The boys looked up in surprise. The “other matter” was a new one on them.
Garry looked at Denton, and in a rather bewildered tone asked:
“What other matter?”
This time it was Denton’s turn to look surprised.
“Seems to me that is the thing we have to worry about. I don’t know as I ought to say anything more about it to you. ’Course I figure you’re all right, but you should know about that if you’re going to help out on it.”
Garry spent a few moments in argument, and finally convinced Denton that they were all right in this matter, and at last, after giving the subject several moments of thought, he enlightened them.
“Why, I’m referring to the robbery of the mail that goes to the paper mill!”
The trio looked aghast at this piece of news. This was a brand new angle to them, and they pressed the postmaster to give them the details.
“There ain’t much to tell. You probably know there’s a pulp mill up the line aways at Coldenham. The owner is a queer old cuss; Scotch feller name of Ferguson. He’s pretty near the richest man in this neck o’ the woods and peculiar in lots of ways. Has this big pulp mill, but won’t have a business office in Portland or Boston, but does everything from the mill there. Owns the bank in the town, too, so all his money goes through there. Now all mail that goes to Coldenham from round Boston or New York comes through this office. Mostly always it lays over a bit in this office, for the only railroad between here and Coldenham is a short haul road that’s owned by Ferguson; more money for him you see. We get the mail on the regular mail train here and then transfer it and send it along to him. Once in a while his mail comes too late to catch the return trip of his train and then we send it along to him by a flivver. Have a regular rural carrier here that does that extra.
“Well, everything has always gone along all right until a couple of weeks or so ago, the mail was rifled somewhere between its starting point and its destination. ’Course there is no way of telling right now just where this was done, but when the inspector comes we can put a check on it from office to office and see at just what point it was robbed. Most of the stuff has been checks, certified of course, and so it’s done by someone that knows how to cash them after they are taken.