Judge Lawrence laughed grimly. "No, I am not forgetting. Your testimony, by itself, wouldn’t be worth anything at all, Owen. Sam Coggswell evidently thought that it would. He must have been afraid of you, or he wouldn’t have gone to such trouble and risk to have you discredited, unless, of course, he did it merely out of revenge; but if he had consulted a lawyer he would have learned that we couldn’t implicate him on your testimony alone."
Seeing the look of disappointment of Sheridan’s face, the lawyer laid his hand upon the young man’s shoulder, and said:
"Never mind, my boy; we’ll get that rascal yet. You can depend upon it that he is mixed up in several corrupt post-office deals, any one of which, if exposed, will land him in jail. And when you’re a post-office inspector, Owen, you’ll have a chance to look thoroughly into some of those deals."
"When I’m a post-office inspector!" repeated Owen, with a laugh. "I’m afraid there won’t be any chance of that happening while Boss Coggswell remains in power. He’ll make it his business to see that I——”
"My friend," interrupted Judge Lawrence dryly, "Sam Coggswell isn’t the only one who has a pull with the post-office department. As it happens, I have a friend at Washington whose word carries quite some weight in postal affairs. Believing that a man of your cleverness would be a valuable acquisition to the secret-service branch of the department, and feeling absolutely confident that you would come out of your trouble all right, I wrote to this friend of mine the other day in your behalf. This morning I received his answer. When you have read it I think you will agree that in spite of Sam Coggswell’s opposition you are going to get the job you want."
He took a letter from his desk, and handed it to Owen. With great astonishment the young man read:
"My Dear Judge: I have your note. Come and take lunch with me next Thursday, and we will talk the matter over. If your young protégé is as bright and honest as you say, I should like to see him made a post-office inspector."
This letter was written on White House stationery, and bore the signature of the President of the United States.
Three months later Letter Carrier Sheridan became Post-office Inspector Sheridan.