The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-03-05
THE MISSING letter
BY LOIS PIKE.


slow old village Of Columbus. The
first thing that happened to rouse the
people was the fact that Miss Ruth
Whites aunt died in her far-Of state
and left her a legacy Of $1,000. Miss
Ruth was the belle Of the village, not
withstanding that her father was
carpenter.
Then it became widely known that
Dave johnson, son Of Squire johnson.
had made new proposals of marriage
tn Miss Ruth-making three in all in
one year.
Then Abner Taylor's widow, who
had been postmistress for several
years, went suddenly blind. She had
the legal right to name an assistant
and she named Miss Ruth White. The
two had been good friends for long
time and the girl took the place of as
sistant that the widow might hold her
place and not come to poverty.
These incidents were gossip for
week or two, and then sleepy old Col
umbus went to sleep again. The fact
livery window gave Dave Johnson Op-
portunities to see her and speak with
her which he had not had before, and
there was scarcely a day in the week
that he was not a caller at the post
Office. His father, a justice of the
peace, received more mail than any
five other persons in the village put
together, and his sons excuse every
time he came in was to get his fathers
mail or mail letters for him.
As for Ruth, the girl had little to
say to him, for she had refused him
absolutely, but as public official she
had to treat him with courtesy. One
day when there was no one in the Of
flee but the two he said to her:
"Miss Ruth, love you and am go
ing to have you for wife. If you
keep on refusing me 1 shall play you
some trick to make you wish you had
accepted me-"
His speech angered the girl, and
she gave him back such hot words
that he skunk away while she was still
talking. He went direct to his IA
TIERS Office and told his parent that
the assistant postmistress had vilified
the whole family. He told lie after lie
to get the old man excited and re
vengeful, and the squire was ready to
enter into any plan.
'"The idea that you are not good
enough for her and her family! he
shouted. "Dave, you have not the best
of regulations; but we must go to
work to take some of the cOnceit out
of that slip of girl. She seems to
think she runs this whole town, but
she won't even run the post Office when
we get through with her."
There was scheming and planning
for the next month. The first thing
to be done, as father and son looked
at it, was to cause the girl to lose her
position-and under a cloud of sus-
.picion at that. But no opening pre-
scented itself for month or two. Dave
kept away from the post Office and
the squire got his mail himself.
One day he entered the Office in his
pompous way and said to Ruth.
81 wish to enter a complaint to the
postal authorities, and it may turn out
to be very serious for you"
every WELL" was the reply. Il will
take your complaint and forward it.
Has there been anything wrong about
your mail?"
Eyes, ma'am, there has. A letter
containing money addressed to me, and
which I believe reached this post Of
fee all right, has not come to me, and
I want to know where the trouble
lies"
In about week the inspector on
that route arrived. He was q young
and good-looking man, and his impress
sion of the assistant postmistress was
very favorable. She had probably
made some mistake in boxing the mail.
The squire was sent for, and the story
told was that man named Hardness,
over at the village of Milford, had
bought horse of him and had paid
all but $40 of the price. He was to
pay that on a certain date. He said
he would send a SO bill over in a let
ter, and he was q man whose word
was as good as his bond. He surely
had mailed the letter and it ought to
have reached the squire next day, but
weeks had elapsed and the letter had
not yet arrived. He was asked by the
inspector if he had telephOned Hark-
ness, and he replied that he had not.
Ruth quietly and calmly protested,
and she could do no more. The. in
spector was about. to 60 across the
street and telephone to Hardness HIM
self when old Uncle Doremus came in
with letter in his hand and ex-
| claimed:
II sam getting to be darned old
fool. l got letter in my box some
days ago and put it in my pocket to
take home. Dog my cats if l didn't
forget all about that letter till just
this morning! 1t wasn't for me any
how 1t was for Squire Johnson here,
and it was put in the wrong box"