"I don't know just what it is, Dix; but mother has been crying all the afternoon. She got a letter somehow, saying that you had been killed, and that if she and father valued their lives, to move out of Six Roads before to-morrow morning. Then, when you did not come, she was sure you had been killed, and she is nearly crazy." "Well, it is not as bad as she thought, for you see I am as well as ever. Now let us hasten home as fast as we can, so as to relieve her suspense." Sammy having fully recovered his usual self by this time, he remounted Fairy, and, side by side, the brothers galloped on toward Daring's Diamond. It had been Little Snap's idea to have his brother ride on, to get home as soon as possible, while he stopped to have the mail sorted. "Tell mother I am all right, and that I will be along as soon as possible. Let Fairy go at her best." With Sammy's good-night ringing in his ears, Little Snap dashed up in front of the post office, where he was met by an excited crowd. The postmaster was just locking the door of his store, in which he kept the post office. "Here he comes, as true as you live!" said the well-known voice of Morton Meiggs. "You have done your worst to-night, it seems, Mr. Lewis," he added, turning to the postboy. "The mail, Mr. Anderson," said Little Snap, paying no heed to the words of Meiggs. "The hour is past for me to keep the office open," replied that official, "and I refuse to accept the mail pouch unless you can show proper reason for coming in at this late hour." "That's it, Anderson; stand up for your rights," interposed Meiggs. "We will soon know how long we have got to put up with this treatment. I expected letters to-night, which it is dollars' damage to me not to get before this time. But, as I said, we shall soon know how much longer Uncle Sam is going to permit this way of doing business." Little Snap waited until Meiggs had finished speaking, when he said to the postmaster: "Mr. Anderson, if you have heard of the terrible disaster in Tripping Waters Valley to-day, you know I have sufficient reason for coming in late. If you have not heard of it, you will in due season. Will you take the mail or not?" "Bring it in," was the curt reply. "It does not belong to me to do that. I have brought it as far as the law requires me to. I will wait here the allotted seven minutes; if at the end of that time you have not sorted the mail, I shall go on to the next office." "Bully for you, Little Snap!" cried some one from the crowd. Without speaking, the postmaster stepped down from the step and took the pouch, to carry it into the office. A part of the crowd followed him into the building, Meiggs among the rest. Little Snap was beginning to get impatient over the long time the postmaster was taking in sorting the mail, when the latter appeared at the door.