The Post Office Detective OR, A Mystery of the Mail.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVIII, Issue 43, 22 February 1897, Page 3

The Post Office Detective OR, A Mystery of the Mail.

BY QEORGE W. , GOODE.

Author of ' Donald Darke, bbo Baltimore

Detective,' etc.

CHAPTER XVI

BACK FROM THE DEAXV

That bhe cobtage of the Burnharas was their objective point was evident, for the officers of the law, followed by a number of men in citizen's drees, marched directly up to the door and halted. All of its inmates stood in the doorway, Mr and Mrs Buroham, Arnold, and our heroine. The faces of all were pale, for this was an unexpected development. Ib could be easily ascribed bo the villains Eckhardt and Forbes, for they sbood in the background, with expressions of triumph upon their evil visages.- They bulioved thab they were upon the eve of a victory in their designs, which in part was true. Eckhardt advanced as the officers reached bhe door, and said to one who appeared Co be bhe chief: •This is bhe house.' The officer bowed, and approaching Mrs Burnham, dofied his hat, and eaid in. ppljbe bub firm tones : 'If you please, Mrs Burnham, I have a warrant to search your house.' Arnold's mother was nob a vixen, else Bhe mighb have resented to some exbonb this apparent importunity, co she merely bowed, and made reply in her usual mild manner : • Why do you with to search the house? Is bhere any suspicion of ' 'Yes,' interrupted the officer; 'and I hope and really believe, Mrs Burnham, thab it is a groundless one.' The officer knew thab the family had evar enjoyed an honourable reputation, and was indeed inclined to believe thab he was upon a groundless errand ; but he was in the performance of his duty, and of course was obliged bo go ahead. ' Very well,' said the lady, moving aside that the officor might pass. 'It is your duty ; therefore it would not be right for me to object.' Bub Arnold was nob satisfied wibh the face thab affairs bad assumed, and now stepped forward aud spoke : • Sir, you are an officor of the law. You have, as you say, a search-warrant to search this house. What does ib call for ? 1 have aright to know.' The officer looked ab our hero for a momeub, and then hie counbenance underwent) a change. He stepped back quickly and made a motion bo one of his subordinates, who advanced and laid a hand upon _.rnold'e shoulder. * You are the one thab is called for,' he said ; * and I must beg leave to hold you in custody until I have searched the house. After which, if all is found right, you Bhall bo net free.' Had a thunderbolt fallen at his feeb Arnold Burnham could nob have been more surprised, 4 What do you mean V he demanded, for a moment tempted to offer resistance. 'Why do you arrest me again 1 lam now under bonds for a crime of which I am nob guilty.' ' Very true,' said bhe officer, firmly. * Still, I must ask you to offer no resistance until we have searched your house. After which, if wo do nob iind what wo have a suspicion is concealed here, you shall be set at liberty.' Tbe decree was irrevocable. Ib was useless aa well as foolhardy to abbempb resistance of the law, and chough it was a most humiliating situation, Arnold set his teebh and bore it bravely. But ib puzzled him nob a little to know what the officer's motive was iv searching the cottage, unless ib was bo lay bands on Kate McFarlood at the instance of tha man who ciaimod to be her father. But of a sudden, while pondering over the mystery, he raised his eyes casually and caught the basilisk gleam of Ernest Echhardt's serpent orbs. Vv'hab ensued in the next half hour seemed in after years to our hero like a vague dream, and ho could never look back upon ib without a shiver. The cottage was thoroughly ransacked by tho officers, those who had come with them looking on agog wibh expectation and excitemenb. But the efforts of the searchers seemed to meet wibti but scant reward until they came to explore a small sorb of shed connected with tha cottage by a narrow alley. And here one of the officers pulled forth from beneath a pile of wood an object which caused all a fearful start, and a loud murmur arose as it was brought to bhe light. . It was a leathern lag—infact, tne identical mail-bar) which had been missed from the __" post office ! Tbe mysterious robbery of the mail saemod to have been brought to light ab last, and oil eyes were turned queotioningly upon the unfortunate youth, at whom now the finger of most convincing evidence pointed accusingly. Like a statue our hero stood, wibh both eyes dilated and riveted upon the bag, aa though ib were an object of horrible monstrosity. For a momenb he loab his speech, so sudden and fearfully overwhelming was this unlooked-for development. ' Then he looked about him, and his eyes were fearfully glaring in their expresnion, and the first they encountered was bhe face of Ernest .Eckhardt, whose features were contorted with an expression of devilish exultation. For a moment their eyes met, bub the gaze of the villain quailed before the other. Then a feminine shriek arose upon the air, and Mrs Burnham was carried oub in a fainb. With a sudden impulse, Arnold turned as though to go to her side, but the stiung arms of thtf officers held him back, A fearful wave of wretchedness and despair swept over our hero, his knees tottered, and he seemed aboufi bo fall. The humiliation and disgrace, the fearful black blob casb upon his character, was whab broubled hixn the most, bub at the last moment, engendered by a knowledge of hi» innocence, fchere returned to him a calmness and fortitude which was wonderful at such a fcryiug mumont. * Oh. Heaven 1' ha moaned. 'It ia horrjble! How came that fatal hag there?'

