Mr. Stirling had been express agent for the B. & M. for eight years,
and was counted a reliable, efficient employee of the company.
For some months, however, his health had not been of the best, and Bart
had been glad when he was impressed into service to relieve his father
when laid up with his occasional foe, the rheumatism, or to watch the
office at mealtimes.
Bart was on duty in this regard at the present time. It was about five
in the afternoon, but it was also the third of July, and that date, like
the twenty-fourth of December, was the busiest in the calendar for the
little express office.
All the afternoon Bart had worked at the desk or helped in getting out
packages and boxes for delivery.
A little handcart was among the office equipment, and very often Bart
did light delivering. On this especial day, however, in addition to the
regular freight, Fourth of July and general picnic and celebration goods
more than trebled the usual volume, and they had hired a local teamster
to assist them.
With the 4:20 train came a new consignment. The back room was now nearly
full of cases of fruit, a grand boxed-up display of fireworks for
Colonel Harrington, the village magnate, another for a local club, some
minor boxes for private family use, and extra orders from the city for
the village storekeepers.
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