The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-06-13

a very coarse. two-pronged steel
fork.
'Take that away said Ephraim,
tossing it to the end of the table;
want a silver fork.
Silver fork. sir? Bless my soul, sir !!
We haven't got any: never heard of
such thing. sir!
Never heard of a silver fork, you
idiotP shouted Ephraim 'why every
body uses them.
No, sir, think not, slr. I've liv-
ed with first quality people, sir, and
they all use this kind. sir; didn't
know there was any. Do they have
'em in furrin parts, SIT?
Get out! said Ephraim. savagely.
He was becoming some " hat annoyed
and bewildered by the utter disap-
pearaDce Of SO many familiar things.
But the breakfast was good, and he
was hungry, SO he fell to with hearty
zest, and although he found the steel
fork clumsy, it did him good service.
At the conclusion of the meal Eph-
rain walked rapidly to his office-the
Office that he had occupied for nearly
sixty years. As he opened the door
he expected to find his letters in the
box wherein the postman thrust them
two Or three times a day. They were
not there. The box Itself was gone!
TOO bad too bad Z exclaimed Eph.
rain. Everything conspires to delay
me to-day. suppose I must sit here
and wait for that lazy letter carrier to
come, and meantime my busines must
wait too.
With the intent not to lose the time
altogether, Ephraim resolved to writ e
a letter or two. lie took from the
drawer a sheet of rough white paper,
and opened his inkstand. He could
not find his favorite pen any where,
and there were no other pens in the
drawer. only bundle of quils. Eph-
rain determined to try to use one of
these. He ruined four, and lost ten
minutes before he could make with
his knife pen good enough to write
with with this he finished his letter.
Then he had another hunt for an en-
velope, but he could find one nowhere
and nothing was to be done but to
fold the sheet in the fashion he had
known in his boyhood, and to seal it
with sealing wax. He burned his fin
gers badly while performing the last
named operation.
Still the postman had not arrived,
and Ephraim, being very anxious to
mail his letter, resolved to 60 ont and
drop it into the letter-box at the cor
ner of the street. When he reached
the corner he found that the letter box
had disappeared as so many other
things had done; 80 he resolved to
push on to the post office, where he
could leaye the letter and get his
mornings mail. AS he approached
what he had supposed was the post
Office, he was dismayed to perceive
that another building occupied the
site. The post.office had vanished.
He turned to man standing with a
crowd which was observing him, and
asked him where the post-office could
be found. Obeying the direction, he
sought the place and found it. Rush.
ing to the single window, behind
which clerk stood, he asked:
'Are there any letters for Ephraim
Batterby?
Il think not said the clerk there
will be no mail in till Tomorrow.
Mot till tomorrow shouted Eph-
rain. What's the matter?'
THE matter! nothing at all. What's
the matter with you?
L am expecting letters from New
York and Chicago. Are both mails
delayed?
sChicago's place 1 never heard ot
and the mail from New York comes in
only three times a week. 1t came
yesterday, and it will come in again
tomorrow.
sThree times a week!' exclaimed
Ephraim; why. it comes four or five
times day. unless 7 am very much
mistaken.
The clerk turned to q feIiow-clerk
behind him and said something in s
low tone. at which both laughed.
'How do you suppose the mails gel
here four times a dayf' asked one o.
the clerks.
upon the mail trains, of course, re.
piled Ephraim little tartly; aud the
clerks laughed again.
well, SIR said the man at the win.
dow, I'VE don't appear to understand
each other, but it may straighteu
things out if tell you that the New
York mails comes here upon a stage
coach which takes twenty-fonr hours
to make the journey and which reach.
es here on Mondays. Wednesday and
Fridays.
Ephraim was about to make an an
CRY reply, but the clerk shut the WIN
dow down, and made further discus
sion impossible. For a moment Eph-
rain was puzzled. lie stopped to think
what he should do next, and while he
was standing there he noticed curl
Gus crowd gathering about him-a
crowd which seemed to regard him
with peculiar interest. And now and
then q rude fellow would make faceti-
ous comments upon Ephraim's dress
at which the vulgar would laugh. Eph.
rain was somewhat bewildered, and
his confusion became greater when he
observed that all of the bystanders