The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-03-02
A RED-SEALED LETTER.

J0nn EalrJOnn, bne IOSLmaSter, lat
opened the bag and counted the letters
4 There were, as he maue it out, just ten
and one was larger than the others, an,
had a red seal; and then he found tina
he had left his glasses on the newspape
in the back room, and without his giasse
he could not read q line; and so, O
course, he had gone after them, returnin,
to find two persons i'll the store-Farme
Roper and Squire McKibben, whose an
cestors had uiven name to the place.
>"Wet, amt it" said Mr.. Fairjohn, nod
ding.
"Wet or not, cur folks ain't going t,
; do without their groceries, you see," sai(
the squire. sMaips in, l see. That trail
came near running into my truck, too
Wasn't noticing the flag, and drove
across just in time to save myself. An.
letters for meW
"Pll see," said Mr.. Fairjohn.
He turned to The little pile of envelopes
and told them over in his hand like 9
pack OF cards.
"Why, there's only nine," be said
"Pm sure | counted right. | counted
ten, and thought one had a red seal.
might as well give up keeping the office
ii Pm going to lose my senses like that
| There wasn't any one in here while was
gone, was there, Squirew
"Only Roper and l." said the Squire,
'sand Roper's son. But he didn't come
in, did he"
aNo," said old Roper. 81 don't think
that Job came in at all. He just went
off somewhere"
| "Well," said the Postmaster, after an
other search, "well, must be mistaken.
| les, there is letter Tor you-your folks,
anyway-and something for you. Mr..
Roper. And | suppose you wouldn't
mind Nossing that in at the Smiths as
you passN
.sOh, no." said Farmer Roper. "Giye
it to me. That's from Smith that's clerk
ing it in New York, 1 reckon. Can't get
any OF 'em to stay and farm"
"YOur son Job did," said the Squire.
"Oh, my son, Job. He'd try the pa
tience of his namesake," said Farmer
Roper. "My son, Job, BAH"
just at this moment the door of the
store opened and there entered at it a
little woman, dressed in a cheap calico
and wrapped Ill thin and faded shawl.
She looked timidly about the store,
still more timidly at the heap of letters,
and then, i'll an appealing voice like that
of frightened child, said;
"Mr. Fairjohn, is there any letter for
me this timeW
Il.
had turned his head away and did not
know that she had entered, and she came
closer to the counter and to the light
upon it before she spoke again. She was
q faded little woman, and her face had
signs of grief written upon it, but she
was not either old or ugly yet, and there
was something in the damp curls clus-
tering under the faded calico hood, and
in the little round dimpled chin abso-
Iutely childlike even pet.
"Is there letter for me this time, Mr..
FaiGjohn?" she said again; and this time
the Postmaster looked up.
"No, there aint; and you're fool for
taking such walk to ask" said he, with
rough kindness. "Wouldn't have sent
it if it had a-come, Mrs. Lesterg
"Well, you see felt in hurry to get
it,n said she. "You can't blame me for
being in hurry, it's 50 long,"
"That's true" said the Postmaster.
"Well, better luck next time, But why
don't you wait? Mr.. McKibben will take
you over when hegoes. He passes your
corner"
ayes, wait Mrs. Lester" cried Mr..
McKibben. "Pll take We, and welcome"
But she mad answered.:
"Thank you. l don't mind walking"
and was gone.
"Keeps it up, don't shew asked the
Postmaster.
"It's shame," said Mr.. McKibben.
"How many years is it now since Lester
went oif?'
"Ten," said the Postmaster. tIknow,
for it was the day came here. She was
as pretty a woman as you'd want to see
then, wasn't sheW
"Well, yes,p said Nh. McKibben.
"Sailed in the SphynX," said the Post
master. "And we all know that the
SphynX went down in that voyage, all
hands along with her. The rest of the
women put on widows weeds, them that
lost husbands-four in this town itself.
They took what the Almighty sent, and
didn't rebel. She set up that her hus-
band wasn't dead, and would come back.
She's kept it up ever since; comes for
his letter regular; and he was drowned
along with all the rest, of course, ten
years ago. She must be thirty. Well,
she's changed good deal in that time.''
eyes," said the other man; s'but
there's my son Job wild oyer her yet.
He's offered himself twice. lie stands
ready to offer himself again any day
ready to be father to her boy, and, a
good husband to her. He's better off than
[ be. His mothers father leitrhim all he
had. He's crazy as Job-crazy l call it,.
Plenty Ofpretty gals, and healthy, smart
widows, and he sees no one but that pale,
slim, little thing that's just gone out into
the mud; and sne-why, of course, she's
lost her senses, or she'd have him.
Works like slave to keep herself and
the child, lives in q rickety shanty, wait
ing and waiting for a drowned man to
come back again. Why, every one knows
Charlie Lester was drowned in the
SphynX. There wasn't soul saved, not
one. 1t was in the papers. Now, the
bottle was found with letter in it, writ
by some one just before the ship sunk.
And she's waitin' for him yetw
"Crazy on that point" said the post
master. "Well, poor soul, she'd only
been married Il week when the Sphynx
sailed; that makes difference"
ooh, yes," said the farmer.
Then, their parcels being ready, they
went out to their wagons, and Mr.. Fair
John having stared out into the rainy
night awhile, put up his shutters and
went TO bed. Meanwhile the woman
plodded on through the mud. "Walking
Oft her disappointment" she said to her
self. 1t was one she should have been
used to, and now the absurdity of 1t
seemed 10 strike her Tor the first time in
all these years.
"rhey laugh at me-" she muttered to
herself. II know they laugh at me.
Perhaps / am mad; but they don't know
,yb,f Inyn ic Charlie tyOui1n1t ha VA n r.