The Monmouth inquirer., 1926-05-27
The Mail
Agents Story

! halfway. use the Jerm GfeaC SOuLn-
ern" advisedly, since l have no In
tcntion Of locating my story. and II
you look on your railway maps for the
name OF any OF the towns mentioned
! herein, your quest will. doubtless. be
vain one.
Axtell was the agent, and / acted
under his orders. We ran only on the
night express.
One foggy night. as we Stacked UP
for water at Rowley station. Axtell
said to me:
II shall have to give you the charge
tonight, Gregory. am off to Pelham.
Little engagement. you know"
HE laughed, and SO did l, for his
sweetheart lived at Pelham. and
from the unusual redundancy of AK
tells necktie had little difficulty in
concluding that he was going to visit
Kate Vernon. And as / had my own
dear Helen on board the train then.
travelling to Partridge under my es-
cort, Of course ! had fellow feel
ing with Axtell, and was quite ready
to accommodate him.
1t was just falling dusk, and prom
Used to be dark night. There was
| q cold mist in the air, and an east
wind growled sullenly through the
pine woodlands lying back Of Rowley
station.
81 wish you Joy Of your ride, this
nasty night" said l, as he moved off,
/ and pocketing the key of the mail car.
which he gave me with the. remark:
81 left the car unlocked with Joe
to stand guard. You'd better hurry
| up"
He sprang to the platform, for the
train was already getting under head
way. AS we were moving off. Harker.
the telegrapher at Rowley station,
came hurrying out with slip of paper
in his hand
Hello Gregory" said he, breath
lessly, ''be good enough to give this
to tombstone. Telegram just came
down from Derby Junction. Impor-
tamil"
l caught the last words without see
/ ing the speaker, for we We're leaving
Rowley behind in the gloom.
l thrust the paper into my pocket
and hurled off to relieve Joe, sleepy
headed fellow. who acted as brake
man, stoker, lamp-lighter, porter, or
whatever he might be required for
wanted to put the mail car under
| lock and key the first thing, and l
felt little vexed with Axtell for his
carelessness in leaving it unlocked;
but for that ! could have spent a
coy ten minutes by the side of Helen
before it was time to change the mail
at Burkesville.
1t was not like Axtell to be care
less, but he was so deep in love with
dashing Kate Vernon that at times his
head was not quite level
/ found Joe, as l expected should,
fast asleep, and snoring almost as
loud as the putting of the locomotive.
/ sent him about his business and en-
tered the car to see II all was right.
pulling the door to after me. heard
1t lock as 1t closed, for it had spring
lock-one Of the DEVILS own inven
tons. Never mind, / said to myself
I had the key and was safe enough.
/ opened the bags of papers and
letters, sorted out the parcels for
Burkesville and placed them in their
appropriate bag. We merely left the
mall at Burkesville was thrown off
without stopping generally the train
made no very perceptible siackening
there And as we were little be-
hind time that night, of course there
would be no lessening of the speed,
and IL must be ready to throw of
the bag promptly. I took UP the bag
and applied the key to the door of
the car. Good heavens! 1t was In no
respect like the key which fitted that
complicated lock. looked at it more
carefully and saw thatNt was nothing
but common trunk key. Axtell had
made a fearful mistake
/ was prisoner! and the worst
Of it was. there could be no escape
for me until the train reached Fair
bridge. No one but Axtell ana myself
ever came near the mail car. And
here we were, rushing along at the
rate Of forty miles an hour, with a
noise like the thunder of Niagara, and
felt, without making any attempt
at realizing the fact. that all the voice
In my lungs would never penetrate be-
yond the walls Of that strongly built
car.
Like lightning we whizzed past
Burkesyille. Through the narrow sl4t
which answered for window l saw
the station-master in the attitude of
expectancy gazing after us, but we
were miles away, probably, before the
disappointed man got his mouth
closed from the cape OF anticipation
with which he regarded the train.
/ was angry. and must confess that
swore little, though as there was
no one present to hear me, 1t did not