Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1875-08-27

Talk Town letters went to the left, Blow
on-valley went over the right shoulder
Lip Creek over the left, Gap Hill went
directly over head, and Shouting Hollow
between the legs; the space directly in
front being reserved for Bottlcford
| was little particular at first not to
make any mistakes, but the grumbling
of those waiting for their letters, warned
me that my time was up SO just
threw them around like dealing whist,
gave each a fair proportion, reserving
the biggest pile for Bottleford.
Then stuffed the mail bags, and
ierked them out of the office door, and
the hurry and impatience of those misera-
BILE drivers vanished as soon as they got
possession of them. One the noisiest of
the lot, the one who made the undigni-
fed and tatered comparison, as sortcr,
actually hung around for half an hour,
staring in at me through tho window,
and laughing at my pcrplexities. He
said he would have me reported at head
quarters.
made up my mind if ever got n
chance would report at his head
quarters, and hind, too, for that matter.
The stage-drivers disposed of, a more
formidable and more impossible task pre-
scented itself.
Three hundred and fifty letter boxes TO
be hunted up, each with the owners
name in fine handwriting on its upper
margin My boss the p M, told me
| must find them out myself. then |
would always remember where they
were.
He was man who had far more conf
dence in his Judgment than | had in my
memory. lrecollect (and very surprising
it is that do) when | was first put upon
the multiplication table--the solid square
table, as constructed in the days Of Da-
ball and Wilett--I remember, how dim,
how unintelligble its twelve ranks Of
figures looked beginning with and end
ing with IA.
just so that parallelogram of hollow
squares looked at me at that moment. 1t
seemed that each individual owner was
gazing with blood-tbirsty eyes upon his
number, and unless he received u letter
he would go for the deputy. In a fit Of
desperation | seized large package of
letters.
Alonzo Plummer was the first name.
Where was Alonzo Plummor's box? If
the name had been written on it in let
ters as big as horseshoe, | could not
have seen it. | slammed it into the
nearest box.
did SO with all the rest.
Every box had letter as far as they
went, and then | raised the slide. A
rush was made for the opening.
"No. 8, No. II, No. so, No. 60, No.
1872, sir 4; anything for Bilgcr? No.
310, No 1856; anything for Shellgraye ?
anything for Pickletop2 p
And SO it went, every mouth belching
for number or name. | showed out
the letters ndiscriminately and Impair
TALLY, without regard to age, sex, nation
atty, color or previous condition.
Everybody got letters, but not one in
| fifty got their own.
Here, SAM" says one, ''is a letter
Tor you IN my box.
Eyes, and here is one for you in
mine"
"What is this doing in my box n says
another.
"Ah, yes, excuse me, slight mis-
take, belongs to Mr.. Bangs"
Bangs, did you say? ! just asked
and you said there was nothing for
Bangs"
With my pencil I marked on it the
the number of the box from which | had
taken it, and handed it out, remarkng in
tone of injured innocence that "it was
mistake Of the sender and not Of mine.
"What is that nasty Polly Ines letter
dom in my box? 2" screamed rural
swainess on the right Of the attacking
column
"Mstook your name"
Madam thought it was politenoss.
But the greatest pest of all was the
school children. As soon as school was
out there was one wild race for the post
Office They began to inquire as soon as
they came within shouting distance
They would inquire for themselves,
aud then for anybody that lived within
five miles Of them.
Anything for any Of the Murphys 2
yels little freckle-faced, yellow-topped
potato mouth, nationality so strongly de-
veloped that you could smell it"
Anything Cor Jane Murphy n
NO
Anything for Ann Murphy :"
ono"
Anything for Tom Murphy?'
ono"
No, not for Pat Murphy, nor Dennis
Murphy, nor Pete Murphy, nor for any
Murphys, dead, living, unborn, native
or foreign-born, naturalized or otherwise,
male or fcmalc-wby created He them Z?
The Murphy family disposed of, the Fitz-
Gcralds, aud FitzPatricks, and Fitz-
Moloney were thrown at me until
caught them myself | had Fitz chronic
aud | could tell every day when they
were looming GU"
Children came to the Office to inquire
for letters, 50 young that they hadn't
strength to carry home the Weekly
Tribune" and who didn't know the DIFF
ference between letter and door
plate Not weekly, nor semi-weckly,
nor daily, but hourly, as often as they
could think Of it. | have often seen
them hang around the outside waiting
for their hour to come and inquire for
letters.