.
am your cousin.
CHARLES PARsHALIA
Pete looked up into the sky. where
q fat October moon was paiing 60 the
dawn.
4 am your cousin. Charles Par.
shall. no quoted. "Dore amt narten
de matter with dat idea. neider!"
Sounds OF tuneless whistling came
down the road which skiriad the
track, and Pete gathered up his mum
der. He lirnped hastily toward the
station platform and replaced the two
niail-order letters and the postal card
addressed 10 Miss Ethel Towners In
the torn sack. Then no dodged be-
hind the small shanty that served A
waiting room and ticketofles,
The tuneless whistle drew nearer,
and &C length embodied itself IN the
person or Henry wouters, the post.
master Of Columbia Crossroads.
Busted aginis said Henry In mat.
tsrof-faet tones. as he picked MP the
pouch.
VfM ~ft.a 4AM kss<s. fa9Rnww a~A an :.