The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-11-16

in the same sort of an envelope; always
addressed in the same cramped, angular
hand to
MARIA H. RUSSELL,
New YORK PosToFF1CE,
1t was always "drop- letter." one OF
through the little crevice in the wall
daily, and no one ever knew who brough,
it; although, when the regularity of her
visits began to attract attention, the un-
known correspondent was carefully
watched for about the first Friday of
every month. But it was never known
who brought that strange vel ow envelope,
nor did anyone ever get glimpse of its
contents, although its outside was ex.
amincd with curiosity great many times
And the mysterious letter passed along
like the thousands of daily messages of
love and hate, of modification and pleas
ure, of good cheer and evil bidding-th
duns and remittances and promises to pay.
Years passed. The delivery clerks
were changed one after another; some of
them died; others were promoted; some
went to other employment; but as each
left he told the story of the strange woman
TO his successor as part of the instruc-
tlons of the office, and the new clerks soon
became familiar with her visits as the
months went by.
She was often questioned; inquisitive
chances were often cast into her face, and
several times she was followed by curious
fellows; but no one ever discovered
whence she came or whittier she went.
One day new clerk who had conceived
a scheme to discover her identity told her
he was not sure the letter belonged to her,
as he knew other ladies in the city of the
same name, and asked her if there was
not some one in the neighborhood whom
she could call to identify her.
am stranger in this part of the
city, SIR" was her quiet, dignified reply,
"but have been here a good many time s
and never before was asked to prove nv
identity. If il will be of any satisfaction
to you will describe the appearance of
the letter expect-but wait; am quite
sure it will correspond with this one''-
and she took from little reticule she al.
ways carried the one she had received a
month before.
\ whole generation had passed away.
Men and women had been born and bur-
led, but still the queer letters came, and
were called for by the queer woman. The
clerks in the Postoffice had heard of her
from those who had preceded them, and
her mysterious appearances had gained a
romance with age, and strange stories that
had been invented by the clerks long be-
fore were told of her as true.
Her face was smooth and round and
placid when she first came, but it was
getting wrinkled, and her hair was get.
ting gray. One time. only once for twenty
years. as nearly as could be remembered,
she failed to come, and one, two, three
letters were waiting for her in the pigeon
hole. The clerk did not advertise them
nor send them to the Dead-Letter Office
with the rest, for he knew if Maria Rus
sell was living she would come for them
in time, and if she was dead nothing could
be gained by hurrying them Oft to the
great mail morgue where all unclaimed
letters go. But after four months her IA
miliar face appeared at the window again,
and the clerk was as glad to see her as if
she had been an old friend. But it was
not the face he used to see Its calm
smoothness was shrunken; its fulluess
Was wasted; there were deep drawn lines
around the mouth and eyes, and the fresh
flush had turned to a wan paleness A
friendly greeting was on the tongue of
the clerk as he turned to meet her, but
when he saw how pale she was, how
wasted, and how the calm expression of
her face had been erased and covered
with the autograph of pain, he suppressed
the cordial words that were pushing his
lips open, and simply remarked:
''You have been sick ~
"Yes, have been SICK" she said, and
gathering her letters in her hand she left
the window, and, like a snowflake in the
sea, meltel away into the surging wave of
humanity that was roaring in the street
outside.
After this she came regularly again, but
the paleness never left her face, and the
wrinkles heightened and deepened instead
of growing -ess.
The clerks began to talk of her changed
appearance, and concluded that she was
suffering from some cause, they could
not decide just what, although there were
plenty of reasons suggested, and il was
concluded at an informal meeting behind
the wall of boxes in the postoffice one
day, that the next time she came it was
their duty to find out if she was needing
anything that they with their ill-filled
purses could supply. So when she came
the clerk who happened to beat the win
dow held her letter in his hand moment
to delay her, and said with great deal Of
trepidation-for the mystery of her life
and the distant self possession of her
manner discouraged any inquisitive at
tacks:
II pray you to excuse me, madam
but l thought that if you were in any sort
of need ="
II am very we'll cared for, thank you, 4"
she interrupted. "You have letter for
me, see."
And she was gone again
The clerk went back to his fellows, and
being person of pride related the Incl
dent, with some details that were not sup
piled in the occurrence He said he had
rendered the lady in their name, as deli.
cateiy as possible. any aid that she might
need, explaining to her that they had
learned from long association to feel an
interest in her, and hoped if she was in
want of any of the necessaries of life. or
if she needed any assistance of any kind.
that they would assist her to the extent Of
their abilities.
The clerks applauded the dizziness with
which their fellow had performed the
duty, and inquired anxiously for her re-
ply.
She told me-" he said, that she was
IN good circumstances, and was not just
now in want of any assistance, but, with
our permission, she would remember our
kind offer, and If ever in need would not
hesitate to call upon u.s.
And IT she had been a heroine formerly
she became goddess from that hour out
"a goddess In an old.fashioned, shabby
leghorn bonnet, q rusty broche shawl, and
retloule like the ones their grandmoth.
ers carried. But she was as divine to
easse Asbit-hsrdsaed Psstof1ss clerks n