Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1871-11-30
AMONG THE MAILS.

was sworn III ana entered up
on the duties Of the office OH the
first of July, IS. Yes, I was
sworn into the Office, and for feal
one oath would not answer the
purpose, / swore in the Office every
day for a year; at the end Of
which time | had become so pro
fame that l swore myself out of
Office without any difficulty.
/ shall never forget the first
days experience. 1t was as hoI
as an attic sleeping room, and the
office about as large.
Mails were in from SlangvilIe
Talk Town, BIow-on Valley, Lip
Greek, Cab Hill, Buzzin Flats
Crackfeld and Shouting Hollow
Mails were in from East, West,
North and South.
Way mails, side mails, catch
mails and through mails all slung
at you like bundles of wheat when
you can't NOW them away as fast
as they are slung. | stood in the
midst of that mountain of mail
matter, SO helpless and dumb
founded. | didn't know what the
matter was. was as limp and
Timber as the limpest bag in the
pile. l actually did not know
myself from the side of sole leath-
er that lay about me.
In ten minutes the mails went
East and West, in fourteen they
went North and South, and al.
ready a half dozen sorrel whis-
kered, raccoon capped stage dri-
vers were shouting, "Mails !"
"hurry, up there" "d-d slow
this morning." and I heard one
shimbly-shambly, grass-fed mule
director say to auother, guess
the new deputy is a better hand
on sorting taters than heis letters"
| know / wasn't much of a
sorter that day, nor much of a
fighter any day, but l did sorter
want to get at that miserable
skinful of revilement, and show
him my proficiency as distributing
clerk, but | was otherwise en-.
gagged.
FranticalIy I seized the mail
key, and the first thing ! at
tempted to do with it was to wind
the Office clock. Finally I sue
cee1ed in getting tue mail bags
opened, and all emptied into q
huge box in the center of the
office.
AS near as | could guess there
must have been about fourteen
bushels of unsorted mail mater.
If it had been about fourteen
bushels of beans to be hand picked,
the task would not have seemed
more formidable.
Slangville letters went to the
right, Talk Town letters went to
the left, Blow-on Valley went over
the right shoulder, Lip Creek
over the left, Crackfeld went di-
rectly ever the head, and Shout
ing Hollow between the legs; the
space directly in front being re.
served for Bottleford.
Twas a little particular at first
not to make any mistakes, but
the grumbling of those waiting
for the letters, and the shouting
of the drivers without warned me
that my time was nearly up. Sc
l Just threy them around like
dealing whist, gave each a proper
ton, reserving the biggest pile for
Bottleford.
Then | stuffed the mail bags,
and jerked them out OF the office
door, and the hurry and impa-
tience of those miserabl edrivers
vanished as soon as they got pos
session of them. One, the noisest
of the lot, the one who made the
undignifed and tatered compari.
son as Sorter, actually hung a.
round for half an hour, staring at
me through the window, and
laughing at my perplexities. He
said be would have me reported
at headquarters.
| made up my mind if / ever
got chance I wonld report at his
headquarters, and hind too, fol-
the matter of that.
The Stage drivers disposed of
a more formidable and more Inn.
possible task presented itself.
Three hundred and fifty letter
boxes to be hurted up, each with
the owners name in fine hand
written on Its upper margin. My
boss, the P. NJ, told me | must
find them out myself, then | would
always remember where they were.
He was q man who bad far more