The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1874-11-04
DEAD LETTERS.

vacation would commence. Two weeksl
But two weeks were two years of fun,
two centuries of real enjoyment. two
eternities of rest, compared to the con-
stant drag, drag, in that lonely bust
ness which took up all his day hours
in work, and all his night hours in
dreams. Two weeks away from the
constant reading of letters which we're
written for other eyes than his How
he ever got into the Dead Letter Office
he couldn' say, and how he ever staid
there without growing wild to the ex.
tent of pulling out all his hair and
ramming pens into his brown eyes, he
couldn't for the life of him tell He
had staid on two wears, and was much
honored, in a small way, as a skillful
clerk iIf the department. He couldn't
tell why again. In fact, his career
was series of "couldnt- l-whys,"
which, however. were the cogs to the
wheels which kept his life agoing.
Casual Observer might have told why
he was considered one of the best
clerks iu the department, and said
Observer might have remarked that it
was because he There I've got just
so far without using name, and L
hoped I'd get clear through the story
without committing myself; but it's
no use. These pronouns are terribly
exacling things, aud | shall have to
get name fnr the "he" before the
last dash, or | shall he unable to pro.
ceed any further. Well, Tom will do,
won't it? Toms a name, and there are
lots nf Toms in Washington, and sew
al Toms in the Dead Letter Office.
Now, then, we'll take andther start
with Tom and the Observer.
l say that the Observer would have
remarked that it Ego back few lines
for the explanation of the it, was
because Tom had very tender heart
In his possession. A sad .hingto have
tender heart when you're dealing
with persons. they saw. Tom thought it
was sadder when dealing with letters.
He would choke fifty times each day
while reading some earnest, heartfelt
epistle which, despite the love and
fidelity Il mUther's hand had buried in
the lines, had miscarried, nor would
ever reach dear sons eyes. Or per.
haps it was n fathers strong call
strong in tears and strong in love
which would never bring back to the
home-fold straying daughter.
The letters Tom read with a heart
ache, which spread like neural gia, and
somehow flied his whole body with an
untold pain, were by the thousand O
year; but his interest in the sad cases
was never tagging, and he always
made good push to have the letters
which came from loving hands fol
loved ones take one more chance o
reaching their destination. If Tom!
successes had each been block o
granite, the Washington Monumen
woald have been Completed over elev
en months ago. E.H--..
Tom was to have two weeks vaca
ton two weeks, commencing in TIVE
days. He wasn't often idle but thi
morning he held one Of a batch of let
ters-epistolatory corpses-and sa
thinking of any thing but his work
Where should he go in vacation
There was no mother or brother, o
sister waiting for him to come home
There were no kisses Of welcome wait
ing for him among green hills, or b,
pleasant, shining waters. Where SHOULD
he go? Heighol He couldn't make ul
hls mind. With a shake, like ca
awaklng, he came back to his worl
and gazed on the one letter from man,
in pile before him he had semi uucon
sciously taken up. The direction @
the letter was us follows:
Miss Clara f. bennett,
st. Adams,
Vermont.
The post.mark bore the name q
Providence, Rhode Island, and dat
of July 20. On the other side of tn
envelope was pretty monogram q
three letters, F. Ii. w. or W. III. F
or Ii. w. F, or some combination
Tom could decide which. So he oper
the letter and read:
"CLARA,-My heart is nigh break
ing. May | not come back? | wa
wholly wrong; but my love for yo
made me unreasonably exacting an
unwilling to yield. Forgive me, ia
Heavens sake, aud say | may com
to you. will wait for one week nor
in Providence to hear from you. ID
write. FRANK"
No date aud no signature. jus
; like man in love" said Tom. "Th
only thing settled is that the first lei
ter of that monogram is an F., blu
+. That doesn't amount toany thing
l don't know the second letter
r mean which il is" Somehow he wa