Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1876-06-01
THE Posr-o1 :

H.
and ask for letters. and srssws di-
rect any envelope thsf - - 70 turn
up, and hand It out aad pey post
age.
We had all sorts of e. = ahe fsir
fish ponds snd gu X II was
mean to put 80 many tr6 = those. I
do say; and ~ / told ~ kep1I
the post-ofIice, and I al npou how
it came into usx heae Is wrSss t.o slet-
tiers just alike: Meet me at the old oak
tree if you have not forgotten the past
and put them into pink envelopes; but
we wrote trash of all kinds, Of course.
The oak tree was Just outside the
room where we held the fair-the big
room Of the academy; and there was
nice bench there, SO it struck me to
write the notes.
Give one to lady and one to gen.
tleman, said I. And Ann Lunn who
delivered the letters. laughed merrily.
Whoever gets them will be sure to
go to the tree said she; and almost as
she spoke up came DIR. Steelwaggon,
the old bachelor in Bluehill, and put
ting his head in at the window, said
slowly:
Young ladies, are there any letters
for me 2
Yes. sir; one for DR.. Steelwaggon,'
cried Ann, tossing me pink envelope,
and l addressed it. He paid liberal
postage-he was sure to do that-and
/ away be went.
Watch him for half an hour, and you
will see him 60 to the old oak tree said
Ann. Aud sure enough, in less than
that we saw him make his way out Of
the hall and sit down under that oak
tree in the moonlight.
Men never lose an opportunity said
Ann.
DO women? Let us discover said
|. Ann saw old Miss Barnet coming
towards the Office, and l directed the
other envelope to her.
In "a moment up she came smiling
pretty old lady in black silk, with the
incest little rufties of real lace at her
neck.
Have you any letters for me, my
dear = she said.
She handed out the pink envelope
number two as she spoke.
IF l were young lady l should think
this was love letter = she said, as she
walked away.
will she go to the oak ? I asked.
'We shall soon see,' said Ann.
And though she did not go soon, it
/ t..Sa l.
out of the hall and walking very slowly
indeed toward the bench were DR.. Steel
Wagon was sitting.
He arose as she come near; he bowed.
She courtesied They sat together.
After awhile they rose and walked
away, arm in arm.
Didn't | tell you = said Ann.
OF course when they met they had a
chat, answered. 'They are two old
neighbors.'
But Ann would Joke and say all sorts
of things, of course.
well, We were busy with the fair,
and forgot all about the little incident
soon, and when the fair was over there
was still great deal to do, until one
day We all went to the minister's house
to count up what we had made and talk
things over, when, rs we were counting
up the gains of the postoffice, the min
ister's wife suddenly cried:
oh, girls, we are going to have a
wedding here tonight, and the post
office brought it about. Miss Barnet is
to marry DIR. Steelwaggon, and all be-
cause of two letters they got at your
office.
You see, long ago, when she was
pretty young girl, and be handsome
young man, the two were engaged, and
loved each other dearly. But they
quarreled somehow, as lovers DO, now
aud then. and separated. From that
time until the fair they had not spoken
to each other. But neither of them, as
you know, has ever married, and lately
Miss Barnet told me she had begun to
think that the doctor must have loved
her more tkan she thought, else he
would have had wife. Men can al
ways marry, if they please, you know
And then she knew very well there had
never been any one to her like the doc
tor. She thought as she walked about
the fair, how happy the old couple
looked, arm in arm, and be thought so,
too. Indeed, he has told her so since.
And when she walked to the Office she
was thinking how handsome he was yet
And when she opened her letter and
read Meet me At the old oak tree, if
You have not forgotten the past, it
gave her a nervous feeling, and after
awhile she walked slowly along to the
door and looked out. The moon shoue
bright over the lawn, aud there under
+ the oak tree sat the doctor himself
Had he written her the letter? She
walked on toward the tree, not mean
lns 10 see him unless he spoke; but he
did speak.
Miss Barnet he said, 4 hope I see
You we'll
! And she said
Thank YOU, quite, well DR.. Steel.
Wagon,
And that was the first words they
had spoken since thirty years ago.
! She had said TO him:
1t is perfectly certain that we have
made great mistake in thinking We
like each other, DR.. Steelwaggon.'
And be had said:
4 never contradict lady. Miss Bar
net
Then she was twenty and he was
twenty-five. They were old people now,