The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1942-05-21

cnance. jerry reallzeO LnaC ne
would lose nothing by getting
down at once to brass tacks.
''Why d. you want to know?"
asked Mr.. Weaver. ''He paid his
premiums all right, didn't he?"
''Sure, Your inheritance is safe"
The heir and executor shifted.
IF I can clear two hundred and
fifty by my sacrifice ads I'll be
dom fine. Slim owned the job
bers for near every bit of the
stock on hand"
ooh, you'll be all right. We
just wanted another look at the
letter and make a comparison OF
it with some of Slinn's other
writing"
"Carlin done that"
Carlin might be influenced by
Steinhardt's Notwithstanding:
was. "Well, we wanted to do il
again."
'He give me a ten-spot for the
chance"
Here's another"
Influenced OR not, Carlin hao
reason to endorse that letter as
authentic. A pitiable confession
of despair. Jerry did not pro-
fess to be an expert in these mat
tiers, but he would reluctantly
have had to swear it was written
by the same hand that kept the
doleful books; and this wasn't al
all, he took ostentatious care to
prove, Howard Viewers.
Jerry walked out. Only after
he had reached the sidewalk did
he fling an apparently thought
less question: or two over his
shoulder:
TITS hot evening. Any SWIM
ming in the river here?"
Some"
"Come along?"
AIN got the L1IIle.
Didn't Slim use to do it,"
Him? Never. He was afraid as
death of the river, and I guess
that's how he naturally thought
of it to kill himself in. He could
MT swim a stroke"
Some hours later, Jerry took a
third train. He possessed the valu-
able ability to mock his failures
without shaking his purpose.
Nearly everything substantiated
the original reports, and the only
newly found fact was overbal-
arced by them: Sim couldn't
swim and drowning is an adeal
means for a nonsWimmer's muir
der-but it is equally desirable
in case he wants to commit sui
eide. Then there was that letter
and the lack of any token of
violence. The dead man had in
deed few friends in Albany; he
seemed to have been something
of a rec1use.
But Jerry wouldn't give up.
The bunch held. Besides if he
could prove Lightner and Stein
hardt wrong, they would have to
keep his job for him; whereas,
if he couldn't
Troy and Twombly - B. B.
Twombely? Not yet. Glidden's
thoughts returned to the office
records. "Place Of birth, Doncas-
ter, Pa" He went there. Light
ner's motto: 'Do It Now"
It took the rest of the night,
which was fallowed by a disap-
pointing day. Birth registration
oostdated Joseph Slinn's appear
ance on this planet, and, were
books to be consulted
well, this city boosted thirty
seven churches.
"Slinn's a funny name yet"
said the Pennsylvania Dutch pro-
thonotary's clerk, San" I think I
heard it some'er, but you can see
fer yourself it amt in the city
1irect'ry."
"How about the country around
here?"
"The only sings the phone
book"
And there, at last, was littls
luck. It was one of those telephone
books in which the far rural sub
scribers are listed not under the
different exchanges that serve
them, but under their own names.
Jerry was about to surrended the
when his eye lighted on
this EMERY:
WALKER, Rose Gen'l store,
p.o., Pub. Pay Sta.
(Slinn, Angela), Ironburg =.