Smyrna times., 1867-05-15

overhead, possibly calcting if they would
:" hurt much if they fen their crowns; the
iron stove rOars, and lwls, and sputters,
from being frequently sted up with sticks;
little boys come in everyw minutes and look
up into the expressions faces OF the men
sitting idly around-Or len attentively, with
open mouths, to what tb happen to be gos-
siping abOut-and then uneasily out again;
in the solemn pauses tldull and heavy tick
ings of woOden-wheel Connecticut clock,
perched up among the sff jars and preserve
pots, sound like Fate olemnly notching off
Time as it passes; nowld then one of them,
with an acuter sense of iaring Tor longer ears,
perhaps), than the rest.fts his head and an
nounces that the stags cOlning;" and, like
the turning over of yOuland, all present get
up and shake themselvoOut against the arri
val OF the government IsSenger and the fetch
ing in OF the mail bag.
1t makes IA pretty iene. Tenlers might
have added it to his pdoliO. How extreme
y odd it strikes one thking of all the men
In little town groupedrOund hot stove in
a country store, under full headway OfgOssip
about the affairs of 9th people, and, to APP
pearance, as much imposed with the weight
OF their responsibility if the nation itself
rested on their round s)ulders.
Their wives at hon, poor women else
how would the affairs { the house get On?-
They must not go a-galing; but the lords
they may sit about in le pOst-Office TIL they
have to come home fOpatches to their trOw
sers seats; and not ord Of complaint must
be uttered against it
Well, aud the mail-Oach rattles up. If in
the winter, it is after Grk long while; but if
1t be summer weather, the sweet twilight is
Tla IL dnIt
draughts of enjOymenhs one may drink in on
the summer nights at this particular hour
draughts like the cool ir of spice ishnds, that
play about One's temks and daily with his
very heart
The echoes of the Divers voice are to be
heard all over the seeded streets" Get up
along! G'lang" The heavy rafting of the
wheels makes music Sainst the sues OF the
meeting house, and Ills the tow with the
notes Of its warning The postOllce door
opens, and forth Steph boy to take the mail ;
and the pencil Of light from one OF the tallow
dips within projects ikelf far out into the de-
sert of darkness.
The cluttered little office is instantly in a
hubbub. Every eye Is turned on the mailbag
and the postmaster. At this ptrticular mo-
ment the latter is at his zenith. The bystand.
ers watch him as he proceeds to void the re-
SpOnslbe pouch of its precious contents. They
count up every package, parcel, and newspaper
that comes 20 the light, and APPEAR as much
pleased at what they discover as children are
over the miscellaneous contents dtheir Christ
mas stockings. The7 give their minds to the
study Of colOrs, SIZE, thickness, and relative
importance of each Article that exposed.
Many of those nearest the counter, and those
who, by reason of age or propGty-value, fee
privileged in the place, venture on taking
piece or two Of mal-matter into their hands
which they proceed u "heft' ard make shrewC
computations about. Some of the more for
ward lads crowd up lnder the mems elbows
and you can find an odd head here and an ode
body there, and spare leg or arm somewhere
else, which, anatOmi,ally arranged, would fair
ly present you with The manners common t.
country boys i'll the pOst-ofhce at the hOu
when the mail arrives.
In good time the contents Of the bag are as
sorted that is to say, after waiting and loGlt
ing. 1t Eould astonish an old Hollander him
self--whst dreadfully SIOto man the postmas
ter is; the more that is pressing upon him TO
| despatch, the less he is actually able to accom-
| plish. Nothing confuses him, for he will no
permit it. Still the miscellaneous talk abou
! thefoom does bother him, and he now an
|
| Through schOolmaster looks around his littl
rIalm of schOOl-room.
! I When, at length, the critical moment doe
come, he begins without the perceptible flute
of a nerve. Mr.. Atkins!" he calls out in
tone Inappropriate solemnity. The gentlema
by that name makes half bow, as he wOul
say Excuse me for a moment, all hands J!
! slips off his seat on the head of barrel OF III
nesee -four standing in the darkest corner {
the store, and supplicatingly holds out his han
above the counter; or, If he cannot pierce tn
crowd, file of good men and true pass Ov'
| the documents to him from headquarters, ever
one of whom embraces such opportunity
study the pOstmark as closely as the tallOw
flare of the light will allow him.
Mr.. Battles again sings up the official
his desk. Everybody looks around to find NJ
Battles. He is sought after with an anxiol
care as the hundrcdth sheep that went astra.
His acquaintances explore every corner al
Granny, look one side and another of the stow
pipe, and finally respond: 6 He is not here
Then " Mr.. Cannikinl" He comes tOrwa
as far as the jam permits him, and is put
possession of his mail much after the style
Mr.. Atkins Then Miss Fairmade |" /
which some of the young men exchange. Jok
in a low voice, while little boy-who h
been on the lookout for his pretty sister-reac
es out his tawny hand and makes an etfecti
grab for it and carries it off
So on through the list. To those who
without word to their own boxes and bril-
away their mails with tap on the glass, I'll
picture may seem an exaggeratiOn; but ba
in the country, and altogether beyond toy
reach, it will be recognized at glance for Il
J truth. Again and again have we heard o
: name called out in the ears of the town ma
mates, and received what mail matter W
ightfully ours through the hands Of we cOu
: not tell how many accommodating men and boy
mixed together in oficious confusion.
On moOted points Of law-especially cons
r tutional-the country postmaster is strong b
r yond any ones estimate. He has the moth
5 wit to keep a handful of stray old Congressic
: al Reports, bound and lettered on the dus
. shelf at his back-as we'll as more solid Loo
, lug copy of the Statutes, in imposing cal
and, with this legal stock in trade, he s,
the town at defiance. OF course he is not
be contradicted on matters pertaining to t
! nation and it's welfare, for, sustaining close
. lations with the government how is it suppt
t ed that any other man can know some thin
Q as we'll as he? Even Goldsmith's schoolm,
2 ter is no match for him in the line of "arg
| ing still" Fot even a member of the Pre-
1 dents Cabinet can give an opinion with me
, pragmatic decision, or deliver himself wi