The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-08-07
HIS LETTER,

HIS LETTER.
One rainy night, about half pas
eight O'Clock, the train had dashed int.
McKibben's Corners, and the mail hat
been delivered at the store and post
Office.
John Fairjohn, the postmaster, ha6
opened the bag and counted 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 line
and 30, OF course, he had gone after
them. returning to find two persons in
the store-Farmer Roper and Squire
McKibben. whose ancestors had given
name to that place.
"Wet, amt it?" said Mr.. Fairjohn,
noddinP.
Wet or not. our folks amt going to
do without their groceries, you see,
said the Squire. ssMail's in see. That
train come near running into my truck,
too. Wasn't noticing the flag, and
drove across Just in time to save myself.
Any letters for me ?"
"I1l eee," said Mr.. Fairiohn.
He turned to the little pile of envel-
opes. and told them over ike deck of
cards.
why there's only pipe," he said.
"Pm sure I counted right. I counted
ten, and I thought one had red seal.
1 might a. well give up keeping the
office II I'm going to lose my senses like
that. There wasn't any one in here
whDe I was gone, was there, Squire ?"
"Only Roper and ;" saia the Squire,
asd Roper's son. But he didn't come
"No," said old Roper. ST don't
think that JOB came in at all. He Just
went OF somewhere.
well" said the postmaster, after
another search. "weil, I must be mis-
taken. Yes, there is a letter for You,
your folks, anyway-and something Tor
mind tossing that in at the Smiths as
you pass?"
"Oh, no." said Farmer Roper.
"Give it to me-. That's from Smith
thAt's clerking it in New York, reckon.
Cant get any OF 'em to stay and farm"
Your son Job did, said the Squire.
patience of his namesake," said Farmer
Roper. "My son Job, BAH"
just at this moment the door of the
store opened, and there entered q
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 . frightened child, said:
Mr.. Fairjohn, is there any letter for
me this time ?"
The postmaster, who was little deaf,
had turned his head away and did not
know that she had entered, and ehe
came closer to the counter and the light
upon it, before che spoke again. She
was faded little woman, and her face
had signs of grief written upon it, hut
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.
els there a letter for me this time,
MIR. FAirjohn ?" she said again and this
time the postmaster looked.
"No, there amt and you're fool
for taking such walk to ask" said he
nth rough kindness. Wouldn't I
have sent it if it had a come, Mrs. Les
ter"
well, You see, I felt in a hurry to
get il, said she, lyon can't blame me
for being in hurry, it's so long,"
That's true" said the postmaster.
"Wel, better luck next time. But why
don't you wait? Mr.. McKibben will
take you over when he goes. He passes
your C Grner."
"Yes, wait, Mrs. Lester" cried Mr..
McKibben, ''T'll take ye and welcome"
Rut she had ansverexT.
Thank you. Idon't.mind walking"
and was gone.
Keeps it up, don't she p asked the
postmaster.
"It's shame" said Mr.. McKibben.
SLOW many years it is now since Lester
went of.
"Ten," said tho postmaster. ct
know, for it was the day came here.
She was rs pretty a women rs you'd
want to see then, wasn't she 2"
swell, yes" said Mr.. McKibben.
"Sailed in the Sphynx," said the
postmaster. Sand 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 hnsbands-four in this
town itself. They took what the Al
mighty sent and didn't rebel. She set
up tndJ utf uusDhnQ Wd5nb Q6oQ, ana
would come back. She's kept it MP
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 q
good deal in that time"
eyes" said the other man ssbut
there's my son Job wild over her yet.
He's offered himself twice. He stands
ready TO offer himself again any day
ready 10 be father to her boy, and a
good husband to her. He's better off
than / be. His mothers father left
him all he had. He's crazy as job
crazy, call it. Plenty of pretty gal
and healthy, smart widows, and he sees
no one but that pale slim little thing
that's Just gone out into the mud, and
'she-why, of course, she's lost her
aenses, or she'd have him. Works like
asiave TO keep herself and the child,
lives IN 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. It was in the papers. Now,
the bottle was found with letter in it,
writ by some one before the ship sunk.
AnsRshe waiting for him yet !"
"Csazy on that point" said the post
master. -"Well, poor soul, she'd only
been married week when the SphJnx
d