Bank Letter lost--The Thief decoyed--Post-Office at Midnight--Climbing the Ladder--An exciting Moment--Queer Place of Deposit--A Post Master in Prison--Afflicted Friends--Sighs and Saws--The Culprit's Escape--How it was done--A cool Letter--A Wife's Offering--Moral Gymnastics--Show of Honesty--Unwelcome Suggestion--"A hard road to travel"--Headed by a Parson--Lost Time made up--A Male overhauled 229 CHAPTER XVIII. FRAUDS CARRIED ON THROUGH THE MAILS. Sad Perversion of Talent--Increase of Roguery--Professional Men suffer--Young America _at_ the "Bar"--Papers from Liverpool--The Trick successful--A legal Document--Owning up--A careless Magistrate--Letters from the Un-duped--Victimizing the Clergy--A lithograph Letter--Metropolitan Sermons--An up-town Church--A Book of Travels--Natural Reflections--Wholesome Advice--The Seed Mania--_Strong_ Inducements--Barnes' Notes--"First rate Notice"--Farmer Johnson--Wethersfield outdone--Joab missing--"Gift Enterprise"--List of Prizes--The Trap well baited--Evading the Police--The _Scrub_ Race 242 CHAPTER XIX. POST-OFFICE SITES. Embarrassing duty--An exciting Question--A "Hard Case"--Decease of a Post Master--The Office discontinued--The other side--Call at the White House--The Reference--Agent's Arrival--Molasses Incident--An honest Child--Slicking up--The Academy--Stuck fast--The Shoe Factory--A shrewd Citizen--The Saw Mill--A Tenantless Building--Viewing the "Sites"--Obliging Post Master--The defunct Bank--A Funeral Scene--The Agent discovered--Exciting Meeting--"Restoration Hall"--Eloquent Appeals--A Fire Brand--Committee on Statistics--Generous Volunteers--Being "put down"--Good-nature restored--The Bill "settled"--A Stage Ride--Having the last Word 264 CHAPTER XX. HARROWFORK POST-OFFICE. A gloomy Picture--Beautiful Village--Litigation in Harrowfork--A model Post Master--The Excitement--Petitioning the Department--Conflicting Statements--The decisive Blow--The new Post Master--The "Reliable Man"--Indignant Community--Refusal to serve--An Editor's Candidate--The Temperance Question--Newspaper Extracts--A Mongrel Quotation--A Lull--A "Spy in Washington"--Bad Water--New Congressmen--The Question revived--Delegate to Washington--Obliging Down Easter--The lost Letters--Visit to the Department--Astounding Discovery--Amusing Scene--A Congressman in a "Fix"--The Difficulty "arranged" 289 CHAPTER XXI. UNJUST COMPLAINTS. Infallibility not claimed--"Scape-Goats"--The Man of Business Habits--Home Scrutiny--A Lady in Trouble--A bold Charge--A wronged Husband--Precipitate Retreat--Complaints of a Lawyer--Careless Swearing--Wrong Address--No Retraction--A careless Broker--The Charge repulsed--The Apology--Mistake repeated--The Affair explained--A comprehensive Toast 323 CHAPTER XXII.