Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-09-14

@C@O1
in foreclosure proceedings within a
year, and little had been seen of Al
len in Stockton since then. | knew,
however. that he had once been very
attentive to Annie Davenport, but had
been supplanted in her affections, if,
indeed, he ever had a share in them,
by a much better man, to whom she
was now said by the gossips to be en-
gagged. This was Stuart Farnsworth,
son of our postmaster and himself a
new hedged lawyer not without clients.
ION the night of the robbery" said
the detective, ALLEN vas seen and pos
itively recognized within fifty yards of
the p~ostolfice just after the safe was
blown, and he vas running away.
That's how sure we are of him. The
man who saw him had sense enough to
keep dark about it except to the post
office authorities. He didn't even tell
the police, for which we're much
obliged"
1t was a fact that Aliens name had
not been whispered in connection with
the affair.
"Now, here's a curious circum-
stance continued Baxter. 1.-The other
robber was seen, too, but not recog-
nized. He may have been disguised or
he may be a stranger. At any rate we
have his description, and we know
that he carried a large black hasdbag.
That bag doubtless contained 5000
and more of Uncle Sans money. He
had sense enough not to run, and Billy
Stern, the letter carrier, who was the
man that saw him, had no idea that
there was anything wrong with the fell
low until after he heard that Allen had
been seen running in the other direc-
ton empty handed. Then the meaning
of the man with the big bag flashed
upon Stern's mind, and he told me"
"Does the description fit anybody
h~ereabouts?' asked Graham.
Except for a beard, which might
have been false, of course" said Bax-
ter, 'it would fit Stuart Farnsworth,
the postmaster's son, fairly well. And
there's a point: Young Farnsworth
might have known of the unusual sum
of money in the postoifice safe. But ne
seems to have a fair alibi. He was
calling that evening or a young lady
named Annie Davenport
1T lies i'll my mind that the robbery
was past L." said Graham, "and the
young man would not be staying at
Miss Davenport's so late"
I'VE learn that he l~efeabout H. re-
sponded Baxter, but the thieves were
at work in the postoffice by 10 at the
latest. 1t was better than a two hours
Job on that safe. And now, MI. era
ham," he continued, will you help me
read this letter? 1t is in cipher, and
we can't make anything of 1t. we
have reason to assume that Allen has
sent several to Miss Davenport since
the robbery, and we think that we are
Justified in trying to get at the bottom
of this puzzle. The young lady may be
entirely innocent, Of course. It's prob
able that she knows nothing of Aliens
connection with the robbery or hat he
ia suspected. There's doubtless some
trick by which, she is made to hand on
these letters to the right party"
I'D say the same to her If l was
you," said Graham. "Then you'll be III
the way of learning the insides of all
this"
Baxter baked at this suggestion, but
we succeeded in p%ersuading him, and
he set out for the house where Miss
Davenport lived with her widowed
mother. l gave him a note OF intro
duction to the young lady and some
rather severe admonitions as to his be-
havior, for l could see that he vaguely
suspected her of some (perhaps uncon-
scious) completely in this affair. He
was gone about two hours n return
ed both pleased and puzzled.
"This is a queer business" said he.
"I1l be hanged if l understand it. But
here's the story A few days after the
robbery Miss Davenport got a note
a faxed up story about being bothered
by his debts and the noble resolve that
he had made to pay them all. 1t was
necessary. he wrote, that he should
communicate secretly with a friend in
this town. Would Miss Davenport re
ceiye the letters and simply hold them
until the friend should come and claim
them? She need not answer; he would
take 1t for granted that she would do
this small service for one whom she
had once been gracious enough to
count among her friends. Since then
she has received. five letters and has
held them unopened on the theory that
they were not for her. The friend has
not appeared. l made her understand
mighty clearly that this vas a part of
the postbffice robbery. and naturally
she didn't like the idea. Here are the
letters and her written permission for
Mr.. Graham to read them if he can"
"Give me the one that your gillie
found on the street. said Graham.
And Baxter laid it before him. 1t was