The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-11-09
AMONG THE MAILS.

| AMONG THE MAILS.
A correspondent of the Geneseo
Republican, who has evidently sheen
there" thus graphically describes his
experience rs deputy Postmaster:
/ was sworn in and entered upon
the duties of the Office on the first
day of July, 1S--. Yes, was sworn
into the Office, and for fear one oath
would not answer the purpose l
swore in the Office every day for q
year; ut the end of which time ! had
become so proiane that | swore my
self out of Office without any diff
Guilty.
shall never forget the first days
experience. 1t was as hot as an at
tic sleeping room, and the office was
about as large.
| Mails we're in from SlaDgville,
Talktown, Blowon Valley, Lip Creek,
Cab Hill, Buzzin Flats, Clarified and
Shouting hollow.
Mails in from the East, West,
North aud South,
Way mails, side mails, catch mails,
and through mails all slung to you
like bundles of wheat when you can't
NOW them away half as fast as thcy
are slung. l stood in the midst OF
that mountain of mail matter SO help
less and dumbfounded, | didn't know
| what the matter was. was as weak
| and timber as the llmpsiest bag in
the pile. l actually did not know
| myself from the sides Of sole leather
that lay about me.
In ten minutes the mail went east
and west, in fourteen they went
north and south, and already halt a
dozen sorrel whiskered, raccoon
capped stage drivers were shouting
"mails!' "hurry up there" "d--d
slow this morning" and | heard one
shimply-shambly, grass-fed mule d.
rector say to another, ~ guess the
new deputy is a better hand at sort
ing taters than he is letters"
| knew | want much of sorter
that day nor much of fighter any
day, but did sorter want to get at
that miserable skinfull of revilement,
and show him that my proficiency as
distributing clerk, but was other
wise engaged.
Frantically l seized the mail key,
and the first thing l attempted to do
with it was to wind up the clock
Finally l succeeded in getting the
mail bags open, and all emptied into
huge box in the center OF the of.
fee.
As near as l could guess there
must have been fourteen bushels of
unassorted mail matter.
Ifit had been about fourteen bush
els of beans to be handpioked, the
task would not have seemed more
formidable.
Slangville letters went to the right,
Talktown letters went to the left,
Blowon Valley went over the right
shoulder, Lip Creek went over the
left, Sab Hill went obliquely to the
left, Crackfeld went directly over
the head, and Shouting Hollow be.
tween the legs; the space directly
in front being reserved for Bottle
ford.
l was little particular at first not |
to make any mistakes, but the grum-
bling of those waiting for their let
ters, and the shouting of the drivers |
without warned me that my time |
was nearly up. So | just threw them |
around like dealing whist, gave each
fair proportion, reserving the big
gest pile for Bottleford.
Then stuffed the mail bags, and
jerked them out of the Office door,
and the hurry and inpatience of
those miserable drivers vanished as
soon as they got possession of them.
One, the nolsiest of the lot, the one
who had made the undignified and
tatered comparison as sorter, sctu-
ally hung around for halt an hour
staring at me through the window,
and laughing at my rerplexities. He
said he would have me reported ut
headquarters.
made up my mind If | over got II
chance | would report at his head
quarters, and hind too, for matter
Of that.
The stage drivers disposed OF, a
more formidable and impossible task
presented itself.
Three hundred and fifty lutter
boxes TO be hunted up, each with the
owners name in fine hand, written
ON it's upper margin. My boss, the
p. Nj. said that l must find them out
myself, then / would always remom-
ber where they were.
He was u man who had far more
confidence in his judgment than !
had in my memory, lrecollect (and
worry surprising it is that | do) when
was first put upon the multlplica-
ton table, that solid square table as
constructed in tho days of Daboll and
Willett.
/ rcmonbor how dim, how uncer-
tain, how unintelligent its twelve
ranks OF figures looked, beginning
with and ending with IA.
just SO that paralellogram OF hol-
low squares looked to me ut that mo-
ment.
1t seemed as il each individual
owner was gazing with bloodthirsty
eyes upon his humber and unless he
received letter he would 60 for the
deputy. In a fit of desperation l
seized large package Of letters.
Alonzo Plummer was the first
name. Where was Alonzo Plummer's
box? Ii the name had been written
on it in letters as big as horseshoes, /
could not have seen IL. | slammed
it into the nearest box.
| | did so sith all the rest.
| Every box had letter as far as
they went and then raised tho slide
A rush was made for the opening.
| No. 8, No. II, No. SO, No. so, No
l02, Sir, No. $40, if you please any
thing for Storkes ? anything for Bill
ger ? No. 3l9, No. 175, anything fo
Shellgrave? anything for Plckletop
Il And SO it went, every mouth belch
ing forth a number or q name.
showed out the letters indiscrimin