Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-01-05
The Old Man and the Fast Mail.

The Old Man and the Fast Mail.
Young man, nm tired and weary, and I'll
borrow your chair for awhile,
To sit by your Office window, where the golden
sunbeams smile,
For I've travelled some miles since morning,
although am old aud gray,
To see Uncle Sans pet hobby. the fast white
mail, to-day.
How Time keeps ringing his changes; it amt
many years ago,
SinceI travelled this same road, youngster, in
sstage-coach, old aud slow.
There wasn't sign of a railr1 ad, nor . tele-
graph pole in sight,
And the earth lay asleep in mantel of snow
flakes, pure and white.
A little log cabin yender, peeped out at the
edge of the woods,
Like the nut-browI face of maiden from I'M
der snow-white hood,
And there we unhitohed our horses, in twilight
cold aud gray,
To rest in the brown log cabin till the dawn
of another day.
Then came there again the next Summer.
when the meadows with grass were green,
When the birds in the oaks were singin', and
the fish were at play in the stream,
And built, in little clearing, way yonder
over the hill,
A cabin of logs and brushwood, and, stranger,
live there STILL
But the cabin of logs has vanished, and there
stands in it's place to-day
A mansion of brick and granite; while over
across the way
My lad has built him cottage, cottage he
calls his own,
That discounts the big brick mansion where the
old man isn't at home.
Fol old dogs don't learn new habits, and an
old mans hard to please,
1t amt easy to rest from labor when one isn't
used to ease:
Yet don't know as I'd be willin' to toll in the
fields again,
A workin' for paper dollars and KILN both
heart and brain.
Once week we got our mails then, folks
wasn't hurry to go,
They didn't think that the sJage-coach was
lumberin, old and slow,
And you couldn't have made us believe it. if
you'd argued an hour or more.
They'd be carrying mails by steam power and
thrown EN- off st the door.
Now cars run over their roadways with the
speed of a gust Of wind,
They've lefs the lumberin' stage-coach and the
old-fashioned ways behind,
And they tell me, to lands far westward, where
the eagle has left his trail
Uncle Sam is sendin' EN- letters by way of q
fast white mail.
So I've driven from home since morning, al
though [ am old and gray,
To see Uncle Sans pet hobby, the fast white
r mail, to-day;
For In twenty-six hours, I've heard it, and it
beats an old man like me.
They've the ocean mail readin by 'sthe queen
O. the inland sea-
Well. times is changin' surely, one is never too
old to learn,
III ough there may be flaws in the marble that
my old eyes can't discern:
Yet I'm tired of the nesson's croakin', and I
wish he'd give us rest;''
Gods runnin' the world, reckon, and He do
eth what seems the best.
Nov I'll move my chair here, youngster and
sit where the bright sun smiles
TIL hear on the curve, down yonder, the
whistle o. old John Miles,
For they tell me he's ruHnin' an engine on the
fast white mail to-day,
And he runs like wild Young fellow, if his
hair is turning gray"
The old man sat by the window till he saw DER
the curve below
The smoke from the engine rising like the
wings of great black crow,
Then he crept with gait unsteady across the
ofice-foer,
And stood like statue watching the train from
the open door.
1t came like great white arrow tipped with a
barb O. STEEL
Spurning the road beneath it with the touch of
its iron shod heel,
Catching the mail while passing with demons
oInstretched hand,
To be scattered in showers of blessings afar
DER the peaceful land.
Miles, with his hand on the lever, looked out
as he passed the door, .
Looked out at fac sunbeams stealing down
toward the lakes green shore,
Then pulled the throttle wide open, and
seemed with his air to say,
s'Uncle Sam, / have run like lightning with
your fast white mail to-day"
The old man looked in wonder as they caught
the mail below,
sage! time is fast" he muttered, s.for that
idea amt slow
And then. as away they vanished with a flash
like 81 comets TAIL
He said: 'sOld time, you're euchered by steam
and the fast white mall