Connecticut western news., 1872-11-15
The Country POst-OHice.

The country post-office is seldom, perhaps never, a building dedicated to letters, with Uncle Sam's initials on the outward wall.
 The postmaster usually keeps " the store" as well, and regards the other little affair as a means of increasing his business-nOthng more. When any one comes for a letter he will be apt to go away with sugar also. The salary of the position is not worth an of1ice-seeker's struggles, as it is sometimes four. The letters are put away in a desk or box, if the post master is very careful man :; if not, he hunts them up when inquired for.
 The official at my post-office- Frog land Station is currently reported to have replied to Miss Sabina Smith s inquiry for letter, by shouting into the back room:
 "I say, wife, warn't that ere letter Baby was chawin' directed to Miss Sabina Smith ?"
 To which wife replied:
 Yes I'll fetch it. I allow you'll have to dry it, Miss Smith, fore you kin read it. He's chawed the onvolop clar through"
 This, however, is a strong case. Generally, by going for letter to the Frogland Station, one would be apt to get it with the envelope unbroken.
 What a gathering place that post office is? Perched upon the bal rels, or leaning on the counters, one may find all the idlers of the neighborhood; and here, too, about post-hours, young farmers make their appearance, and, while talking of crops, anxiously watch the road down which some young female figure Is pretty soon to come. No doubt many proposal has been made on the way home from the post-office. If not, young, farmers have no idea of what a good chance means. A long quiet road. no mortal in sight trees waving overhead :; a little brook rippling on one hand, on the other side the woods ; the summer afternoon drawing to close all sweet things influencing her budding heart :; and he |" in his store clothes" and a boughten hat," looking so well.
 The question, practically interpreted, would be:
 After few months of courting and kissing, will you wash, and scrub, and milk, and cook for me until you die of it ?"
 But why should the country girl do
 
 8 bright picture, often quite unreal, through the magic circle of the mar riage ring and so does she of course. Perhaps Frogland Station is not the place, but it might have been, where a letter directed to '' Mother" and noth- ing more, lay so long, mystifying the postmaster, until an old woman hob bled in one morning and asked for "la letter from my son, what's at sea,'' when the epistle being handed over, was found to have reached it's destina- tion.
 Squire Schenck claims the big en- velope with " Square skunk" upon it, as a matter of course; and Miss Anna Maria Morton does not feel surprised when an epistle is handed to her with this remarkable word upon it: hMurrian." A letter is letter when it comes to a country post-office, and it is not ex- pected to be clean, or to be directed in any orthodox manner.
 or any of lem if she's away" and ried name," were received without surprise.
 One which bore the superscription, MT. Peter Parkins," remained for a long time unclaimed, until the post master remembered that that was his orn name. He had been called "Uncle Pete" so long, that he had forgotten the fact entirely.
 Yes, this is queer little post-offics- quaint and strange. and simple, and without rules or order but through it many 8 message of joy and sadness had passed-many story of marriage and death. Hearts have beaten wildly on their way to that frame building perched, treeless, on hill; and many a poor, quivering lip had been hardly able to form the words, " None for me yet ?"
 There come the cars, sweeping along the road with a great train of coal wagons, and one little passenger car for Frogland Station. There will be two or three letters handed over to the postmaster at most but these may break hearts, or fill them with untold joy.-Mary Kyle Dallas.