t so!" said Philo Gubb. "You'd sort of expect it to get mouldy,
but you wouldn't call it threatening at the first look."

"No," said Miss Petunia. "And then I got this letter Number Two."

She handed the second letter to Mr. Gubb. It ran thus:--

P. SCROGGS:--

A complete study of the history and antiquities of Diocese
of Ossory fails to reveal the presence of a single
individual bearing the name of Scroggs from the year 1085 to
date.

Like the first letter this was signed with a waved line. Mr. Gubb
studied it carefully.

"I don't see no sign of a threat in that," he said.

"Not unless you should say it was belittling me to tell me to my face
that no Scroggs ever lived wherever that says they didn't live," said
Miss Petunia. "Now, here's the next letter."

Mr. Gubb read it. It ran thus:--

MISS PETUNIA:--

For to-morrow: Rising temperature accompanied by falling
barometer, followed by heavy showers. Lower temperature will
follow in the North Central States and Northern Missouri.

"I shouldn't call that exactly scurrilous, neither," said Mr. Gubb.

"It ain't," said Miss Petunia, "and unless you can call a mention of
threatening weather a threat, I wouldn't call it a threatening letter.
And then I got this letter."

She handed Mr. Gubb the fourth letter, and he read it. It ran:--

PETUNIA SCROGGS:--

Trout are rising freely in the Maine waters. The Parmacheene
Belle is one of the best flies to use.

Mr. Gubb, having read this letter, shook his head and placed the
letter on top of those he had previously read. It was signed with the
wiggle like the others.

"Speaking as a deteckative," he said, "I don't see anything into these
letters yet that would fetch the writer into the grasp of the law. Are
they all like this?"

"If you mean do they say they are going to murder me, or do they call
me names," said Miss Scroggs, "they don't. Here, take them!"

Mr. Gubb took the remaining letters and read them. There were about a
dozen of them. While peculiar epistles to write to a maiden lady of
forty-five years, they were not what one might call violent. They
were, in part, as follows:--

PETUNIA:--

Although a cat with a fit is a lively object, it has seldom
been known to attack human beings. Cause of fits--too rich
food. Cure of fits--less rich food.

MISS SCROGGS:--

If soil is inclined to be sour, a liberal spr