Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1867-01-25
The TRAVELLING Post-OHce.

We" ~ '''tii &c Fiut'Nbtuf N'NS
as clerk in Travelling Post Office run
ming along the line of railway from Lon.
don to a town in the Midland Counties,
which we will call Fazclcy. My duties
were to accompany the mai-traill, which
left Fazeley at 3 10 p. NJ, and arrived in
London about midnight, and to return by
the day mail leaving London at 10: 30 the
following morning ; after which had an
unbroken night at Fazeley, while another
clerk discharged the same round of work !;
and i'll this way each alternate evening
was on duty III the railway post office van.
AT first | suffered IA little from IL hurry and
tremor of nerve i'll pursuing my occupa-
ton while the train was crashing alon, un-
der bridges and through tunnels at a speed
which was then though marvellous and
perllous but 1t was not long before my
hands and eyes became accustomed to the
motion OF the carriage, and | could 20
through my business with the same des.
patch and ease us in the post Office of the
country town where | had learned it, and
from which had been promoted by the
influence OF the surveyor of the district,
Mr.. Huntingdon. In fact, the work soon
Tell INTO nlonotonous routine, which
~ NJ oi'Ni II -ii'' vas PuiSutu III dil ull-
broken course by myself and the Junior
clerk. who was my only assistant the
railway postoilicc work not having then
attained the Importance and magnitude it
now possesses.
Our route lay through an agricultural
district containing many small towns,
which made two OF three bags only; one
for London another perhaps for the eoun-
ty town a third for the railway post office,
to be opened by us, and the enclosures to
be distributed according to their various
addresses. The clerks in many of these
small Offices were women, as is very gcn-
orally the case still. being the daughters
and female relatives of the nominal post
master who transact most Of the business
OF the Office, and whose names are most
frequently signed upon The bills accom-
panying the bags. | was a Young man,
and somewhat more curious III feminine
Handwriting than am now. There was
one family III particular, whom had ncv-
cr seen, but with whose signatures was
perfectly iamliar,-cledr delicate, and
| educated. very unlike the miserable scrawl
upon other letter bills. One New Year :
eve, in IL moment OF sentiment, tied IA
slip Of paper among a bundle Of letters for
| their office, upon which had written, "a
Happy New Year to YOU all" The next
evening brought me a return of my good
wishes, signed, as guessed, by three SIS
ters OF the name of Clifton. From that
day, every now and then, a sentence or
two as brief as the one above passed be
tween us, and the fcelin. of acquaintance
and friendship grew upon me. though /
had never yet had an opportunity of see
inT Wa Watt tai65 HpHas9NG ttfBjssgG ttfBjsgG1 81 the following
October that it came under my notice that
the then Premier Of the minister was pay
ing an autumn visit to Il l0blelan, whose
country seat was situated near IL small vii
lage on our line of rail. The Premier's
despatch box. containing, Of course all
the dispatches which it WAS necessary to
send down to him, passed between him
and the Secretary OF state. and was, Us
usual, intruStcd to the care OF til e post
office. The Continent was jlSt then in
more than ordinarily critical state; We
were thought to be upon the verge of am
European war and there were murnur;
floating about, at the dispersion Of the
ministry, up and down the counsry. Thtsc
circumstances made the charge of the dc5-
patch box the more interesting to me. 1t
was very similar i'll size and shape 10 the
old fashioned work boxes Of polished and
ornamental wood came into vogue. and,
like them, it was covered with red lnoroc
90 leather; and ii fastened with a lock and
KEY. The first time it came into my hands
took such Il special notice of it rs might
be expected. Upon one OF the lids de-
,,,.uliur Il ,lT
ly upon it most probably with the sharp
point of a steel pen, in such a moment OF
prcuccupation Of mind as causes most OF
us to draw odd lin ; and caricaturel faces
upon any piece Of paper which may lie
unter our hand. Ii was the old rcyolu-
tionary device Of IL heart with dagger
piercing it and wondered whether it
could be the Premier, OF one of his sccre-
tarcs, who had traced it upon the morocco.
This box had been travelling up and
down for about ten days, and. a. lhc vii.
lage did not make up IA bag for London,
there being yer! few letters excepting those
from the great house, the lctter-bas irom
the house, aud the dcSpatch-bnX. were
handed direct into our travelling post-of-
Zee. But, in compliment TO lie presence
of the Premier in the ncighborAood, the
train, instead oil Slackcnimg speed only
stopped altogether, i'll order that the Pre-
nier's trusty and confidential messenger
might deliver the important box into my
own hands, that its perfect safety might
he insured. had AN undeiined suspicion
that some nerSan 1as employed to accom-
panv the train up to London, for three or
four times had met with foreign look
ing gentleman at Euston-sqnarc, standing
a the door OF the carriage nearest the post
office van, and eyeing the heavy bags as
they were transferred from my care to The
custody of The officials from The General
Pust-oiHcc. although felt amused and
somewhat nettled at this needless prccau-
ti9n, | took no further notice ui the man,
cycrpt to observe that he had the sWarthy
aspect of a foreigner, and that he kept his
face we'll away from the light of the lamps,
EXCEPT for these things, aud after tie first
time or two. the Iremiers despatch box
interested me no more than any o.herpart
of my charge. My work had been doubly
monotonouS for some time past and be
gan to think it time to get up some little
entertainment with my unknown friends,
the ClttonS. | was just thinking of it as
the train stopped at the station about a
mile from the town where they lived and
tlcir postman, Il grulf. matter-of- fact fell
low,-yoa could see it in every line of his
face,-put in the lettcr-bags, and with
them letter addressed to me. 1t was in
Service, and the seal was an oilieiul seal
On the folded paper inside it Coded Off
cjally also( read the following order =
N