CHAPTER VII.

"THE TRUTH IN A NUTSHELL."

"This explains why he did not wish to come up to your house with his hoss, squire," said Dan Shag, nodding his head toward the recovered package. "I thought it was best to git here as soon as possible."

The sheriff was examining the package more closely, while Mr. Warfield looked from him to the postboy with a peculiar expression upon his face.

"What does all this mean?" asked Mrs. Lewis, in an anxious voice. "My boy has done nothing wrong; I am sure of that."

"Do not be alarmed, mother," said Little Snap, gently. "Please go into the house, and I will explain it to these men."

"So you confess to the theft?" inquired Mr. Warfield, quickly, without giving Mrs. Lewis time to speak.

"No, sir. In fact, I do not know as there has been any theft."

"Don't get excited, my boy," said Mr. Warfield, in a more kindly tone than he had previously used. "We are all your friends, and are not here to injure you. Mr. Shag came up to tell me about the missing package, and I thought it was best for us to see you before it had been noised all over town. Own up to the truth and we will not be hard with you."

"I am not going to tell you anything but the truth, Mr. Warfield. How that package of mail came in my saddle pocket is more than I can explain. I certainly did not put it there, nor did I know it was there."

"Ask him if he can explain where he has been the past two hours. I came straight up here from th' Tree, an' he was sartinly not on th' road. P'raps he has a cross road by which he carries th' mail. I s'pose thet would give him more chance to look over th' letters; but is thet the way Uncle Sam expects him to carry it?"

"Mr. Warfield," said Little Snap, knowing it was not best for him to speak too freely before the rest, "I would like to see you alone for a few minutes. I think I can explain this matter in a satisfactory manner."

"Don't be afraid to speak right up before these gentlemen," said Mr. Warfield. "They are all my friends, and my friends are yours."

But Little Snap was too crafty to divulge his secret to Dan Shag, whom he did not dare to trust.

"I cannot speak here where I am liable to be heard by some one even you would not care to have hear. If you will come into my house, Mr. Warfield, I will say what I wish you to know."

"Don't ye risk yer life in his hands," said Shag. "He is armed an' a desprit chap."

"Hadn't I better arrest him now, and then give him his chance to talk?" asked the sheriff.

"Arrest my boy?" cried Mrs. Lewis. "You do—you cannot mean it."

"Be calm, mother. You have nothing to fear. They can arrest me if they wish, but I am innocent of any charge they can bring against me. On what complaint did you think you could arrest me, Mr. Brady?"

"I don't believe I would harm him yet, Jim," Mr. Warfield hastened to say. "If you have anything you wish to say to me alone, Dix, I am ready to listen."

"Come into the house, please, Mr. Warfield. I won't detain you very long."

"We'll see he don't git away," said Shag.

Without noticing Dan Shag's speech, Mr. Warfield followed Little Snap into the house in silence.

As soon as they had entered the humble sitting-room, and Mr. Warfield had sunk into the proffered chair, the postboy said to his guest:

"What I am going to tell you, Mr. Warfield, is not so much in my defense as it is to show up a startling discovery I have made. If you will allow me, I will begin with an adventure I had on Eagle's Tracks, and tell you just how I came in late to-night."

"Go ahead, only make your story as short as you can."

Then Little Snap gave a succinct account of all that had befallen him after leaving Uncle Solitaire until he had effected his escape from the cave, often interrupted by his listener with startling exclamations and puzzling questions.

"You are romancing, boy! I cannot realize half you say. Why, from your talk I should say you had unearthed a band of plotters against the government."

"I do not know just what they meant, but I do know they are a gang of evil men, who would hesitate at no means to carry their ends."

"While I am surprised at what you have said, your statements are lacking in the elements that would make them valuable as evidence. You say you did not get the real drift of the talk between the four men, and that you recognized none of them."

"I do not think I ever saw them before, though the voice of one sounded very familiar."

"Will you describe the party?"

Little Snap did so, Mr. Warfield listening intently, to say, at his conclusion:

"I do not believe we should attribute any harmful meaning to what they said. The very fact that they were strangers to both of us, and I know nearly every one in Monroe County, would seem to warrant us in believing so. By the way, do you realize the error you made in neglecting your duty to run after those worthless Raggles—I think that was the name you called those vagabonds?"

"I am aware, sir, it was a mistake. I——"

"Mistake? It was criminal neglect of duty, young man. The rules and regulations laid down by Uncle Sam are very strict. You are to keep all the mail intrusted to your hands in sight at all times, and here you went off for an hour and, according to your own story, left the mail pouch entirely unprotected. Why, that very act was enough to cost you your situation. Remember I am not upbraiding you, but speaking to you as a father would to his son."

"I know I did wrong, Mr. Warfield, but the circumstances were such that I could scarcely do different. Mrs. Raggles——"

"Don't mention their names again. From your own words, the worthless vagabonds could not have been in trouble. It seems they were safe enough when you got clear of your troubles."

"I do not understand it, Mr. Warfield. I have carried the Kanawha mail for two years without failing to do my duty, and I hope you have confidence in me to think I can fulfill my term."

"I did at the outset, or I should never have obtained the place for you. But I must feel that you are attending to your duties. My political prospects are such that I am expecting piles of mail matter, and I want to know that it is coming to me safely. My very election to Congress may depend upon it."

Mr. Warfield had been a seeker after the nomination as member for Congress from that district almost as long as our hero could remember, and he well knew that he was still in the field—"in the hands of his friends," as he expressed it.

"Mr. Warfield," said the postboy, in his quiet, determined way, "I am not going to make any new promise, but I repeat those I have made, and when you have found me faithless to my duty I will willingly make room for Mr. Shag or any other man."

The mention of the name of the postmaster of Hollow Tree made the politician wince.

"Bah! he isn't half so competent to carry the mail as your horse, Jack."

"Still he is making all of this trouble, simply because he is mad with me for getting the route when he wanted it. There you have the truth in a nutshell."