Then, turning to the officers . ' Believe me, before Heaven and man, I am not guilty 1 Somebody, some enuny— a fiend in di»£'.o.ise—placed that bag there.' ' That is not probable,' said the officer, in a tone which showed thab he fully believed the unfortunate clerk guilty. •It is also a pretty conclusive piece of evidence. Enough to warrant ua holding you under arrost, 1 am very-sorry to say.'

'I am not guiliy.

I swear it.'

' I cannot help pfrab. My duty tells me to hold you under a most, and I shall bo compelled to do ib. YiW will have a bria', and perhaps something may turn up byfore then to prove your innocei cc.'

This lo."t intended solace didnot comfort our hero much, however, and his f_elin„a were of thab na'utu which maybe hotter imagined than describe^.

And, as to cap the climax of our friend's misfortunes all around, Rockwell Forbes, who had unbil now hetd tho parfc of a disinterested spectator, npw advanced and spoke. 'I have also on occupation to make against thia man,' he said; ' and i. is also

a serious one—thab of bhe forcible abduction of my daughter.' ' What have you to say to this f queried fehe officer.

•' It is false,' cried Arnold, with blazing orbs. • I rescued yonder helpless girl from the power of those two villains last night, and this is all a diabolical scheme of theirs to overthrow me. Do nob leb them have the girl.'

' No, do nob leb bbem have me 5' pleaded our heroine, clinging bo Arnold's aged father.

'Are you bhe child's father?' queried the officer, turning to Forbes.. 'I am,' replied tbe villain, wibh wonderful ell'rooterv.

' That is sufficient, bben,' said the officer. • I have no authority which will enperaede thab of a father over bis child. Come, cloar the way, all I I have performed my errand, and thab. is all I am called upon to do,'

• Bub,' remonstrated our hero, *I tell you those two men are villains, Th9y abducted the girl from her friends in New York, and—'

' Enough,' said the officer, curbly. •We will hold no further parley over tho sub ject.' And thus, by bhe Bbrange workings of a fate which seemed to persistently follow him, our hero's plans were overthrown, and the enemy for the moment gained tbe vantage.

And, when ho slept thab nighb for tbe first bime in bis life behind prison bars, it seemed to him in his wretchedness tbab all the light and pleasure of bis life bad gone onb ; the future seemed strangely dark and drear, and shorn of all bbab was bright) a«d cheerful.

Ib seemed as though tbe very worst of all misfortunes bad befallen him, for disgrace and ignominy were by far worse to him than death.

Bub ab bhe eleventh hour, when upon the very verge of maddening despair, there came a sudden ray of lighb to pierce bbc gloom which seemed bo enshroud bis future career.

The well-remembered saying of hiß affectionate, aged mother, *God will nob forsake bhe righteous,' became verified in a manner totally unexpected bo bhe miaerabla youth.

Of a sudden, while sitting upon the edge of his prison couch with both hands bo bis throbbing temples, the cell door swung open, and there entered a man of medium height, clad in dark clothes, and with a curling, brown moustache juab visible beneath the slouch brim of his hat. In surprise our hero regarded him for a moment. He was a total stranger bo him, bub the visitor advancing, bowed politely and eaid ':

• Is this Mr Burnham ?'

Our hero nodded wonderingly in fcbe affirmative, when bhe stranger advanced nearer, and, throwing back the lapel of his coat, displayed a bright star upon bis breast. It was Belmont Brown, the postoffice detective, back from the dead.

{To be continued.)