Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1863-08-14
rHE wRoNc EErrER.Rox.

THE WRONG LEFFER-BOX.
Amusing incidents often occur by person
mistaking the letter-box of stores ard news
paper Offices in this vicinity for that of th
post-ofice We sometimes find three or fou
letters in our own letter-box intended for th
mails These we of course put on their way
Standing once at our front window, we oh
served young lady, whose face was not visi
ible to us. drop letter into our box, and OF
taking it out we found that she bad mistakei
our establishment sor that of the pest Office
1t was directed to Thomas, in ireland
and the inland postage accompanied it. Tn
letter we caused to be sent with some other
to the post Office, and we gave the circumstanc,
no further thought.
Busted some months afterwards 10 exam
lining the conTents of our exchange papers
and inditing such paragraphs as they sugges
ted TO us, we did not pay much attention tC
gentle tap at the door of our private room
until it was repeated. We then, too anxiou,
TO conclude our labors to open the door to the
applicant bade the one that knocked come in,
and continued our labor without lifting an eyt
toithe door, which was opened quietly, and a.
quietly closed. We were startled at length
with sweetly modulated voice inquiring, Il
there a letter here for me ?"
We at once raised our eyes and saw fe
male about eighten years of age-or, as w
have Of late lost the art of judging closely il
these matters, perhaps twenty 1t did moi
make dimple's difference TO her face, and
would not, if five more years had been added
to them. There was an oval face, with ha-
tures own blush, and slight projection o.
the mouth that told Of ireland, even without
the sof,ened modulation of voice that belongs
10 the women Of that island. Neatness was
all that could be aseribed to her dress-it de-
served that.
Letters are frequently asked for in news
paper Office, in reply to the advertisements
so we bade the young woman go to the
front Office, and enquire of the clerks.
She had been there, and there was no one
but boy, who could not give her the infor-
nation.
So we inquired the name.
kitty Mac Innes; but perhaps, i. will be
Catherine on the letter." said she, "as that is
my name"
We looked on the letter-rack in the front
Office. among the "a Bs.'' the * VS." the
"P. Qs," &c, but saw none for Catherine.
Returning, we inquired to what advertise
men: the letter was to be an answer.
Advertisement to no advertisement-it
would be In answer to my letter."
And from whom did you expect a let
ter ?'
The young woman looked much confused
but apparently considering the question per
tinent, she said, ''From Thomas"
We saw at once that she had as hundreds
before had done, mistaken our Office for the
post office, aud the name was that upon the
letter which we had some months before sent
from our letter box to that of the post Office
"He has not written, then" said Catherine
in a low voice, evidently not intended for our
ear.
"But-he may have written
Then where's the letter ?" said she, looking
up.
"At the post Office, perhaps"
And we took Catherine by the hand and
led her to the door, and pointed out the way
to the post Office.
You will ask at the window" said we
"but as the clerks are young men, you neet
not tell them from whom you expect the let
ter"
Not for the world" said she, looking into
our face with a glance that seemed to say
there was no harm in telling u.s.
We must have used less than our usual pre-
cision in directing Catherine to the post Office
as quite half an hour afterwards, when Wis
iting the place, we saw her at the window, re
ceiviug the change and letter from one oi
the clerks, and the impatience, shall we say
of woman or of love, induced Catherine to
break the seal at the door. A glow of pleas
ure was on the cheek of the happy girl. We
would not have given penny to be informed
that Thomas was well, and was coming in tn,
next packet. We felt anxious to know wheth
er Thomas would come, but the names of suct
persons rarely appear among the passenger
of the Liverpool packet, being generally in
cluded in that comprehensive line, 'and tive
hundred in hesteerage."
So we gave up all hopes of knowing wher
Thomas would arrive, but concluded that we
should see the name with that of Catherine in
the marriage list, to which we had determined
to keep steady look.
1t was but short time afterwards that w
did indeed see the name of Thomas in the pa
pers. He was one of the passengers in tht
ship cast away below New York, of whom
nearly every one persisted. and Thomas among
the rest.
We had never seen Thomas, bnt had some
how cherished such an interest in his fate, tha
we felt severe shock at its annunciation; anC
what must have been the feelings of Catherine
with her ardent sanguine Irish temperament
Loving deeply as she must have loved, and no
ping ardently as she must have hoped, wha
must have been her feelings?
We paused few weeks afterwards to mari
the young grass shooting, green and thick, il
Ronaldson's graveyard and to see the bud
swelling on the branches of the trees that dec
crate that populous city of the dead, when
funeral, numerously attended, wound sowl
round the corner of the street. and passed in
to the enclosure 1t was the funeral of ma
tive of IrelaDd-we knew by the numbers tha
attended-and as the sexton lowered the col
fin down into the narrow honse, the place ap
pointed for all the living, we saw engraved
upon simple plate, CATHT RrNE MACHINES
The story was told. The small sum {
money which Catherine had deposited in til
savings fund, TO give little consequence t
her marriage festival, had been Withdrawn /
give her decent BURIAL United States Gu
zetfe for 1887.
Counting CHICKENS, &c.-The "forly thou
sand prisoners il is proposed to add temDorar r.