The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-08-06
HIS LETTER,

liz
One rainy night, about half past
eight O'CLOCK, the train bad dashed into
McKibben's Corners, and the mail had
been delivered at the store and post
office.
John Fairiohn, the postmaster, had
opened the bag and counteE the letters.
There were, as he made out, Just ten,
and one was larger than the others and
had red seal; and then he had found
that he had left his glasses on the news
paper in the back room, and without
his glasses he could not read a line
and so, of course, he had gone after
them, returning TO find two persons in
the stOre-Farmer Roper and 'Sdnire
hlcKibben, whose ancestors had given
name to that place.
Wet, amt ii? ?" said Mr.. Fairiohn,
nOddinP.
"Wet or not, our folks amt going to
do without their groceries, you see,"
said the Squire. "Alail's in l see. That
tram come near running into my truck,
too. Wasn't noticing tho flag, and
drove across just in time to save myself.
Any letters for me ?"
"Ill see, said Mr. FairiOhn.
He turned 10 the little pile of envel-
OiFN--'f 'Ni-NN tSANA L4ACAL OfCl lAh5 u OJCk OI
cards.
"Why there's only nine" he said.
"Im sure 1 counted right. [ counted
ten, and [ thought one had red seal.
L might as well give up keeping the
office If I'm going to lose my senses like
that. There wasn't any one ia here
WhIlo L was gone, WIS there, Squire?"
"Only Roper and ], " said the Squire,
" ard ROper's son. But he didn't come
in, did he ?"
"No," said old Roper. "I don't
think that Job came in at all. He just
went Off somewhere"
Well" said the postmaster, after
another search, "weiI, I must be mis-
taken. Yes, there is a letter for Won,
your folks, anyway and something Ior
you, MIR. Roper. Aud you wouldn't
mind tossing that IN at the Smiths as
you pass?"
"Oh, no." said Farmer Roper.
"Glve it to ne. That's from Smith
that's clerking it in New York, I reckon.
Can't get any of EN- to stay and farm"
Your son Job did" said the Squire.
"Oh, my son Job. He'd try the
patience of his namesake," " said Farmer
Roper. MY son Job, bah"
just at this moment the door of the |
store opened, and there entered |
little woman dressed in q cheap calico |
and wrapped in a thin and faded shawl. |
She looked timidly about the store,
still more timidly at the heap of letters,
and then, in an appealing voice like that |
Of n frightened child, said
Mr.. Fairiohn, is there any letter for |
me this time ?"
The postmaster, who was q little deaf, |
had turned his head away and did not
know that she had entered, and she !
came closer to the counter and the light
upon it, before she spoke again. She
WAS n faded little woman, and her face
had signs of grief written upon it, but
she was neither old nor ugly yet, and
there was something in the damp curls
clustering around the faded calico hood, |
and in the little round, dimpled chin
absolutely childlike even yet.
SIS there n letter for me this time,
Mr.. Fanjohn?' she said again and this
time the postmaster looked.
No, there amt; and you're fool
for taking such a walk to ask" said he
nth rough kindness. Wouldn't l
have sent it if it had come, Mrs. Les
ter"
"Well, you see, felt in a hurry to
get it." said she, ''You can't blame me
for being in hurry, it's so 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 he goes. He passes
your c rner."
g Yes, wait, Mrs. Lester" cried Mr..
Mckibhen, 'I'il take ye and welcome"
But she had answered
"Thank you. don't mind walking"
and was gone.
Keeps it up, don't she - asked the
postmaster.
Its shame, said Mr.. McKibben.
Glow many years it is now since Lester
went off"
Ten" said the postmaster. 81
know. for 1t was the day I came here.
She vas as pretty a women as you'd
want TO see then, wasn't she ?'
- Well, yes" " said Mr. Mckjbben.
Sailed in the Sphynx," said the
postmaster. "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 their husbands -four in this
town itself. They took what the AL
mighty sent and didn't rebel She set
up that her husband 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 he thirty. Well, she's changed a
good 3eal in that time"
Yes, said the other man ''but
there's my son Job wild over her yet.
He's offered himself twice. He stands
ready to offer himself again any day
ready to be a father TO her boy, and a
CnDH hngl hand q, E,r - "a
than | be. Ills mothers father left
him all he had. He's crazy as Job
crazy, ! call it. Plenty Of pretty gal
aud healthy, smart widows. and he sees
no one but that pale slim little thing
that's just gone out into the mud, aud
she-whY, of course, she's lost her
HeusCs, or she'd have him. Works like
"a slave 70 keep herself and the child,
lives in q rickety shanty waiting and
waiting for a drowned man to come
back again. Why, every one knows
Charlie Lester was drowned in the
Spbynx. There wasn't soul saved
not one. 1t was in the papers. Now,
the bottle was found witl a letter in it,
writ 10y some one before the-F chip sunk.
And she's Whiting for him vet !"
Cray on that point" said the post
master. "Well, poor soul, she'd only
been marri, Il n week when the Sphynx
sailed that makes a difference"
"Oh, yes" said the farmer.
Then, their parcels being ready, they
went ont to their wagons, and Mr..
Fairiohn having stared out into the
rainy night awhile put no his shutters
and went to bed. Meanwhile the wo-
man plodded on through the mud.
" Walking off her disappointment" she
said to herself. 1t was one she should
have been used to, and now the alb
suTdity of it seemed to strike her for
the first time in all these years. +"
"They laugh at me-" she muttered
to heraelf. 81 know they laugh at me.
Perhaps I am mad but they don't
know what love ia. Charlie youl6n't